Funny Cars at Lions 1965

[Lionsdsisbest]

My dad and I were dragster fans and had seen many shows in the year 1965 including some great ones like the A.H.R.A Nationals on labor day. Late in the year the track booked in a show that helped change things in the minds of So-Cal fans forever. California was "dragster country" and the funny cars with blowers and nitro had not caught on like back east. Out her there was Jack Christman,Hayden Proffitt, Preston Honea and a new rear motor car for McEwen.
So on a somewhat cold November night with daylight savings gone and the sun disappearing before 5 we left earlier than normal and got to the track mid to late afternoon. The feature of the night was a highly promoted match race between the "Gay Brothers" blown infinity GTO and the monster of the midwest,so we heard,the Mr. Norms blown nitro burning Dodge. After putting up our "race" blankets to stake our claim in our regular seats it was a pit walk with Dad to see these cars we had heard so much about. The Gay bros. car was cool with it's nice paint job and dark "smoked" windows. Then over to Mr. Norms,what a pro operation for 65 with a nice hauler and a pro look. At that time lucky me driver Gary Dyer put on only his breather mask and fired that thing up as I stood right there,oh man was the nitro sweet and the car sounded so radical with a hot cam lope to it. I was just excited to no end.
After some chili it was near race time and it was now cold out. Just before round 1 of the match I walked up to the top row,lions was right next to a oil refinery and it was some sight that added to the nights flavor,they had these huge steam evaporators and it was so cold the huge steam plumes made their own clouds that were lit up by those giant stacks with flame coming out at the top illuminating the steam and the night On to the race
Picture this, you had Norm Krause wearing a white shirt and "tie" out there laying down the rosin and brooming it,Gary in his shiny silver suit opening the door,buckled up and then firing up. I think in the first round he must have done 3 burnouts, Man did the crowd love that. Best to my knowledge he won all three rounds with a world best 8.63 at 163. Most blown cars ran nines at the time. Round two I watched the race from the fence just feet away from the cars and with the "weed burner" headers the smell of nitro,gold dust.and the noise had this drag nut and my dad pumped sky high. Also in attendance that night was Tom McEwen in the B&M rear motor cuda and I think he ran 8.88 or 8.90 in the high 160's as well. I believe the crowd was around 8 to 9 thousand on this cold night. To show how the drag scene was in So-Cal on the same night at Fontana Drag City a "Mickey Thompson 200mph" meet that drew some 13 or 13 thousand fans and a all star cast of Top Fuel cars only 60 miles away!!
You can see this fine funny car on the 60S funny car section on the draglist.com website. That night my view on funny cars changed forever. To this day in the year 2006 I am still a dragster guy but funny cars are great to. I remember my dad griping that it cost him $1.00 to get his boy in the track including pit pass! Lions Drag Strip in my opinion will always be "the" most legendary track then and now. If you went you know,if you did not you really missed out. There was no other track with the "magic" of the "beach"

[Billy Mac]

GREAT story, Lions........I got MY iniation at Fremont in the summer of '69....and because of it, I campaign what you see in my avatar....true, not a funny car, but we must do the "best" we can do....and that's my best.

BTW,,,WELCOME !!!

[wheelzman]

Lions, you are honoring your induction well. They say that if you read a book you can travel around the world but I just went to California to a funny car race. I thought I was there smelling the nitro and the tire smoke. Thanks for the wonderful story.

[Billy Mac]

Great post, Wheelz

[Rapid Randy Baker]

Man, I might as well just send my info to you and have you write my "What I did last weekend" stories.

Very nice job, and it took me to a place I have never been and made it so real!

Thanks for taking the time!

[WildcatOne]

Great, great story, Lion. Thanks for sharing it...Don Gay is a local drag racing legend around here, as well as being remembered as one of the most competitive Funny Car pioneers back in the day. Don and Roy's dad, Carl Gay, founded Gay Pontiac in Dickinson and opened the dragstrip right up the road from there in the late 50s...that's where I went to my first drag race, and I'm still coming back more than 40 years later...Gay Pontiac is now gone, and so is Roy Gay. He was killed in a car crash in around 1969. Roy was a hell of a race car driver; they all were. Don Gay, Jr.'s driving career was cut short after his near-fatal crash-and-burn in Denver in '90, but Shane Gay has been seen competing in top sportsman classes. They have first-class stuff. Don is part-owner of HRP now, unless he retired and sold off his share. I haven't heard about him much lately. But that story brought it all back in full color, man. Thanks. WC1

[jim sanders]

I am ready for the next story by Lion's the best on the web by far !!

[Gator]

My dad and I were dragster fans and had seen many shows in the year 1965 including some great ones like the A.H.R.A Nationals on labor day. Late in the year the track booked in a show that helped change things in the minds of So-Cal fans forever. California was "dragster country" and the funny cars with blowers and nitro had not caught on like back east. Out her there was Jack Christman,Hayden Proffitt, Preston Honea and a new rear motor car for McEwen.
So on a somewhat cold November night with daylight savings gone and the sun disappearing before 5 we left earlier than normal and got to the track mid to late afternoon. The feature of the night was a highly promoted match race between the "Gay Brothers" blown infinity GTO and the monster of the midwest,so we heard,the Mr. Norms blown nitro burning Dodge. After putting up our "race" blankets to stake our claim in our regular seats it was a pit walk with Dad to see these cars we had heard so much about. The Gay bros. car was cool with it's nice paint job and dark "smoked" windows. Then over to Mr. Norms,what a pro operation for 65 with a nice hauler and a pro look. At that time lucky me driver Gary Dyer put on only his breather mask and fired that thing up as I stood right there,oh man was the nitro sweet and the car sounded so radical with a hot cam lope to it. I was just excited to no end.
After some chili it was near race time and it was now cold out. Just before round 1 of the match I walked up to the top row,lions was right next to a oil refinery and it was some sight that added to the nights flavor,they had these huge steam evaporators and it was so cold the huge steam plumes made their own clouds that were lit up by those giant stacks with flame coming out at the top illuminating the steam and the night On to the race
Picture this, you had Norm Krause wearing a white shirt and "tie" out there laying down the rosin and brooming it,Gary in his shiny silver suit opening the door,buckled up and then firing up. I think in the first round he must have done 3 burnouts, Man did the crowd love that. Best to my knowledge he won all three rounds with a world best 8.63 at 163. Most blown cars ran nines at the time. Round two I watched the race from the fence just feet away from the cars and with the "weed burner" headers the smell of nitro,gold dust.and the noise had this drag nut and my dad pumped sky high. Also in attendance that night was Tom McEwen in the B&M rear motor cuda and I think he ran 8.88 or 8.90 in the high 160's as well. I believe the crowd was around 8 to 9 thousand on this cold night. To show how the drag scene was in So-Cal on the same night at Fontana Drag City a "Mickey Thompson 200mph" meet that drew some 13 or 13 thousand fans and a all star cast of Top Fuel cars only 60 miles away!!
You can see this fine funny car on the 60S funny car section on the draglist.com website. That night my view on funny cars changed forever. To this day in the year 2006 I am still a dragster guy but funny cars are great to. I remember my dad griping that it cost him $1.00 to get his boy in the track including pit pass! Lions Drag Strip in my opinion will always be "the" most legendary track then and now. If you went you know,if you did not you really missed out. There was no other track with the "magic" of the "beach"

Yes a great great place
York US 30 (Pa) wasn't too shabby either.

[draglist]

Great story... I can't wait to steal it for the front page! bp

[Lippy]

Great story Lion! I, like Billy was introduced to dragracing at Fremont in the early sixties by my Dad, rest his soul, so I understand the connection , those were the days. Thanks for the stories they're great!