Drag racing is a very regulated sport. In the history of the NHRA, IHRA,
and other sanctioning bodies, many classes existed in an effort to make
sure the cars racing against each other are as equal as possible. It is
a noble, if not futile, pursuit. You have two cars facing off that have
very similar statistics in terms of weight, transmission type, fuel
type, estimated horsepower, and all other sorts of measurables. The
byproduct is that often the races that were “fair” were not the races
that the fans wanted to see.
During the golden age of drag racing, fans didn’t care as much about
class racing as much as they wanted to see scores settled, rivalries
battled, and interesting match-ups. There were the manufacturer
rivalries, Ford versus Chevy, Chevy versus Mopar, Mopar versus Ford, as
well as numerous driver rivalries. Match races were also a great way to
feature wildly popular cars that no longer had a class in which to
compete, yet the fans still wanted to see them. So popular and intense
were these races that many track promoters didn’t bother to promote
class racing at all. Instead, they used the match races as headliners,
similar to the marquee at your local arena or a billboard in Las Vegas,
all resulting in putting more fans in the stands. And the drivers loved
it too.
Veteran drag race author Doug Boyce tells the tale of the history of
match racing through the cars, the drivers, the events, the classes, the
rivalries, and everything else that was fun about match racing during
the golden era. It’s all here, complemented by wonderful vintage
photography provided by fans and professionals in attendance.
• No racing book has ever focused on this significant element of racing
events during the golden era
• Match racing drew the biggest names, the most popular cars, and the
most intense rivalries
• Excellent vintage photography balances the text to tell the story of
what many consider to be the best days of drag racing
About the Author
Doug Boyce has had a life-long addiction to drag racing. He turned his
first wrench at age 8 and attended his first race at age 10. The essence
of burning rubber and screaming open pipes filled his head and by his
early teens, he was elbow deep in building classic Chevys. He continued
to fuel the fire while working 9 to 5 in the automotive field. Doug has
filled what little spare time he has had writing numerous club and
magazine articles related to drag racing’s golden years. He has an
ongoing love of drag racing and the way it used to be.
