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Last Page of the Good Old Days
By Todd Hutcheson
San Fernando Raceway, 1969 - After 15 seasons, the ‘Pond’ closed
The late great John "The Zookeeper" Mulligan, died 1969
March 1970 – Don Garlits (FED) Wynnscharger cut in half, Garlits re-designs dragsters (RED)
"The Last Drag Race" Lions Drag Strip – 1972, the ‘Beach’ closed
Drag News ends publication 1976
Self-starting dragsters became mandatory in 1976, ending push starts
Burnouts end mid 1980’s. Self-reversing cars became the rule in 1980
OCIR - Closed October 30, 1983
That’s how it ended. The playgrounds of the young and fast generation in Southern California closed. Our heroes died, newly designed dragsters and new rules. For me all through the ‘60s and early ‘70s it was every weekend at some drag strip, AHRA or NHRA, The Pond, The Beach, Orange County, Riverside or Irwindale. Match ups or just testing new things. We went to see, "The Snake", "The Mongoose", "T.V.", "Big Daddy", "The Zookeeper", “Stone Age Man”, "The Wolverine", "Mr. C", "The King", "The Greek", "The Loner", "Flamin' Frank", "Ol' Man", "Ridge Route Terror" and "Hand Grenade Harry". So many others with or without the quick handle.
As I strolled through the pit area, Larry Dixon (Sr.) was half suited up working on the Howard Cam Rattler. His smile was everything, his laugher catching. At the snack bar, I ran into John Mulligan, “Hi John…” I said, he grabs my arm, smiles real big and replies “Hell-of-a-show pal.” There’s Tom McEwen, at night with sunglasses on…? I hear the roar of a big fueler in a burn out, I run to the fence line to see who. Leaning on the fence with me was Don Prudhomme. A good-looking man seemed to be upset about something. That is how it was. Big names and regular guys. We all had the common love of the drag racing.
As a teenager growing up in the San Fernando Valley in the late ‘60s, I had few things on my mind: My 1957 VW bug, the Vietnam War and Kathy Dorsey. Ooooh Kathy! But the weekends were for Drag Racing. I would go to the races with my Uncle George ‘The Stone Age Man’ Hutcheson, to watch him drive The Stone Age Man AA/FD or the Don Green’s Rat Trap AA/FA or Fling Traylor's US Turbine 1. Some times, he would bring and drive all three! My Dad was George’s older brother and manager. He told me, “Todd, stay out of the way and touch nothing.” I loved and respected my Dad, so I did as he asked. But my heart was along side George in the pits helping him out. I had a red ‘Stone Age Man AA/FD’ jacket just like his. Life was fulfilled.
I guess I was very fortunate. I worked for Ed Pink at ‘Ed Pink Racing Engines’, had my VW bug pin stripped by Wild Bill Carter himself and my Uncle George on the weekends and over to the house for dinner. I had a stack of Drag News, and programs from Irwindale and OCIR strips, (I loved reading them). For several years, that’s how life was. How and why did it all end so fast? It turned out to be a short and amazing experience. One that I never closed the door on.
When my son Scott was born in 1994, I decided to write him letters about my life and times. This was just incase I didn’t make it to 95. Some stories included my time in drag racing. But why did it end so suddenly? I did a lot of research on wdifl.com and draglist.com and many other sites. I talking with George for months about it, then I understood what happened.
San Fernando Raceway, run by Harry Hibler, was for the local boys, families, and neighbors. It was a fun track and some visiting big shots would test cars there. Everyone from ‘T.V.’ Tommy Ivo, Tony Nancy, Don Prudhomme, Jerry Ruth, Danny Ongais, Larry Dixon, and family, Ed Pink and Chris Karamesines would show up and make the day fun. That was the charm of Fernando. It was cheap to get in and easy to see the action. But in 1969, the neighborhood changed and it became a swap meet area. In 1969, it was over for the ‘Pond’. But there was always the ‘Beach’, Lions Drag strip.
Lions Drag Strip, “Drive the highways, race at Lions” was what welcomed all fans and racers at the gate. C J. "Pappy" Hart managed this most famous racetrack. He, like Harry Hibler at San Fernando Raceway, kept it for the little guys garage built cars, but it also played to the big names. Don Garlits to Don Green, it was all there for the fans. History was always in its showcase, fastest E.T., speed, accidents. My garage has the old posters from Lions, PDA, Nationals, and ‘The Last Drag Race’. It was at Lions when I heard of John Mulligan terrible accident that weeks later claimed his life. Also at Lions, Don Garlits had his very close call accident. I stood right there as it happened. Like tens of thousands fans, Mr. Garlits was our hero, and we all hurt with him. From that accident, he changed the way dragsters were built and raced. As he always did, Don made drag racing safer for all. Who could forget The Green Mamba Jet Car of Doug Rose matched against the beautiful Fling Traylor's US Turbine 1 driven by George ‘The Stone Age Man’ Hutcheson. It was always fun and exciting at Lions. In 1972 it closed, but not before one of the greatest invitational races ever. It was a packed house.
By 1973, it was all closing too fast. Orange County International Raceway and Irwindale were still operating, but they were too far away for every weekend. After all car gas went up to $.50 cents a gallon. What a rip off! I too was far too busy working the streets of L.A. as a Paramedic. Working 12-hour shifts, six days a week left nothing but the sights and sounds fighting time against death. It took a big toll on my sanity. By the time OCIR closed in 1983, I was in Europe working as a Photojournalist for United Press International. After living all over the world, Europe, China, Australia and New Zealand, I returned to the USA in 1990.
Drag Racing as I knew it had slipped away. I asked George why he stopped. He too had personal issues. Too many driver friends had died. He said big money and big sponsorships killed the little guy. It became too expensive for the backyard garage mechanic to run a car. Guys like Don Green and his Rat Trap AA/FA and Frank Pedregon and hundreds of other guys were priced out of the fun. There was also the dark side of the drag racing crowd. Drugs and booze.
In its time, way back then, it was just right. Some of my stories have reached out to many readers across the country, Don Elway, Rod Hynes, Bill Pratt, Billy Pink, and from David Burlington in South Carolina, who never sat in the stands at San Fernando Raceway, or walked the pits at Lions, or pressed the fence at Irwindale or enjoyed OCIR. He read all about it some three thousand miles away. I guess I was very fortunate to have had all that and Malibu Beach too.
Silly me, but I prefer front engine dragsters (FED), push starts, a full length staging light Christmas Tree, fire burnouts, cheap hotdogs, and greasy hamburgers. I like walking the pit area and seeing all the usual guys, Gene Snow, Tony Nancy, Gary Gabelich, Jim Nicoll, Roland Leong, Steve Carbone, Don Prudhomme, Connie Kalitta, Tim Beebe & John Mulligan, James Warren, Ed Pink, Mike Tingly & Bobby Hightower, Larry Dixon and maybe, just maybe Big Daddy Don Garlits.
My thanks to all the above and many more for keeping it alive, and for all those who could not be there in the golden days of Southern California Drag Racing, it is alive on the Internet and in our hearts.
Last of the Good Old Days
Part of Todd Hutcheson Stories
In “The Time of My Life”
2008
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425 778-7578
Lynnwood, Washington
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