Now it's time for the crew and the driver to test the car and the car.
The first days of the meet are strenuous and exhausting.
The track is in continuous use by contestants, making test runs in time trials.
All classes participate, and crews make run after run, trying to get
their cars in perfect tune.
For the spectator, it's an exciting time too, because they have the opportunity
to observe the many different classes in action and compare their lapsed times.
It is not at all unusual for the meet's best elapsed time to be
set during the time trials.
The parking lots and stands were filled to capacity as enthusiasts
turned out in droves.
Hot rodding has really come of age in the last decade.
Since 1950, the sport has grown from only two active strips to the present
colossal number of more than 250.
This group from Washington represents the best in cooperation. Father drives and
the whole family acts as crew.
Whether it's an airplane engine or a V-8, there's always work to be done.
And a cool drink hits the spot on a hot day.
For us, the big day was here. We were ready for the flat out run to
see if we really had it or not.
We checked with Champion to make sure we had the right heat range.
The Parkers were all at it too, making their last minute adjustments.
A word with one of the toughest competitors, Chuck Jones, with the Sidewinder
crew from Long Beach, California.
And then we were ready to take her down to the line.
From Oceanside, California, it's the Martin Nelson machine, the master's track
master. They'll be running down for a record run.
With top elapsed time on our contact clock, a 9.12 seconds, the Nelson
Martin machine, the master's drag master.
With the lowest ET of the meet so far and a possible record, they had to check
the gas to make sure we weren't on rocket fuel.
I felt mighty good on the trip back to the pits.
You never want to count your chickens or however the saying goes, because the day
of eliminations we heard those expensive noises when we fired her up.
Nick was a big help. He ate as usual.
There was nothing to do but tear her all down and see what the trouble was.
It turned out to be a twisted camlifter, so we dropped the pan, pulled out the
cam and got at it from the lower end.
Fortunately, the cam was okay. The eliminations were starting and
time was working against us.
The 1959 National Championship drag races has seen the Detroit Dragway, Detroit,
Michigan. We have competition coming from as far south as the Panama Canal Zone
and as far north as the Canadian area from the east coast to the west coast.
Two cars in the sea gas clacks, Jamie Parker on the tower side.
It looked like everybody
in Detroit was in the stands.
Bill Parker in his A-Gas Coupe against Bill Waddill.
Two four-bangers with Ray Huckabee of Houston, Texas on the
spectator side taking an early lead.
A thunderbird in the Corvette in the sports car class.
Two Chevy sedans vying for class honors.
The original hot rods, two street roadsters.
An Austin against a Viet in the altered coupe class.
The Cotton Figgins special from Arizona taking the lead
in the modified roadster class.
In the competition coupe class, Nike and Visselka's last year's class winner
blows up and loses to Robert Andrews of Ohio.
Ernie Partridge in misfortune from California gets a good start
in the modified roadster class.
With only minutes left, we got her buttoned up and down to the staging area.
Jack Moss's twin Chevy taking a good lead over Arfon's green monster.
Text Bishop Roo taking an early lead in his A-Dragster.
And the very beautiful misfire the third, a blown Chrysler dragster from
California on the spectator side.
Two blown A-Dragsters getting off to a good start.
Two Texans, Jack Moss and his twin Chevy being taken by Rod Singer on the tower
side.
Note Martin in the drag master losing to Tets Ishimaru.
The drag master with a lower ET but Tets getting off the line better.
Well, that's drag racing.
Herman Moser in his ramrod getting off to a slow start.
Two beautiful owners, the red coupe from Texas dusting off
the bronze entry from Ohio.
Charles Johnson from Michigan failing John Klein from Massachusetts
in the modified roadster class.
The very fast Hollis Brothers competition coupe with Jig's Shamblin from Ohio
taking a terrific lead.
Rod Singer from Texas eliminates Bill Tibbles of Ohio
and takes another step up the ladder.
The crowd waits anxiously for the run off of
the little eliminator to get underway.
And there goes George Montgomery of Dayton, Ohio.
The winner with hood blinds.
Otis Smith of Ohio, a roadster class winner, takes on Gabby Bleeker of Illinois,
a altered winner to win middle eliminator.
Wally Parks, president of NHRA, talking to Mr. Ed Cole, general manager of
Chevrolet, and Robert Peterson, publisher of Hot Rod magazine, with Mr. Tex
Colbert, president of Chrysler Corporation.
The grand prize, the DA lubricants Chevrolet El Camino.
Rod Singer on the way up to the line to run against Jig's
Shamblin for Mr. Top Eliminator.
Rick gets a shot for Hot Rod as the crowd watches.
And they're off. Up to the halfway mark, they're neck and neck.
And coming into the tracks is Rod Singer way out in front.
Bad luck for Jig's Shamblin, who dropped the clutch in the Hollis Brothers
beautiful competition coupe.
On the starting line, the Green Monster 1945 Allison
-powered dragster with much, much go.
And there's the flag. It's Bill Smith getting on the big green sign. He
approaches the quarter mark and a trip for one mile up to halfway.
He's on it, and into the big quarter, he's really coming on in in the traps with
a top time, a top contact time of 170. 45 miles per hour.
170.45 miles per hour with the top time of the meet.
And then the awards. The trophy for traveling the greatest distance to the
Nationals accepted by Mike Bamber.
The award for the best appearing car and crew goes to
Darryl Zimmerman of Colorado.
And the trophy for the best engineered car to Mr. and Mrs. Lindley's Miss Fire
the Third from California.
Wally Parks presents the eliminators trophy in the sports car class to Jack
Horsley Jr. of Miami, Florida, who won in his Lincoln-powered Devon.
George Montgomery of Dayton, Ohio, receiving his trophy for winning
as the Little Eliminator.
To the beautiful Otis Automotive Special of Akron, Ohio goes the
trophy for Middle Eliminator.
The Martin Nelson Dragmaster was considered, in the judge's opinion, the
safest constructed car of the meet.
They also won the trophy for the lowest ET. Wally Parks beckons to the crew of
the Green Monster to share honors with Art Arfons for establishing a new top
speed record on gas of 170.45 miles per hour.
And here comes the Singer Miller car being pushed back to the winner's circle.
The car that won the meet.
And Mr. Top Eliminator himself, Rod Singer
of Houston, Texas.
And to the winner, the beautiful champion spark plug trophy, the DA lubricant El
Camino and the Kiss.
And so another
national's draws to a close. Records have been set and
broken, ideas have been exchanged.
Enthusiasts will return to garages and workshops to create new machines that will
go a little faster and get from here to there in a little less time.
For this is the story of ingenuity in action.
Thank you.