Many say the 1960s were the golden age of drag racing. Watch this awesome action from the 1966 NHRA Winternationals and you’ll be inclined to agree.
This original film-to-video of the 1966 NHRA Winternationals is not in the finest condition, but the material is so exceptional we couldn’t pass it up. There’s a lot of fantastic stuff crammed into this not quite four minutes, including:
+ Roland Leong’s Hawaiian AA/Fuel Dragster driven by Mike Snively. The Hawaiian outfit was red hot at the time, winning both the Winternationals and the U.S. Nationals at Indy in 1965 with Don Prudhomme driving, and repeating the feat again in 1966 with Snively (above) in the cockpit.
+ Shirley Shahan, the Drag-On Lady, who wheeled her 426 hemi-powered ’65 Plymouth to a Top Stock Eliminator victory at Pomona, becoming the first woman to score an NHRA national event win.
+ Danny Ongais, who made his name in drag racing behind the wheel of the Hawaiian and Mickey Thompson’s Mustang funny cars, among others, then took his considerable driving talents to IMSA road racing and Indy cars.
Best of all, the narration is provided by the late Steve Evans, drag racing announcer extraordinaire and a truly great guy. It was wonderful to hear him at work again in this segment. Enjoy the action.
Really enjoy vintage drag racing. I remember, as a kid, it was televised on ABC’s Wide World of Sports, usually opposite women’s croquet, or something. The thing that amazes me, aside from the cars, of course, is the surroundings in the background. The Winternationals are held at the fairgrounds in Pomona. Back then, by looking at the area, that was really out in the sticks. In 2013, I went to the Winternationals, and that has significantly changed. The track is a lot shorter, almost dangerously short, I think, with a net and a sand trap at the end.( saw several “runoff’s”) While it is in a commercial area, there are houses all around it, and I’m sure they piss and moan about the noise. Did you see the pollution then? That has cleared up a lot.( one could actually see the mountains in the background) It was a fun time, and I strongly urge anyone to go. One thing for sure, California loves it’s drag racing and it’s a well put on show. Thanks MCG.
Hey Howard. The track is the same lenght. The only thing has changed is the houses. The street at the end of the track has always been there. It’s a great place to race. Raced there many times over the years. In all types of cars. Take care thomas
I would tend to agree the ’60s were the days when drag racing really flourished. Detroit had turned up the wick with new big-block engines and more support, official and unofficial. Great film.