Here's
a photo from an issue of Desert Dust, the Arizona racing magazine, that shows a
'41 Chevy & a Ford at Luke Auxiliary Field. Thanks to Keith StriblingWELCOME TO VINTAGE ARIZONA DRAG RACING
Just added...pictures from the 1964 Winternationals
This page is dedicated to all the drag racers in the Valley of the Sun - Mesa, Phoenix, Glendale, Whitman and surrounding areas. To read more about Arizona drag racing, head for our new Tucson drag racing history page.
If you have any contributions or corrections, please email the webmaster! If you are a Pittsburgh transplant to Arizona like us, check out the Pittsburgh International Drag Beat from 1968
What's the earliest mention of organized drag racing in Arizona? Top Speed Magazine, 1952, mentioned that the Kluster Busters car club held weekly drag races at Luke Field, Auxiliary No. 3, 5 miles north of Luke field on Litchfield Road. The Kluster Busters met every Tuesday at 7:30PM. at the Arizona Highway patrol offices.
Here's
a photo from an issue of Desert Dust, the Arizona racing magazine, that shows a
'41 Chevy & a Ford at Luke Auxiliary Field. Thanks to Keith Stribling
In 1950, the NHRA was founded. the National Hot Rod Association sought to bring respectability, honest competition and above all, safety, to the sport of drag racing.
Dedicated
to Safety.....1950s NHRA pin, 2 yr. member
PERRYVILLE DRAG STRIP
The initial NHRA National Championship Drag Races came to Arizona in 1955, after being rained out at the planned September event in Kansas. The championship was decided at the Perryville Drag Strip, a 4,000 foot long airport runway near Goodyear on November 19-20, 1955. This coincided with the Southwest Regional Meet. The first ever NHRA National Champion was Californian Calvin Rice. Rice's J. E. Riley & Sons flathead Mercury powered dragster turned in a winning time of 10.30 seconds at 141.95MPH.
BEELINE
DRAGWAY
The AHRA first sanctioned races at Mel Larson's Arizona Raceway in 1963; they continued to sanction racing at Beeline from 1964-74. Read about the opening of BeeLine Dragway from the November, 1963 issue of DRAG NEWS.
The following photographs are from the collection of Steve Martin, who wrenched for the Harry Lopez gasser and the Arizona Wildcat AAFC in the sixties. Thanks, Steve, keep 'em coming......
Harry Lopez coupe at Alhambra High, photo courtesy of Steve
Martin
Arizona Wildcat, photo courtesy of Steve Martin
Arizona Wildcat on the track, photo courtesy of Steve Martin
A classic Beeline Pic, Don Prudhomme & Johnny Loper, photo courtesy of Steve Martin
K.S. Pittman - Thanks to Ron and Gary for the correction!
Landy, photo courtesy of Steve Martin
Landy's Dart, photo courtesy of Steve Martin
Walker & Geary, photo courtesy of Steve Martin
NEW: Beeline Pics from the collection of Cary Bacher, Marshalville Ohio
These are from the 1971 Nationals:
Don Garlits' "revolutionary, new" rear engine dragster
Photo, Bacher
collection.
Beeline Photographs from the collection of Dougan Lloyd Gary. 1972 Winter Nationals
To order prints, visit his website, or send Dougan an email
Photo by
Dougan Lloyd Gary
Photo
by Dougan Lloyd Gary
Photo by
Dougan Lloyd Gary, Don Garlits
Photo
by Dougan Lloyd Gary, Mickey Thompson
Photo
by Dougan Lloyd Gary
Photo
by Dougan Lloyd Gary, Praying Mantis
Photo
by Dougan Lloyd Gary, Schumacher
Photo
by Dougan Lloyd Gary, Stone/Woods/Cook
Photo
by Dougan Lloyd Gary, MT Vega
Attached are two photos of our Junior Fuel dragster from Feb.
1968 at the
AHRA Winternationals at Beeline. The pictures were taken on Friday before
eliminations on Sunday. We won our class, but we had to borrow a set of
tires from the Top Fuel dragster of Tom McEwen. The strip was so slick (it
had been repaved on the previous Wednesday, and all of the oil had come to
the surface during the weekend) that our normally used narrow slicks had no
traction. The Top Fuel tires were 12.00 M&H Racemasters and about 3 inches
wider than ours .
Regards,
Rod McCarrell
Allison,
Crow and McCarrell jr/fd
Thanks, Rod, for a great story! Jim & Nancy
Dan Levitt, who raced this beautiful '63 Corvette "Silver Bullet" send us some of his favorite Beeline pics, from 1969. Thanks, Dan!
Paddywagon
Shirley lights up the night
Sox & Martin
Here are some photos taken by Larry Fulsome at Beeline in the 1960s. Thanks, Larry!
HUBERT PLATT DRIVING THE GEORGIA SHAKER
MOPAR DOMINANCE IN THE 1960S
A RARE SHOT OF HAYDEN PROFITT'S CORVAIR
Beeline Pass, courtesy of John Klein
A/S TROPHIES, BEELINE DRAGWAY, 1967
WON BY JACK THOMPSON, IN HIS 1962 CHEVROLET, 327
1968 AHRA Rulebook & Technical Manual
1963 Winterchampionship Album at Arizona Raceway, later Mel Larson's. Photo & info courtesy of Keith Stribling.
1964 Winternationals Album, Fleetwood Records, coverage of the first Winternationals at Beeline Dragstrip, narrated by Jon Lundberg, "The voice of drag racing". Photo & info courtesy of Keith Stribling.
1964 Photograph, 1964 AHRA Winternationals at Beeline, original tower. Photo & info courtesy of Keith Stribling.
1964 Poster, AHRA Winternationals at Beeline. Photo & info courtesy of Keith Stribling.
Beeline Dragway decals, original water transfers, photo courtesy of Keith Stribling
First car to make a pass at Beeline, photo taken by John McKnight as a child. From the collection of Keith Stribling.
PIR DRAG RACING??
PIR, Home of NASCAR in the desert had a drag strip years ago. It was short-lived as the shutoff area ended at a curve in the track and if you did not shut off in time, you went off the track. When a dragster driver was killed, drag racing ended at PIR. A pretty rare bit of AZ drag racing memorabilia. Decal and info courtesy of Keith Stribling.
FIREBIRD INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
c)2008 autohobbies.com. This site is edited by Jim & Nancy Schaut. Our mission is to preserve the rich history of automobile racing in the American West. We have done our best to credit the proper people for information contained on this site. It is sometimes impossible to find the original source. If you would like to submit items to the site, please send them to Nancy.