Drag Racing History How it all began

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Dec 31, 2023 | 08:02 PM

#111 (permalink)

senor honda

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The Secret History of Drag Racing: Mythbusting, Revelations, and A Look at Its Wild

The Secret History of Drag Racing: Mythbusting, Revelations, and A Look at Its Wild Origins.

BTW the near car is Wild Willie Borsch see post 114 below.

Brian Lohnes
18.1K subscribers
81,333 views Dec 27, 2023

Lots of people know about modern drag racing but very few people know about the strange roots of the sport and how things have evolved over the years. From the odd rules, classes, procedures, and practices of the old days to the cars and people that made them great.

In this deep dive into drag racing history we go back to the origins of the sport, the earliest rules, the earliest classes, and dispel some myth as well as explain the hows and whys of drag racing's chaotic first couple of decades. Multiple jump starts determined the winner of the first NHRA national event, Indy class winners got to sit out on Monday until the final. How expensive was nitro back then? All this and more...here!

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Last edited by senor honda; Feb 8, 2026 at 02:39 PM.

Dec 31, 2023 | 08:04 PM

#112 (permalink)

senor honda

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Tying some racing history together See last post in thread: See it before it goes awa

Tying some racing history together
See last post in thread:
See it before it goes away.
*****************************

Last edited by senor honda; Feb 8, 2026 at 02:23 PM.

Dec 31, 2023 | 08:48 PM

#113 (permalink)

senor honda

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The Hot Rod Story Drag Racing King Rose Archives 164K subscribers

The Hot Rod Story Drag Racing

King Rose Archives
164K subscribers
239,235 views Sep 24, 2013

Hot Rods had a bad reputation in the 1950s. What started as a way for young guys to have some fun testing their home made cars on the dry lakes was growing and spilling over into street racing. The press, preachers and politicians were up in arms and people were getting killed. Something had to be done. Bob Petersen, who ran Hot Rod Magazine, worked with one of his editors Wally Parks, to launch a national effort to get the kids off the streets and on to drag strips. They formed the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and the new sport of drag racing took off. Necessity is the mother of invention. This traces the path they took from amateurs racing at the dry lakes to professionals competing at the drag strips. What a journey.

Feb 3, 2026 | 02:24 AM

#114 (permalink)

senor honda

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Why Top Fuel Drivers Refused to Race Wild Willie Borsch.

Darn right that car was sideways and crossed the lanes....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTV5P0x0-OM

Why Top Fuel Drivers Refused to Race Wild Willie Borsch.

Some people have a talent for showmanship!

Burnout Society
1.94K subscribers

Feb 2, 2026 #wildwillieborsch #wingedexpress #dragracinghistory
In 1969, something unheard of happened at the NHRA Winternationals. 31 Fuel drivers issued an ultimatum: remove one man from the field, or they would all walk away. That man wasn’t a rookie or a cheat. He was Wild Willie

Borsch, driving the infamous Winged Express — a short-wheelbase fuel altered that qualified faster than the best dragsters in the world. This video tells the full story of why professional nitro racers refused to line up next to him. From bouncing off guardrails and crossing the centerline at full throttle, to one-handed driving at over 200 mph, Willie’s runs were pure chaos. The fans loved it. The drivers feared it. And the NHRA was forced into one of

the most controversial decisions in drag racing history — even reinstating Don Garlits after he was bumped from the field. More than just a story about danger, this is a story about stubbornness, raw skill, and a man who refused to compromise. Willie Borsch wasn’t reckless for show he drove the car the only way it could be driven.

Admired by legends like John Force, and remembered as one of the wildest drivers the sport has ever seen, this is the true story of the racer Top Fuel drivers simply would not face.

Last edited by senor honda; Feb 3, 2026 at 02:27 AM.

Feb 8, 2026 | 02:11 PM

#115 (permalink)

senor honda

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Tying some racing history together See last post in thread: See it before it goes awa

Tying some racing history together
See last post in thread:
See it before it goes away.
*****************************
Inside the NASCAR Hall of Fame*********************

NASCAR Hall of Fame Tour 2013************************

NASCAR Hall of Fame Museum Tour... Charlotte, NC

https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/a...ml#post9441920

*************************************

Abandoned tracks in Florida area and other places (updated)
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...s-fl-area.html

Bonneville History
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...e-history.html

Daytona History
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...a-history.html

Drag Racing History
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/dr...ml#post9366328

This link has some historic drag racing pics.

https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/dr...pics-ever.html

Local historic drag racing track Twin City Oldsmar

https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...florida-4.html

Indianapolis History

https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...ml#post9373490

24 Hours of Lemans history

https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...s-history.html

Lemans

Lime Rock Park history

https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/au...rock-park.html

Pikes Peak racing history
Is Pikes Peak a road Race?

https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...ml#post9362624

History of Race Cars

https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...ml#post9370578

Road Racing History
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/g...g-history.html

Sebring history

The way to part 2 "A brief History of Sebring Raceway" is here:
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/g...-40-posts.html
-------------------------------------------------
This was the original brief history of Sebring part 1
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/general-car-chat/816701-sebring-raceway-brief-history-part-1-has-now-exceeded-40-posts-115-posts.html
---------------------------------------------------

A bit of stock car racing history

https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...ml#post9362625

There are Old School Stock Car Pictures here:
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/e...-pictures.html

Tying some Tampa Racing history together with links: Tampa International Raceway (Fair Grounds)

https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...l-raceway.html
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Last edited by senor honda; Feb 8, 2026 at 02:28 PM.

Feb 19, 2026 | 01:56 AM

#116 (permalink)

senor honda

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The Murder of Drag Racing’s Forgotten Pioneer Steve Bovan

The Murder of Drag Racing’s Forgotten Pioneer Steve Bovan

Burnout Society
2.74K subscribers

1,498 views Feb 18, 2026 #SteveBovan #FunnyCarHistory #DragRacingHistory
#SteveBovan#FunnyCarHistory#DragRacingHistory#NHRA#BlairsSpeedShop#BrotherhoodOfEternalLove#HareKrishnaScandal#WitnessProtection#1970sCrime#OrangeCountyCrime#MobHit#TrueCrimeMotorsports#AFXFunnyCar#NitroRacing#MotorsportsDocumentary Watch Next :

Steve Bovan was once a respected West Coast Funny Car pioneer, building blown Chevy A/FX machines out of Blair's Speed Shop during the explosive growth of 1960s drag racing. He match raced across America, ran nine-second passes at 160 mph, and competed during the early evolution of NHRA Funny Cars. From altered wheelbase experiments to nitro-powered Camaros, Bovan helped shape the raw, experimental era of Southern California drag racing when factory horsepower wars were redefining the sport. His reaction times were legendary. His cars were feared. And for a time,

he was living the racer’s dream. But by the mid-1970s, the money was drying up. After leaving full-time racing, Bovan became entangled with a Costa Mesa auto shop tied to Prasadam Distributors Incorporated (PDI), a network later connected to the Brotherhood of Eternal Love and the Laguna Beach Hare Krishna drug scandal. What followed was a spiral into marijuana trafficking, embezzlement accusations, and a violent kidnapping of investor Alexander Kulik. A failed ransom exchange on Interstate 5 triggered a highway gun battle, humiliation for mob-connected enforcers,

and a $125,000 murder contract placed on the former drag racer. On October 22, 1977, outside El Ranchito in Newport Beach, Steve Bovan was shot nine times by a man carrying a 9mm Walther pistol. The killers were not random criminals — they were relocated New York mob witnesses living under federal protection through the United States Marshals Service. Within hours, the drug empire collapsed, arrests followed, and the case became a black eye for Witness Protection.

This is the full story of how a Funny Car legend went from nitro glory to mob execution in one of the strangest crossovers between motorsports history, organized crime, and 1970s Southern California crime.

Last edited by senor honda; Feb 19, 2026 at 01:59 AM.

Feb 19, 2026 | 01:57 AM

#117 (permalink)

senor honda

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part 2 murder

Feb 19, 2026 | 01:58 AM

#118 (permalink)

senor honda

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Likes: 20

part 3 murder

Feb 22, 2026 | 10:11 PM

#119 (permalink)

senor honda

Thread Starter

Registered

Joined: May 2005

Posts: 104,142

Likes: 20

Tying some racing history together See last post in thread: See it before it goes awa

Tying some racing history together
See last post in thread:
See it before it goes away.
*****************************
Inside the NASCAR Hall of Fame*********************

NASCAR Hall of Fame Tour 2013************************

NASCAR Hall of Fame Museum Tour... Charlotte, NC

https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/a...ml#post9441920

*************************************

Living Legends of Auto Racing Museum
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/e...h-florida.html

Abandoned tracks in Florida area and other places (updated)
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...s-fl-area.html

Bonneville History
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...e-history.html

Daytona History
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...a-history.html

Drag Racing History
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/dr...ml#post9366328

This link has some historic drag racing pics.

https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/dr...pics-ever.html

Local historic drag racing track Twin City Oldsmar

https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...florida-4.html

Indianapolis History

https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...ml#post9373490

24 Hours of Lemans history

https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...s-history.html

Lime Rock Park history

https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/au...rock-park.html

Pikes Peak racing history
Is Pikes Peak a road Race?

https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...ml#post9362624

History of Race Cars

https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...ml#post9370578

Road Racing History
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/g...g-history.html

Sebring history

The way to part 2 "A brief History of Sebring Raceway" is here:
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/g...-40-posts.html
-------------------------------------------------
This was the original brief history of Sebring part 1
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/general-car-chat/816701-sebring-raceway-brief-history-part-1-has-now-exceeded-40-posts-115-posts.html
---------------------------------------------------

A bit of stock car racing history

https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...ml#post9362625

Tying some Tampa Racing history together with links: Tampa International Raceway (Fair Grounds)

https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...l-raceway.html
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Mar 29, 2026 | 08:25 PM

#120 (permalink)

senor honda

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The Best Drag Racing History I Ever Saw!

The Best Drag Racing History I Ever Saw!

The Fastest Decade in Car History: Drag Racing’s Golden Era

Racing Relics
2.58K subscribers

Mar 29, 2026 #DragRacing #DonGarlits #HotRodding
#DragRacing#DonGarlits#HotRodding#NHRA#TopFuel#FunnyCar#Gasser#MotorsportHistory#CarHistory#RacingLegends#AmericanMuscle#SpeedRecords#DragRaceHistory#ClassicCars#VintageRacing

On August 1st, 1964, a racer from Tampa, Florida named Don Garlits lined up at Island Dragway and made a pass that changed drag racing forever. He crossed the finish line at 201.34 miles per hour the first officially recorded 200+ mph run in the sport’s history. When the time slip came back, everything changed. Because from that moment on, drag racing had a new benchmark. A new ceiling.

A new definition of what “fast” meant. But here’s the part most people miss: That run didn’t happen because of a sudden breakthrough. It didn’t come from secret technology or a single genius idea. It was the result of three decades of evolution built in dry lake beds, on abandoned airstrips, in backyard garages, and yes… on illegal street races. Everything before that moment was building toward it. And everything after would be measured against it. This is the story of how drag racing got there.