From Pomona, California, here’s a great film vintage film report on the 1962 NHRA Winternationals. 

The more things change, the more they stay the same—so goes the old saying. The drag strip on Parker Avenue at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds has changed a thousand different ways since 1962. And yet any drag racing fan of today will probably recognize the track instantly in this awesome movie on the ’62 NHRA Winternationals, originally produced way back when for the local Dodge dealers association.

Known as “The Big Go West,” the Winternationals was launched just the year before in 1961, and is still held at the fairgrounds in Pomona to this day. The NHRA schedule looked very different in these early years, with only two full national events on the calendar. The racing action was somewhat different too: First, the familiar Christmas tree starting system had not yet appeared, so you’ll see a flagman here instead. And the NHRA was still enforcing its controversial nitromethane ban (dropped in 1963) so all the action is fueled by gasoline.

The Dodge dealers connection in this film becomes evident soon enough, for the winner of the Top Eliminator honors this day was Jim Nelson in the Dragmaster Dart, powered by a supercharged 413 Mopar V8. There were plenty more drag racing pioneers on the scene at Pomona that weekend, too, from Dyno Don Nicholson to Tom “the Mongoose” McEwen. See how many of your heroes you can spot.