Shop Tour - Hardcore Drag Racing

  The Lucas Oil division 1 meet was a hot one, It was 86 degrees and sunny. It was held at Maple Grove Raceway in the heart of God's country, Mohnton, PA.   The turn out was out standing, the pits were packed and people filled the stands. This shows that people are still interested in the sport. The Pro mod class had 32 cars show up for 16 spots, I haven't seen that since the late 1980's  when Englishtown had 32 funny cars.                                                                                   The staging lanes during the last qualifying session on Saturday .                                   ...

  The Legacy of Jack Chrisman Part I     Jack Chrisman was an American Drag Racer who had an active racing career that started in 1953 and ended with retirement in 1972,but he remained active behind the scenes.   Throughout his career he raced at Southern California tracks such as Lions, Pomona,Riverside, San Fernando & Santa Ana. Jack wasn’t just an inovator he was also a record setter.  In 1961 he drove the Howard Cams Twin Bears gas dragster to the first 8-second run in NHRA national event history and won the first ever Winter Nationals with an 8.99 second pass.     Chrisman won the 1961 World Championship after winning in national, regional, and divisional meets throughout the United States. In 1962 Jack joined Mickey Thompson’s team where he drove the Tommy Ivo-built A/Gas Dragster to an 8.34 second pass,giving him the Top eliminator crown at the U.S nationals.             ...

  Formerly part of the private collection of world champion Bruce Larson , it was purchased  in 2001 and restored it in 2007. This Top Fuel Dragster was raced by TV Tommy Ivo, It debuted at the '74 NHRA Winter Nationals  and sponsored by Honest Charley's Speed Shop. Ivo's Digger was one of the first Top Fuel cars to go 250 MPH in the 1/4 mile , It features the original chassis built by Larry Sikora in fall of 1973 . The Stream-liner body was designed by the legendary Nye Frank .   In an attempt to create better aerodynamics the front wheels were enclosed with what looked like rudders from an airplane . They were referred too as wheel pants.  The body work also extended below the lower frame rails and wrapped around the bottom giving it the look of a Monocoque Indy car . Ivo was quoted as a saying - "It was a brand-spankin' new car on my fourth run in the 1974 Winternationals. The engine exploded so fiercely that it turned into a fireball and punched a hole ...

  T.V. Tommy Ivo was one of the original Mouseketeers, when he wasn't acting he was Drag Racing . He raced this 76' Charger bodied Funny Car for the 1976-77 season . Years later it it was found in terrible condition. When all the parts were found it was rebuilt and painted by two-time Funny Car champion Cruz Pedregon. It's also the original body, because only a handful were made in 76'. The Charger features a Murff McKinney chassis with an all aluminum Keith Black 426 CI supercharged Hemi  engine. It Burns over five gallons of  nitro-methane in the quarter-mile. The body features a race day paint scheme in the Red,White & Blue  Rod Shop livery. All exterior sponsorship logos are painted on just like they were on 1976.                                                            ...