Drag Racing in the 1960s

Author: Doug Boyce
Publisher: CarTech Inc
ISBN: 1613255829
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 176

Book Description
The 1960s were a fascinating decade on the race scene. Relive the memories today through this wonderful new book. Drag racing has a long and storied history. Many have said that the first drag race happened shortly after the second car was made. While that may or may not be true, racing prior to World War II was mostly centered around dry-lake activities and top-speed runs. After the war, drag racing became organized with the formation of the NHRA, and during the 1950s, many tracks were built across America to accommodate the racers. Technology in the 1950s centered on the manufacturers updating old flathead designs into newer overhead-valve designs, and the horsepower race really started to heat up. In many forms of racing, the 1960s brought technological evolution. The decade began with big engines in even bigger stock chassis and ended with purpose-built race-only chassis, fiberglass bodies, fuel injection, nitro methane, and blowers. Quarter-mile times that were in the 13-second range in the beginning of the decade were in the 7-second range by the end. New classes were formed, dedicated cars were built for them, and many racers themselves became recognized names in the sports landscape. In Drag Racing in the 60s: The Evolution in Race Car Technology, veteran author Doug Boyce takes you on a ride through the entire decade from a technological point of view rather than a results-based one. Covered are all the classes, including Super Stocks, Altered Wheelbase cars (which led to Funny Cars), Top Fuelers, Gassers, and more.

Into the Forest

Author: Jean Hegland
Publisher: Dial Press
ISBN: 0307573567
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 258

Book Description
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE • Set in the near-future, Into the Forest is a powerfully imagined novel that focuses on the relationship between two teenage sisters living alone in their Northern California forest home. Over 30 miles from the nearest town, and several miles away from their nearest neighbor, Nell and Eva struggle to survive as society begins to decay and collapse around them. No single event precedes society's fall. There is talk of a war overseas and upheaval in Congress, but it still comes as a shock when the electricity runs out and gas is nowhere to be found. The sisters consume the resources left in the house, waiting for the power to return. Their arrival into adulthood, however, forces them to reexamine their place in the world and their relationship to the land and each other. Reminiscent of Margaret Atwood's A Handmaid's Tale, Into the Forest is a mesmerizing and thought-provoking novel of hope and despair set in a frighteningly plausible near-future America. Praise for Into the Forest “[A] beautifully written and often profoundly moving novel.”—San Francisco Chronicle “A work of extraordinary power, insight and lyricism, Into the Forest is both an urgent warning and a passionate celebration of life and love.”—Riane Eisler, author of The Chalice and the Blade “From the first page, the sense of crisis and the lucid, honest voice of the . . . narrator pull the reader in. . . . A truly admirable addition to a genre defined by the very high standards of George Orwell's 1984.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Beautifully written.”—Kirkus Reviews “This beautifully written story captures the essential nature of the sister bond: the fierce struggle to be true to one’s own self, only to learn that true strength comes from what they are able to share together.”—Carol Saline, co-author of Sisters “Jean Hegland’s sense of character is firm, warm, and wise. . . . [A] fine first novel.”—John Keeble, author of Yellowfish

Fuel and Guts

Author: Dave McClelland, Tom Madigan
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781610609388
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 270

Book Description

How to Drag Race

Author: Kevin McKenna
Publisher: CarTech Inc
ISBN: 1932494472
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 146

Book Description
Whether you're bracket racing your daily driver, tuning the new suspension setup on your weekend bracket racer, or competing in one of many pro classes, drag racing is the participation motorsport of choice. McKenna uses over 300 color photos to show you what to expect your first time out, how to set your street or racecar up for consistency and speed, and driving technique for enthusiasts at all levels. He talks tires, safety equipment, driving aids like line-locks and delay boxes, choosing a class, and advanced racer math. Special sections detail how to maximize your current setup and strategy bracket racing success.

Super Stock

Author: Larry Davis
Publisher: Cartech
ISBN: 9781884089534
Category : Stock car racing
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Super Stock takes a look at what was, in the 1960s, the most popular class of drag racing -- factory Super Stock. It traces the evolution of the cars, the engines, the rules, the personalities, and many of the teams, from Super Stock's beginnings in the mid-1950s through the 1960s and the era of the Super Stock 409s, Ramchargers, 421 Pontiacs, and 406 Fords.Included are first person accounts of what drag racing was really like in the early 1960s: how the manufacturers controlled the competition and the results of the races; how the sanctioning bodies attempted to control the manufacturers, who in turn simply sidestepped the rules. Appendices include the major event winners and rules defining the classes, as well as information detailing the engines and chassis competing in Top Stock categories. For automotive enthusiasts and historians.

Dragboats of the 1960s Photo Archive

Author: Don Edwards
Publisher: Enthusiast Books
ISBN: 9781583882221
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
The time has come to chronicle a photo archival book of Drag Boats of the 1960s aptly named “The Rebel Decade.” This was the birth of “whip-start” dragsters which led to today's organized drag boat racing. Recognized and featured are those racing legends like Larry Schwabenland, Ray Caselli, Gary Gabelich, Dwight Bale, hot boat builders like Rich Hallett, “Sanger Jack” Davidson, Rudy Raymos, engine builders Keith Black, Dave Zeuschel, Ed Pink, Louis Unser and many others who reigned in their heyday. These mavericks dared to mix unleashed speed-on-the-water with smoke and fire, thunderous nitro or powerful blown gas while avoiding the moment when their boat could take a deadly spin, nose dive or flight—many failed. Drag Boats of the 1960s Photo Archive is a team effort by many of those who were there; only they could have created this riveting history on the fastest, most exciting and dangerous era in water sports.

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

Author: Elana Scherr
Publisher: CarTech Inc
ISBN: 1613255187
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 194

Book Description
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.

Drag Racing Funny Cars of the 1970s

Author: Wallace A Wyss
Publisher: Enthusiast Books
ISBN: 9781583880685
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
See the cars raced by many of the legendary names in drag racing, including Don Prudhomme, Tom McEuen and Jim Dunn. The authors include action shots, as well as clear, detailed "in the pits under-the-shell" shots. Photographs show various makes and models of cars that have been reconstructed as funny cars, plus everything from stock to modified Camaros, Mustangs, Javelins, Dodge Chargers, and Firebirds, to oddball exhibition cars like the "backwards pickup."

Drag Racing

Author: Timothy Miller
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781554074464
Category : Automobiles, Racing
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Looks at the history of drag racing, pioneers and personalities of the sport, and the different types of car classes.

Drag Racing Gassers Photo Archive

Author: Lou Hart
Publisher: Enthusiast Books
ISBN: 9781583881880
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 128

Book Description
One of drag racings very popular classes formed was the Gassers. During the `50s, Model A and 1932-`34 Fords were considered the hot set-up for these gas classes. Using Ford V-8 "flatheads" and later overhead valve engines, Gas Coupe and Sedan classes had to maintain stock wheelbases and the engine relocation was limited. By the mid-60s, it was rare to find an upper classed gasser with any other body make than Willys, Studebaker, Austin or Anglia. They were the stoutest full-bodied cars on strips nationwide. Touring teams ran four to six times every week, often traveling several hundred miles day and night to make their next dates. This was old school racing! However, interest waned as fliptop funny cars took over in popularity. The battles in A/GS (later AA/GS) ranks created many heroes and villains who etched their marks into drag racing history. Gassers shared with fans of the quarter mile one the most thrilling overall racecar types, and for an era that was all too short, they were literally the Kings of the Sport. Enjoy this photo book that takes you back to that time.