Drag Racing's Rebels & Drag Racing Fuel Altereds Photo Archive (2 Book Set)

When the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) was formed in 1951 by Wally Parks, 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 Hot Rod magazine and the NHRA were right in the thick of it.

The NHRA hosted its first drag racing event in 1953, and in 1955, the organization staged its first national event, which was simply called “The Nationals.” The AHRA 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.

When the NHRA denied the use of nitromethane 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 Funny Car in 1965, the AHRA said yes. When fans and racers screamed for a heads-up Super Stock 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.

In this fascinating history, veteran author Doug Boyce tells the story of the AHRA: the rise, the competition, the events, and the eventual downfall of the organization. After AHRA President Jim Tice 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

The Fuel Altered, one of the most brutal and exciting cars that ever covered the quarter mile, consisted of a wheelbase average less than 100 inches that was fitted with a blown-supercharged 1500 hp engine running on Nitro! With a low center of gravity, the Altered was often compared to a 4,000 lb. raging bull, as the driver had all he could handle keeping these beasts on the track! 

From flatheads to Nitro burning monsters, see daredevils Mooneyham & Sharp, Gabby Bleeker, John Forska, Willie Borsch, Dale Emery, Leon Fitzgerald, BigGlenn Way, Don Green, Sush Matsubara, and Leroy Chadderton, and many more blaze the quarter mile to standing room only crowds!