Here’s some old-school drag racing. In this awesome 1970 clip, see Ford drag team stars Hubert Platt, Ed Terry, and Dick Loehr in action.
Now here are some items we don’t see enough at the drag strip anymore: Drivers banging gears on real, full-manual boxes. Dry hops. Grandstands overflowing with excited, animated fans. This was drag racing circa 1970, and it was fantastic stuff—as shown in the similar video we featured a while back with Bill Jenkins at the ’68 Nationals.
In this little FoMoCo promotional film from way back when, we’re treated to quick personality sketches of noted Ford factory racers Hubert Platt and his ’69 Mustang Super Stocker, Ed Terry and his similar ’70 Mustang, and Dick Loehr and his Stampede ’70 Maverick Pro Stocker. From what we can see, much of the action is filmed at Pomona Raceway, home of the NHRA Winternationals, and it’s a fun-filled two minutes. Enjoy.
Thanks MCG, if that doesn’t get your blood pumping, nothing will. Drag racing has changed so much over the years. Cars you could darn near buy down at the local Ford garage, have been replaced by cars that probably have very little in common with the car brand they are racing. I always wondered why the “Christmas tree” changed, from the slow progressive drop of the lights, to all yellow on, then green. Turns out, drivers were able to anticipate the green and to make it fair, the yellow lights now are computer controlled, and the “yellow to green” time can be varied. People still pack in to these events, although, the big draw now are the top fuel cars, and understandably so, they are awesome to watch ( even though, they only go 1000′ now). This weekend is the “Big Go” at Indy, the granddaddy of the circuit. If you’re in the Indianapolis area, and have never seen it (and have the money to go) you won’t be disappointed. Just don’t forget the earplugs.
Hubert Platt’s car is lettered as an automatic, but the film is edited so it appears he is shifting gears. Love it!