1961 NHRA US Nationals

thank you [Music] [Applause] [Applause] drag racing a sport of speed and excitement a test of skill and courage a challenge to Mechanical craftsmanship and ingenuity and here is drag racing at its best [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] foreign [Music] take 900 in some cars in over 60 classes add drivers and Crews toss in several thousand eager spectators mix well and pour them into a top-notch drag strip in the world's Motor Racing Capital drop on the gas biggest and best national championship drag race in the seven year history of the event for the 1961 Nationals competitors came to Indianapolis from 40 States and Canada to match machines and skills [Music] [Music] foreign 's Pickering team with their Slowpoke Roadster made it all the way from Vancouver Washington long distance haul winners but the longest distance anyone traveled was through the NHRA safety inspection Lanes a route every entry had to take and run successfully to qualify for the meet checklists in hand the trained inspectors gave the cars a point by Point going over front ends steering roll bars brakes fuel lines flywheel Shields and on down the list of safety requirements compiled and continually updated from Members experience and Desires in the interest of safer racing next step for an okayed car was up on the scales with cars as with women too much weight in the wrong place can create problems [Music] then after weigh-in classification where horsepower cubic inches and weight get a run through the formula and come out a class designation throughout the first day competitors continue to check in and get their cars ready for racing with the record number of entries hit space alone could have been a problem to say nothing of running all the cars in time trials in competition but with the fine facilities and layout of Raceway Park smooth operation of all meat activities was possible from the large main pit area cars could move readily into the four-lane inspection area then up onto the scales around past the classification building and then back into the pits a second pit area for Dragsters made possible two staging areas this allowed more cars to be in position ready for running the double lane track has a 400 foot startup section the all-important quarter mile stretch and a shutdown run more than two thousand feet long the return Road leads directly back to the pits past the fuel check area and the tower grandstands at the starting line and traps provide seating for thousands of spectators all in all one of the finest drag race strips in the country and with a pit full of eager drivers raring to go there was only one thing to do well the contestants ready for trial runs move into staging Lanes all stuck cars and Lanes one and two Street Machines modified Sports gas tubes then in Lane three and four all roadsters Lane five composition cars and altered Lane six right left lane seven eight and the first day of the neatest tune-up time when time trials are run [Applause] to handle the large number of cars dual runs were frequently made with individual results recorded for each lane foreign trials drivers get the feel of the track car Crews start the process of bringing their machines up to tough performance levels something they've done a few dozen times before coming to the meet and will do a dozen more times before the meet is over pattern seldom changes run readjust run change apart run break for coffee adjust and it produces results sometimes the results aren't exactly what the plans called for track gets the red light laughs with the track clean the green light goes on and the track is open for running again foreign the trials also give the drivers a chance to check on their competition perhaps up with the clues on the techniques of the various starters nothing is left to Chance in races where winds are measured in hundreds of a second the able dragster stops the clock at 9.31 seconds and 167.54 miles per hour [Music] foreign Indiana [Applause] [Music] [Applause] turn Road time cards for the results of your run will be handed out near the timing Tower [Music] foreign performances in the time trials continue to Thrill the crowds through the first day of the meet and while there were favorites at this point there were no sure winners few days would tell [Music] on the days of the elimination runs everyone was up bright and early well nearly everyone spacious campgrounds made it possible for contestants with a Yen for roughing it to keep their cars close at hand all the time where else could you have ham and eggs and tear down an engine at the same time all right out of the sack a quick wash and away we go at the track Spectators were back in even greater numbers during the four days of the Nationals more than 50 000 people came out to watch the fast action of the drags foreign cars were trailered from their overnight storage locations back to the pits where they were made ready for class elimination runs [Music] [Applause] [Music] ah come on Charlie [Music] in the early hours the staging lanes were open and the first cars began to move in meet officials in the tower checked last minute details then the word went out to stardom rolling stock classes let off the eliminations [Applause] [Music] the hapstock class Larry Lang of Wood River Illinois makes a good run against Russ Williams of Detroit on the near side is Bruce Morgan leader in points for the title of world stock champion the big OS stalkers a new nucleus meet were real crowd Pleasers here Don Nicholson in his 409 Chevy takes on a fast Pontiac foreign [Applause] [Music] and he wins this heat in 12.70 seconds turning 108.54 miles per hour Ralph Dees racing on his home grounds found tough competition in the A Roadster class in this year's Nationals the one to beat was fast proving to be the chrysler-powered Wasps pupper II a new car running in only its second meet [Music] foreign [Laughter] [Applause] with each round of elimination audience excitement increased to a higher pitch uh pass the pickles will you Harry as the elimination procedure whittled down the number of contestants some of those remaining were names familiar to drag race fans drag Master Junior with dick bouchette at the wheel [Applause] [Music] Jess vandevander in his hot modified Roadster [Music] and some were newcomers like Pete Robinson a veteran of five months here on the far side running against Jack Chrisman in the Howard cam special one by one they returned to the pits the losers to put the wraps on their cars and join the spectators the winners to tune up and race again [Laughter] [Music] cars with high centers of gravity are often difficult to control drill for spectators and contestants Tommy eyeballs dragster powered by four Buick engines made daily exhibition runs foreign [Applause] winners of the elimination Heats were rooted through the fuel test area where samples taken from gas tanks were run through various tests to check for presence of nitromethane alcohol or other fuel additives one of the rules of the Nationals is that the car is run only on service station grade gasoline but high performance is the total of a lot of factors and none is overlooked in preparation for the trophy competition new plugs in the proper heat range are installed to assure perfect combustion in sudden acceleration and high temperature operation valves are adjusted for Split Second efficiency blowers checked and reinstalled and like all engine parts torqued to the proper tightness and essential for high performance engines at high RPMs and temperatures that extra bit of speed can be found in the oil and with the critical runs coming up A change is in order now I get set for the big one folks it's a trophy run and who's for Mickey Thompson's big Pontiac stalker screws for Strickland's charging 409 Chevy give them the starting Flagler Joe a Pontiac exit with a 110.29 miles per hour class by class it came down to the top two cars and the all-important trophy rhymes here's the a modified Sports run Sam Harriet and his famous Cadillac powered Curtis goodbye starter yellow traps trophy runs continued with Jess van devander rolling to an easy class win thank you [Applause] in the B dragster class it was Chuck Starkey in his chevy-powered car in a win over National class record holding music maker from Dayton locked puffer 2 was back again for the A Roadster trophy run against Pete van Kirk's entry from Brooklyn winning with a smashing 155.97 miles per hour foreign Carroll's Fiat bug raced to a win in the a competition Coupe class the a dragster trophy run pitted the Sleek Moon equipment company dragster against Gordon collett's chrysler-powered all blue [Music] moon eyes came through for a class win excitement was high for the double-a dragster trophy Run Pete Robinson had battled his way through many top contenders and now faced the McEwen Adams old [Music] Pete covered the quarter in a lightning 8.86 seconds with a top end speed of 170.77 miles per hour for the win the last day of the meet the crowds were back in full force to watch the class winners battled it out for the coveted Eliminator titles hard-fought battles they were every heat becomes more tense and field Narrows and winners come up to challenge winners [Applause] [Music] here's the trophy run for a street Eliminator folks the Garrison's Wicked Willies got a slight lead off the line he's holding that lady and with here's Ragsdale again facing San Antonio it's the trophy run it's Ragsdale out in front of the Trap taking the little eliminators title hey here's block number two back for the middle Eliminator Run for the repay first through the Trap says what's poppers now I see Fred's left climbing into the blue fiatrics that going a cop has worked his way through a lot of tough machines now he's coming to the line to face the surprise Car of the Year Pete Robinson's wild running double a dragster this is the race we've been waiting for folks the top of the Eliminator trophy ride beats up to the line now winding up that Chevy bill and right into the weapons 8.92 and a top end speed of 169.49 miles per hour Brazil mystery Eliminator with the top Eliminator run completed every contest had been decided to leave no doubt about who the top men were there were some mighty fine mementos of the occasion first Campbell presented two beautiful automobiles to the winners in the NHRA world champion points competition for the year's top drivers a new Pontiac went to the top stock car driver Bruce Morgan of San Gabriel California and a 1961 Thunderbird to world's champion driver in the competition class the best appearing car and crew award Was Won by the Mourinho manjour team who brought their handsome bee dragster all the way from New Orleans the engineered car trophy was awarded to the b-modified Roadster of Jess vandeventer Street Eliminator winner was Junior Garrison from Kentucky with the wicked Willies to miles per hour in 12.44 seconds Willis Ragsdale took the little Eliminator hunters in Chevy powered B Roadster lost cover two a chrysler-powered A Roadster brought the middle Eliminator Victory to walk not a man who's been trying for a long time and finally made it at 151.77 miles per hour in 10.45 seconds top Eliminator award went to Pete Robinson the new national champion and Mr Eliminator to the mechanic on the car D.A lubricant presented a handsome ring it's a happy day for Pete top driver of the 1961 Nationals hey Charlie uh well never mind there's always next year [Music]

Channel: supertubr

Views: 430,888

Keywords: 1961 NHRA US Nationals, supertubr, NHRA, NHRA drag racing, classic drag racing, Vintage Drag Racing

Id: E8frlyrPWB0

Length: 25min 24sec (1524 seconds)

Published: Fri Sep 30 2022