April 1978 - Rockingham International Dragway
- Thread starter htperry
- Start date
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Holy smokes...................I was there, got some of the same pics.
The pic of the Top Fuel car, it entered from the finish line end of the track and the brown & white Chevy truck pushed it to the starting line. I've got a pic of the engine tear-down with the cylinder head assembly sitting on the tailgate of the truck.
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The pic of the Top Fuel car, it entered from the finish line end of the track and the brown & white Chevy truck pushed it to the starting line. I've got a pic of the engine tear-down with the cylinder head assembly sitting on the tailgate of the truck.
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Anybody know this guy from 1978? He was on the crew of the yellow Top Fuel car in some of the pictures, pushed by a brown Chevy truck seen in this pic. He worked for Speed Distributors in Chattanooga, TN. I think his name was Daryl. The yellow Top Fuel car was Jim & Allison Lee.
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I was buying some from Speed Distributors in 1978, was it Darrell Strange? He was from Tennessee and in the early-mid 1980's was working for Detroit Gasket.
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He ran a 426 when they were first avaliable in the mid 60's.
He ran a Donovan 392 at some IHRA and AHRA races and various match races. There are several photos of the same car ( the white top car ) at NHRA events with 426 KB power.
Darryl M Chuck Strange - retired Detroit Gasket
https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000007083943
Might be him?
Ah... 1978, I was there a lot myself. 18 at the time. Lots of good memories. Like @concepthomes1 said, simpler times. We still stay across the road at the campground.
I usually go to the ADRL drags there. 2 years ago, they were filming a movie Adrenaline at Rockingham while the racing was going on. We saw John Schneider aka Bo Duke while we were there.
I usually go to the ADRL drags there. 2 years ago, they were filming a movie Adrenaline at Rockingham while the racing was going on. We saw John Schneider aka Bo Duke while we were there.
The 3rd pic in your first post, the Powell & Burnette car, here's a few more of that one. It was sponsored by Southern Automotive in Greensboro. It was one of the very few Chevy powered fuel cars.
This is what the pro pit area looked like in the 1970's. No 18 wheelers, no awnings, no Race Deck flooring, no electric fans, no crew uniforms ( well maybe matching hats from a sponsor ), pick-up tailgate for a work bench. Compare this to zMax or whatever you see on television today.
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Thanks for these photos, guys. It sure does bring back some memories. We used to go to the Spring Nationals at Bristol, TN back in the 70's and 80's. I also got to go to the Super Stock Nationals at York US 30 Dragway in York, PA in either 1973 or 1974. Fun times.
I got turned on to drag racing watching
Wide World of Sports!!!
On ABC i think?
Maybe Keith Jackson did the call?
And a subscription to Hot Rod
I never got to go to any of the big races back then.
Only the local track near Richmond a few times.
Wide World of Sports!!!
On ABC i think?
Maybe Keith Jackson did the call?
And a subscription to Hot Rod
I never got to go to any of the big races back then.
Only the local track near Richmond a few times.
Those are some awesome pics guys.
Me too - plus my dad used to take me to the drag strip when we lived in Shelby. I feel there was actually better motorsports programming in the days before "cable", ESPN. Wide World of Sports was great. I hardly watch any TV sports now - too commercial.
