{"product_id":"lions-drag-strip-1955-1972-drag-racings-rebels-2-book-set","title":"Lions Drag Strip: 1955-1972 \u0026 Drag Racing's Rebels 2 Book Set","description":"\u003cp\u003eHot rodders and the “drag” cars that they raced in unsanctioned\u003cbr\u003eexhibitions had become a nuisance with law enforcement\u003cbr\u003ein Los Angeles, California. So, in an effort to make racing\u003cbr\u003esafer, C. J. “Pappy” Hart (founder of the Santa Ana Drag Strip),\u003cbr\u003eNorris Poulson (mayor of Los Angeles), John Chadwick (member\u003cbr\u003eof the Wilmington Lions Club), and others collaborated to\u003cbr\u003ecreate the world-famous Lions Associated Drag Strip. With an\u003cbr\u003eapproved proposal, shovels sunk into the sand in August 1955\u003cbr\u003ein Wilmington, California, christening the birth of the world’s\u003cbr\u003egreatest drag strip.\u003cbr\u003eMickey Thompson was hired to operate Lions Drag Strip\u003cbr\u003e(also known as “the Beach”), quickly turning it into Southern\u003cbr\u003eCalifornia’s wildest venue to watch drag racing. Innovations,\u003cbr\u003eincluding staging lights, track lighting for night racing, and concession\u003cbr\u003estands, made Lions Drag Strip the place to be.\u003cbr\u003eThe world’s greatest drag racers, such as Jack Chrisman,\u003cbr\u003eTom McEwen, Art Chrisman, Don Prudhomme, Chris Karamesines,\u003cbr\u003eConnie Kalitta, and Don Garlits, as well as a cast of\u003cbr\u003ethousands of others, descended upon Lions Drag Strip for exhibition\u003cbr\u003eand match racing. Fabled East-West showdowns, Fuel\u003cbr\u003eAltereds, Funny Cars, and Jet cars broke attendance records\u003cbr\u003eand set national records throughout the 1960s. In addition,\u003cbr\u003ethrill-seeker Evel Knievel leaped over 13 cars at Lions Drag\u003cbr\u003eStrip to the excitement of 14,000 fans in December 1970.\u003cbr\u003eSadly, Lions Drag Strip closed on December 3, 1972, due\u003cbr\u003eto the location being valued as industrial real estate and the\u003cbr\u003eapproaching urban sprawl.\u003cbr\u003eLions Automobilia Foundation Museum volunteer Lou Hart\u003cbr\u003ebrings forth this year-by-year illustrated history of Lions Drag\u003cbr\u003eStrip’s most memorable events with never-before-seen images\u003cbr\u003ein Lions Drag Strip: 1955–1972!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e• This is the first book ever that chronicles the entire\u003cbr\u003ehistory of Lions Drag Strip.\u003cbr\u003e• Lions Drag Strip was Los Angeles’s most famous drag\u003cbr\u003estrip.\u003cbr\u003e• Over the years, millions of fans visited Lions Drag\u003cbr\u003eStrip.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen the \u003cstrong\u003eNational Hot Rod Association (NHRA)\u003c\/strong\u003e was formed in 1951 by \u003cstrong\u003eWally Parks\u003c\/strong\u003e, the reasoning for the formation was to “create order from chaos” by instituting safety rules and performance standards that helped legitimize the sport of drag racing. Some organization was certainly necessary. A postwar boom in automotive enthusiasm was reaching new heights, and \u003cstrong\u003eHot Rod magazine\u003c\/strong\u003e and the NHRA were right in the thick of it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe NHRA hosted its first drag racing event in 1953, and in 1955, the organization staged its first national event, which was simply called \u003cstrong\u003e“The Nationals.”\u003c\/strong\u003e The \u003cstrong\u003eAHRA\u003c\/strong\u003e formed in 1956 as an alternative to the NHRA, where the drivers voted on the rules (rather than sanctioning bodies and tracks), and their influence on the sport was felt almost immediately.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen the NHRA denied the use of \u003cstrong\u003enitromethane\u003c\/strong\u003e in 1957, the AHRA approved it. When the NHRA banned aircraft-powered dragsters in 1961, the AHRA welcomed them. When the NHRA said no to the emerging \u003cstrong\u003eFunny Car\u003c\/strong\u003e in 1965, the AHRA said yes. When fans and racers screamed for a heads-up \u003cstrong\u003eSuper Stock\u003c\/strong\u003e category in 1968, the AHRA delivered. The AHRA was called a rebel association. Some say that it was more of an association that got things done—to the delight of fans and racers. The AHRA was on equal ground with the NHRA by the 1970s, drawing enormous crowds and racer entries.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this fascinating history, veteran author \u003cstrong\u003eDoug Boyce\u003c\/strong\u003e tells the story of the AHRA: the rise, the competition, the events, and the eventual downfall of the organization. After AHRA President \u003cstrong\u003eJim Tice\u003c\/strong\u003e passed away in 1982, internal fighting for control of the association resulted in its doom. Get the whole story here, and add this wonderful volume to your drag racing library\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Midlife Classic Cars","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50497434550552,"sku":"KIT9781613258538\/9781613257661","price":53.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0057\/9813\/3831\/files\/kit97816132585389781613257661.jpg?v=1772256191","url":"https:\/\/www.midlifeclassiccars.com\/bs\/products\/lions-drag-strip-1955-1972-drag-racings-rebels-2-book-set","provider":"MidlifeClassicCars.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}