Something Seems To Be Missing...

I had an aunt who used to live by the following rule in regards to conversation; "Short, sweet, and to the point." I feel it also carried over to other parts of her life - like car buying. I can remember the time when she and her husband went to purchase a 1966 Chevy Biscayne in the late 60's (similar to the pic on right - there's was a 4-door with a big block - yee-ha!). While he stroked the check, my aunt did the negotiating... what little there was. Lucky for them, they purchased all their used vehicles from the same salesman for over 20 years, so he knew the drill. And knew not to argue or haggle. The same philosophy continues today and I experienced that the other day in an email I received. It contained all but 20 words, which included names:
"Dave - 
Love the blog and all the history. One thing though - what about the AHRA? Just sayin'. 
Be cool,
Hank"

See what I mean? In those 20 words, I totally understood where he was coming from and realized my over-sight. While vintage drag racing is covered in spades weekly in the blog, I really don't mention the AHRA too much. Mostly what gets banged out on the keyboard is the NHRA, mostly because it's such a large organization (filled with large amounts of drama), it's been around the longest, and also the fact that the AHRA doesn't exist anymore - it's a shame... on multiple counts. I need to delve into the American Hot Rod Association more. People say the AHRA was the birthplace of professional drag racing. While it was only active for 28 years, the group contributed heavily to what we now know as modern drag racing, especially on the pro level.

What many people don't realize in regards to the AHRA, was the true grass-roots mindset the organization had. Many a famous racer, from Don Garlits to John Force cut their teeth and earned their stripes in the AHRA. The organization found its mettle on the back-roads and outbacks of smaller tracks that made up their circuit, primarily in the Midwest and Southwestern United States from the 1960's until the early 80's. The groups significance is staggering:
 - They provided a home for Top Fuel dragsters, ignoring the nitro ban (that the NHRA put in place) from 1957 to 1963.
 - They gave Funny Cars, way back when they were altered wheel base cars (of A/FX) in late 1964 through early 1966, a place to call home when they were banned from the NHRA.
 - And while it was not called Pro Stock, by 1968 the AHRA not only had that particular class of racing already established but also had a heads-up Super Stock eliminator class as well.
 - By 1970, they introduced the Grand American Series of Professional Drag Racing and gave the sport its first year-long points chase that was paid off with a large end of the season bonus check.

Thank you, Jim Tice - without whom, a great deal of this would've never happened...

Without a doubt the popularity of drag racing, regardless of organization, had a profound affect on muscle car sales as well as it's associated advertising. While some muscle car (or super cars as they were called then) advertisements were borderline controversial by the late 60's, the manufacturers embraced the concept of placing their performance offerings in a drag strip environment instead of on the street. Couple that with some catchy phrases like, "Speed contests

belong on the strip", it made these over-the-top tire-frying brutes more responsible and safe - or at least that was the notion. The message got out... sort of. The problem was, you weren't going to see an ad for a 1970 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler situated at the drag strip in Life Magazine or the Saturday Evening Post. There were published in enthusiast magazines like Super Stock and Car Craft. But most of the influenced advertising was saved for the brochures available at the dealerships. Because these were printed specifically for those venues who were selling these vehicles, the artwork could be way more liberal. Plus, there was far more advertising real estate available that the manufacturers didn't have to pay for like they would in a magazine.

Lastly, I received another email suggesting I should mention something about the Daytona 500 since the race is this Sunday. OK - the Daytona 500 is tomorrow February 21st 2016. There. Done. If you want more - hit the Internet, social media, or the TV. It's everywhere. I don't need to add to it.

Until then, peace out,
Dave