Drag Racing's Rebels & Drag Racing's Exhibition Attractions (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

Drag Racing's Exhibition Attractions showcases photographically the wide variety of cars and drivers that fit into the exhibition theme: the jets, wheelstanders, rockets and other exhibition vehicles which have thrilled millions of spectators. Their entire basis was who had the fastest vehicle. But in 1959 complaints from other competitors and Detroit automakers got all aircraft-powered dragsters banned, so they became the sideshow attached to the legitimate circus that is drag racing. The Green Monster became the first exhibition car exceeding 200 mph everywhere it ran. Wanting even more, Walt Arfons debuted the first jet-powered dragster which became the desire of every fan and promoter throughout the country. 

At virtually the same instant, Tom Ivo had Kent Fuller build a four-engine dragster and although it was too heavy to be competitive, the tire-smoke show became arguably the most famous exhibition car in history. See Bill Maverick Golden and the Little Red Wagon, Wild Bill Shrewsberry's and the Hurst Hemi Under Glass, LA Dart and Knott's Berry Wagon, Chuck Poole and his Chuckwagon, Doug Rose and The Green Mamba, plus many more.