{"product_id":"lions-drag-strip-1955-1972-mopar-factory-drag-cars-2-book-set","title":"Lions Drag Strip: 1955-1972 \u0026 Mopar Factory Drag Cars 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\u003eStock-based drag racing throughout the 1960s demanded that the cars competing on the track be genuine production models and that they could be purchased by anyone. The strict regulations dictated total commitment from the manufacturers if they were to be successful. None were more committed than Chrysler.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eChrysler attacked Stock (Super Stock) drag racing in the 1960s with the same fervor as it did the NASCAR Grand National, which itself spawned the reintroduction of the Hemi engine. Its engineers designed and produced a new factory Super Stock turnkey race car most years throughout the decade and enjoyed absolute success on the track, forever cementing its legendary performance status.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe introduction of Pro Stock in 1970 brought with it exciting heads-up racing with the expectation of producing multiple winners from a variety of brands. Instead, it resulted in total Mopar supremacy, as Hemi-powered Chrysler cars won 12 of the 15 national races throughout the first two years, prompting the NHRA to introduce weight breaks to scupper the Chrysler domination. The new 1972 regulations favored small-blockpowered compact cars and were the first major step toward Pro Stock spiraling away from its roots and into the tube-frame silhouette formula seen today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRacing historian Steve Holmes delves into this fascinating period, capturing the careers of the Ramchargers, Melrose Missile, Bud Faubel, Dick Landy, Sox \u0026amp; Martin, Herb McCandless, Don Grotheer, Motown Missile, and countless others. He provides a blow-by-blow account of Chrysler’s factory drag car programs and the incredible cars it produced to trounce its rivals during the most epic era in Stock drag racing history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e• Mopar drag cars routinely sell for more than $150,000 at auction\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e• The most famous names in drag racing history campaigned Mopar drag cars\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e• No manufacturer created more factory drag cars in the 1960s and 1970s than Mopar\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Midlife Classic Cars","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50495762989336,"sku":"KIT9781613258538\/9781613257227","price":57.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0057\/9813\/3831\/files\/kit97816132585389781613257227.jpg?v=1772255924","url":"https:\/\/www.midlifeclassiccars.com\/bs\/products\/lions-drag-strip-1955-1972-mopar-factory-drag-cars-2-book-set","provider":"MidlifeClassicCars.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}