Early 70s NHRA drag racing at Seattle International Raceway
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- Опубліковано 30 гру 2024
- 1973 funny car champ Frank Hall shot this footage at some time in the late 60s. Frank died in July of 2017 and we're going through all his old stuff and found a bunch of great NHRA and drag racing photos and a couple film reels. If you or your dad is in this, please get in touch and I can get you the high quality file or photos.
what a great place and the 64 funny were the best I saw all the big names there I will never forget those times
I lived it at SIR in the early to mid 70s. When they lit off all 64 funny cars (32) on each side at night it was amazing for a 12 year old. I still have many vehicle/driver cards from the pits. Love this video.
That's Great That You Found All Of This Old Footage. We Are Trying To Get A New Race Track Here On Long Island. Wish Us Luck Because We Are Going To Need It.
The 1970's was the best era of fuel racing by far, independent teams could still compete with the well sponsored teams and win on any given Sunday.
Great video, I was there as a spectator back in those days. Funny cars and Top Fuel Dragsters ran in the 7 seconds range. Rails push started, great stuff. Big Al.
Thank you for uploading this. Any more would be welcomed!
In some of the footage, there is a white '70 or '71 Torino GT sitting near the starting line. But some of the other footage appears to be shot in 1968. For many years I fielded a SS/G '67 Camaro 396 named "Pratts Ratt". Lots of passes down the old Pacific Raceways (then became Seattle International Raceway).
Funny cars that look like a street car. The goog old days.
Oh man.. this is great footage for the soul.. and throat-lumping to know its origin. I was not aware of Frank's passing. Sad news there. We raced at SIR several times in the 70s-80s (toured top fuel cars in divisions 5, 6, 7) and the sight of that old track in the trees brings back great memories. Always cold and cloudy, but very warm in heart. I didn't see us in there that day, and was hoping to catch a glimpse of a Seattle top fuel car of that era I used to like a lot called the King Rat (our friend Terry Kniss drove it), but I didn't see it in there either. And Lord knows we all remember when Prudhomme fireballed in the traps there at SIR. Other friends we had up there were Herm Petersen and Jerry Ruth.. and some old guy named Pete with an injected gas dragster that had a large whistle mounted on the nose that was pitched to make sound when he hit 100 speed. Always fun to hear him whistle on by. People on this site are probably getting tired of my long-winded reminiscing posts about all this old stuff, but I just can't help myself. I was just a teen on the road with a racing family, and it was SUCH a great era of life for so many of us.. so I thank you for posting this video from one of the best home-style tracks in the USA! RIP, Frank.
I'm sorry to hear of Frank's passing. I worked at SIR from 1974 to 1984 and lived on the track for most of those years during which I ran into Frank a number of times.
The young man @4:45 staring @ "Ray" putting his fire suit on is priceless. Film is great and well preserved. I think the 1st 4 1/2 minutes is early 70's. The Barracuda is gorgeous! I'd recommend an Academy Award for "Best Vintage" film. Now if we could get someone to loop in the sound! lol! Thanks for posting this!
Hey! That's my dad and Uncle Mike, with their friend Tom "Slick" Reed @ 2:10 looking at their Black WA Nat'l Gasser as the motorcyclist drives past. According to him, this can't be any later than Fall 1969 thru Spring 1970 because they were both drafted in Summer of 1970. My dad is the first one on the right (in the black leather jacket) and my Uncle is 3rd from the right in his Ponder's Auto Parts jacket. Tom is hidden, bent over the engine compartment.
Have a look at 1974’s Vroom its the benchmark of 70s drag films
IT'S STILL,.. "SIR" TO US.
See you at Longacres 😂 👍
OMG YOU ALREADY KNOW! LOL
awesome! takes me back to when my dad would take me to the old , Calgary international rrrrrAAACEWAY!!!
I remember on the left side you parked your car truck got baked by the Sun and party down when the Top Fuel and funny cars came out you go right up to the guardrail it was awesome
This is amazing. Thanks
Simpler days when people walked around with their heads up. I remember being there
We had good results as a racing team @ SIR but the was allways a threat of rain and many trips ended up as returns..18 hour drive back to Patterson calif.
This video is so good, it makes me feel like I was at the track then, I would have been 6 or 7 at the time, haha.
RIP Frank Hall and thank you so much for this footage to those responsible. I wonder if Snively is in Diamond Jim Anin's Challenger here?
Nice, good quality footage. Some of the F/C's are 1970 models.Very nice
Great footage. Keep posting as you find more.
Sorry to see of Frank's passing. The Green Elephant Vega was a favorite of mine growing up.
Frank was a fine guy. We used to visit in the '70's when he was the Division 6 director and I worked at Firebird Raceway. He was always very nice to me.
I saw Jerry Ruth run around a 5.95 250 plus Spring Nationals 1975 SiR . I was taking photo at the end of the track and the sound and speed told me this guy was getting with the program
Love the rare footage of the Clyde Morgan AMC Javelin funny car. I believe they ran a 401 AMC motor on nitro in that thing. Wasnt the fastest or most reliable for sure but definitely unique! Thats what is so cool about the early funny cars from the late 60's thru the mid 70's. They looked like the street cars they were modeled from and there was a ton of variety!
Looks like a BBC
I got to know Frank when he was the NHRA Division 6 Director. He was a very nice guy and a good driver, too.
I'm Joe Skaug who wrote the contribution. Lois is my wife of 44 years. She did not know Frank Hall.
Back when it was affordable to put together a team
The good old days
And when the cars were better looking!
@westbender 820 Actually, i thought these were the old "space frame" chassis funny cars. It's actually right at the start of the more modern "dragster style" chassis but the body tin in Anin and Goodell's car both is configured as it was for the obsolete frames that had recently been outlawed for safety reasons. Soon the dzus fastened side panels would be the norm. I always hated the "space frames" with the headers going under the frame rails. Also, just a year from going away from the "slingshot" style dragster.
nice i remember watching these guys at calgary intl raceway back in th day.
It's kinda nice they put them fancy quiet mufflers on them, but doesn't that hurt the power a little!!
Love it wish it had sound
Dude was rocking those purple bell bottoms.
Back when drag racing was fun and innocent.
Would like to hear Pat O'Day on KJR radio doing 64 funny cars at Seattle International Raceways commercial
I believe my dad drag racing at S.I.R. just don't know what years, unfortunately my dad passed 23 years ago, so I can't ask him. I don't know exactly what he named his car. How would I find this out?
@0:26 is the ford drag club from hayward calif. Ed terry and Dick Wood...this might be the best film on youtube, I have some that I uploaded on my page if you feel like checking it out..and thanks for not adding music.
MasterSpin77 Amen, this is a great video!
Dale Armstrong, Road Leong, push trucks.....awesome
Fantastic footage, has to be from 1970.
Really cool
Crusader is gorgeous.
Does anybody remember which company made the drag racing trading cards from the 1970s?
Fleer
Should have dubbed some audio in.
Butch Tunney at 1:30. Straight Up and No Nonsense, and a Gentleman...
Rexjunett - He's helping Roland Leong, right? 1:50 almost looks like Jim Head, but he was from Ohio.
Didn't he run a 55 gasser. Red,white and blue?
He lived off of 216th. Used to watch him practice launches when I was a kid. My brother knew him.
where is the sound????
David Egbert it's a film strip so no sound was recorded!
8mm didn't have sound back then. This is beautiful footage to just watch and imagine the sound.
a much better time.
Svunna tider, inga flotta trailer,s Kul tider, Man läste start & speed, å drömde att man va där. Hmm..
I remember one Sunday Jerry" the king" Ruth in a fistfight at the starting line I forget who with, good times!!!
Probably with Herman Peterson they hated each other
Images decent to good try not concentrate on the name game averse 2-3-4-5stringers need video time to!