2000 Horsepower Heaven FotoSpectacular PREVIEW 2
Most all images copyright © Larry Pfister
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This is the image used on the 1972 International Raceway Parks Inc. Schedule. I believe it is an Emil Neely foto, but with no credit I cannot be certain. It is probably from the spring of 1971 and features da Ace, wheels up, just hazing the tires...very cool indeed. Taking in Seattle Int. Raceway, Puyallup Raceway Park (just east of Tacoma) and Deer Park Raceway (16 miles north of Spokane) the drag race season lasted until late August. Interesting dates that year included the NW Natl. Open at SIR Apr 29/30, The 3 race all-nitro Olympia All Pro Drags June 3, June 14 & July15. Puyallup ran AA/FDs Apr. 1 (perfect), the Calif. vs. Wash. Drag Championships Apr 29, the U.S. Pro Stock Championships (really?) July 29 and the North American Fuel & Gas Championships Aug. 19. Deer Park's features were the NHRA World Points Meet May 27/28, and the Coca-Cola Funny Cars Aug. 5. Of note is that all of the one day shows were night races. Dream on in 2000.
A never-before-seen image of Bob Gibson's '49 Austin Panel at Van Isle Dragways in 1972 shortly before it flipped three times half way up the shutoff hill after an 8.63/162. Scheduled for a Hot Rod Magazine photo feature right after this booked in AA/GS show, the Portland Oregon driver suffered a broken finger and acid burns on his right hand. The broken body sat (believe-it-or-not) for years on the property before sombody took it home, never to be seen again.
Early 80s Seattle. Force and whoever was wheeling Roland's car this day.
Another group of 1972 images from Van Isle. Here we see Gary Coe's Gunfighter C/A 302 injected Comet that ran 9.70's.
And didn't all Pro Stockers once do it like this? Bill Ireland quickly leaving Van Isle after a bad defeat at the hands of a Alf Sawyer's GeHemi bracket car...
If you all be nice I may drag out and clean up the audio tape I have of Tharp in Schmidt's Max layin' down a side-by-side quarter mile (no shit) burnout with Ruth the night this pic was shot in '72 at Seattle. At the time this beautiful Mustang was the world's quickest with a 6.37. Best here was a 6.59 at the race Steve Reyes described as one of the best Funny Car races he had ever seen. For me it will always rate as the greatest flopper race of my life. Near national record time, every top driver in the country...it was amazing. Note Shroeder's Jet-Age/Jerobee Challenger in background.
1972 again, and my first ever journey to Mission. I have no idea who this is but it's about as bitchin' a Bantam as I've ever seen.
'The Boss' was a brand new '72 Mustang out of Steve Marshall Motors in Cambell River. The ultra-rare Autolight inline carbs never propelled this thing to any decent times, but looking back now it's a Ford-lovers delight.
And one last look at the summer of '72 at Van Isle sees Goodell's Challenger tow past Buck Kinney's near-unbeatable (here anyway) Mussallem Motors Camaro Super Stocker.
This is for all you weenies who think yur bad street racing a Honda...