The History of the Nhra World Finals

The History of the Nhra World Finals
Author: Nhra Publications
Publisher: CreateSpace
Total Pages: 72
Release: 2014-10-09
Genre:
ISBN: 9781502514080

In 2014, the National Hot Rod Association celebrates the 50th World Finals, the traditional season-ending drag race on the NHRA tour. Since 1965, the World Finals has determined NHRA's season champions, often under dramatic circumstances. In this spectacular book produced by the editors of National Dragster magazine, you'll relive every moment. Whether your World Finals memories include Shirley Muldowney's tremendous triumph in 1980 or "The Run" by Tony Schumacher more than 25 years later, if you're a drag racing fan, this book is for you.

Don "The Snake" Prudhomme: My Life Beyond the 1320

Don
Author: Elana Scherr
Publisher: CarTech Inc
Total Pages: 194
Release: 2020-10-16
Genre: Transportation
ISBN: 1613255187

Don "The Snake" Prudhomme reveals for the first time ever his incredible life and career on and off of the drag strip.

Imagine spending a year with Don "The Snake" Prudhomme, having coffee together and talking about his life, his racing, his friends, and his family. He’d tell you about how he rose from being a high school drop-out who was painting cars to a respected Top Fuel dragster driver and successful businessman. You’d hear how he toured the country with Tommy Ivo and "The Hawaiian" Roland Leong, racing all the legends from "Big Daddy" Don Garlits to "The Golden Greek" [Chris] Karamesines. He'd say how he met Tom McEwen and recall how they became the Snake and the Mongoose, leading to a career in Funny Cars that netted him four championships in a row. He'd talk about the thrill of first wins and owning his own teams but also the struggles of bad seasons, crashes and fires, broken parts, and broken contracts. Along the way, he’d speak about the people in his life, such as engine-builder Keith Black and NHRA president Wally Parks, and those who were killed in the wild and unpredictable sport of nitro racing. It wouldn’t be only racing, though. Prudhomme would share lessons he learned about business and life from such varied sources as a neighbor in Granada Hills to Ford GT40 driver Dan Gurney. He also would talk about the importance of family: how his wife, Lynn, and daughter, Donna, changed his world and how finding out about his African-American roots opened his eyes to a culture and inheritance he’d always wanted. This is the experience you’ll get in Don "The Snake" Prudhomme: My Life Beyond the 1320.

Hubert Platt

Hubert Platt
Author: Allen Platt
Publisher: CarTech Inc
Total Pages: 193
Release: 2019-05-15
Genre: Transportation
ISBN: 1613253974

Webster's Dictionary lists the term showman as "a notably spectacular, dramatic, or effective performer." In the art of drag racing, Hubert Platt checked all boxes. Known as the "Georgia Shaker," Platt cut his motoring teeth on the long straightaways and twisty back roads of South Carolina while bootlegging moonshine. After a run-in with the law in 1958, Platt transferred his driving skills from illegal activity to sanctioned drag racing and began one of the most dominant runs in drag racing history until his retirement in 1977. After stints in 1957, 1938, and 1962 Chevrolets, Platt's next ride was a Z11 Impala, which carried his first "Georgia Shaker" moniker. Once Chevrolet pulled out of sanctioned racing, Platt found a new home with Ford for 1964 and remained there until he hung up his helmet. Some of the cars he campaigned became icons in their own right. His factory-backed and personal machines included a 1963 Z11 Impala, 1964 Thunderbolt, 1965 Falcon, 1966 Mustang Funny Car, 1967 Fairlane 427, 1968-1/2 Cobra Jet, 1969 CJ Mustang, 1970 427 SOHC Mustang, and 1970 Boss 429 Maverick. A 1986 NHRA Hall of Fame member, Platt's lasting legacy on the sport can’t be denied. Whether he was launching his Falcon with the door open, conducting a Ford Drag Team seminar, or posting low E.T. at the 1967 US Nationals in his Fairlane, Platt's imprint on drag racing was all-encompassing. His son and biggest fan, Allen Platt, shares his dad's iconic career in, Hubert Platt: Fast Fords of the "Georgia Shaker"!

The History of NHRA Pro Stock, 1970-2019

The History of NHRA Pro Stock, 1970-2019
Author: Nhra Publications
Publisher:
Total Pages: 106
Release: 2020-01-30
Genre:
ISBN:

No collection of a true student of the sport will be complete without The History of NHRA Pro Stock. From the achievements of pioneers such as Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins and the famed Sox & Martin through season after season of utter domination by Bob Glidden to today's six-second, 210-mph factory hot rods, The History of NHRA Pro Stock guides readers through the years of milestones, groundbreaking technology, and career turning points in this fascinating segment of NHRA competition. This newly revised and expanded edition covers the greatest moments in the 50 years of Pro Stock competition.

High Performance

High Performance
Author: Robert C. Post
Publisher: JHU Press
Total Pages: 460
Release: 2001
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780801866647

Providing a firsthand history of the sport, this book takes a detailed look at all aspects of drag racing: the sport, the business, and tracks the innovations that permitted racers to disprove the "laws of physics". 147 halftones.

Cobra Jet: The History of Ford's Greatest High-Performance Muscle Cars

Cobra Jet: The History of Ford's Greatest High-Performance Muscle Cars
Author: Rob Kinnan
Publisher: CarTech Inc
Total Pages: 193
Release: 2020-03-15
Genre: Transportation
ISBN: 1613253788

Relive Ford’s glory days in the muscle car era in this stunning new volume covering the popular and powerful Cobra Jets! Ford’s “Total Performance” racing program in the early 1960s was the first stone turned in the task of repurposing its image to the youth market. The introduction of the Mustang increased that exponentially, but even in 289 Hi-Po form it was no match for the Pontiac GTO or other muscle cars. Neither was the 1966 Fairlane GT or subsequent 390 Mustang the following year. But when the 428 Cobra Jet Mustang debuted at Pomona for the NHRA Winternationals in 1968, that image evolved from wholesome to fearsome! Cobra Jet Mustangs downed all comers and took the vaunted Super Stock Eliminator crown while introducing a new weapon under the hood to serve as fair warning to what was to be uncoiled at the stoplight. By the next model year with the revolutionary shaker hood on Cobra Jet-equipped Mach Is and the striking snake adorning the sheet metal of the midsize Cobra, Ford’s image makeover was complete. The demise of the muscle car era didn’t signify the end of the Cobra Jet, as Ford continued the performance reign with the 351 Cobra Jet. The legacy left by Mustang, Cougar, Torino, Cyclone, and Ranchero 428, 429, and 351 Cobra Jet-powered vehicles is indelible. Mustang Monthly editor Rob Kinnan and muscle car expert Diego Rosenberg bring this history back to life in an all-encompassing book that is the first to specifically feature all Cobra Jet cars, including the purpose-built drag cars of today! Cobra Jet: The History of Ford’s Greatest High Performance Cars will hypnotize you as the first and complete history of Ford’s most famous engines during the era’s peak.

"Dyno" Don

Author: Doug Boyce
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2020
Genre: Automobile racing drivers
ISBN: 9781613256336

Quarter-Mile Mustangs

Quarter-Mile Mustangs
Author: Doug Boyce
Publisher: CarTech Inc
Total Pages: 144
Release: 2022-05-15
Genre: Transportation
ISBN: 1613255985

Blast down the quarter mile in the first two generations of Ford’s legendary pony car across all drag racing classes in Quarter-Mile Mustangs! Since first becoming a mass-market success in mid-1964, the Ford Mustang has made millions of passes down the quarter mile on sanctioned drag strips. With styling flared toward the youth, aftermarket parts manufacturers saw an enormous opportunity to produce go-fast components to aid in propelling Ford’s pony car down the 1320. The success of these cars was immediate. In the hands of successful and seasoned pros, such as Gas Ronda, Bill Lawton, and Dick Brannan, Ford unleashed the devastatingly potent 1965 A/FX Mustang fastback, which was built by Blue Oval stalwarts Holman & Moody with the 427 SOHC (Cammer) engine that unleashed havoc on mother Mopar. From those very first factory drag cars through the fabled 1968-1/2 Cobra Jets, drag racing historian Doug Boyce highlights the many successes of pioneers, such as “Dyno” Don Nicholson, Les Ritchey, Phil Bonner, Hubert Platt, and Al Joniec. However, it’s not just all doorslammers. As A/FX transitioned into Funny Car, a whole new chapter in Mustang drag racing was written with Mickey Thompson taking the reins and steering Mustangs to success throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s. The muscle car-era Mustangs joined the Mustang II and soldiered on the best they could as ever-changing rules hampered Ford’s new pony body, with drivers Bob Glidden and Nicholson trying to squeeze every bit of performance out of the diminutive pony. Quarter-Mile Mustangs: The History of Ford’s Pony Car at the Drag Strip 1964-1/2-1978 brings forth the most in-depth coverage of these cars at the drag strip. Don’t get caught sleeping at the light!

Grumpy's Toys

Grumpy's Toys
Author: Doug Boyce
Publisher: Cartech
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2011
Genre: Automobile engineers
ISBN: 9781934709276

Grumpy's Toys: The Legendary Cars of Bill Grumpy Jenkins stands as a full and complete history of Jenkins' career to date as told through his cars, and has been heartily authorized by the man himself (Jenkins wrote the book's foreword.) Author Doug Boyce has been following Jenkins throughout his racing career, and amassed an impressive collection of vintage photography which is shared on the pages. Through his own knowledge, extensive research, and by working with Grumpy himself, Grumpy's Toys offers readers an unparalleled look behind the man and his machines.

Six Seconds to Glory

Six Seconds to Glory
Author: Hal Higdon
Publisher: X-S Books
Total Pages: 159
Release: 1975
Genre: Automobile racing drivers
ISBN: 9780399609374

Describes the effort of Don Prudhomme to become the first driver to win a fourth victory in the U. S. Nationals drag championship.