Drag Racing in the 1970s

Re-live the 1970s with this book that covers a sensational and unique decade of drag racing history!

In the 1950s, drag racing was in its infancy. The sport made incredible technological advancements in the 1960s, and that technology was streamlined and refined with a sense of professionalism in the 1970s. It became more difficult for a local, homebuilt, shoestring-budget team to compete at the national level. These teams were priced out of the top classes by larger teams that had more sponsorship money. So, the low-budget teams dropped to less-expensive classes or simply sold their gear and stopped competing.

However, drag racing in the 1970s was fascinating in its own right. There was still a significant amount of development as well as new classes to celebrate. Funny Cars morphed from altered-wheelbase doorslammers in the early 1960s to full-blown, tube-chassis, flip-top fiberglass-bodied beasts by 1970. This led to the creation of the Pro Stock class, which was a popular child of the 1970s, with its rivalries and connections to the Detroit manufacturers. In the interest of safety, Top Fuel cars became mid-engine beasts, and they turned out to be faster as well. By the end of the decade, Funny Cars nearly became full-bodied versions of the Top Fuel cars. Many of these developments are still evident in NHRA racing today.

In Drag Racing in the 1970s, veteran racing author Doug Boyce takes you chronologically through the entire exciting decade, covering the cars, the classes, and the future hall-of-fame drivers who raced them. The transition to professionalism, the big-money sponsors, the many sanctioning bodies, the rivalries, and even the lower classes (such as Modified Eliminator and Super Stock) are chronicled in this illustrated tribute. Add a copy to your drag racing library today.

From the Publisher

In Drag Racing in the 1970s, veteran racing author Doug Boyce takes you chronologically through the entire exciting decade, covering the cars, the classes, and the future hall-of-fame drivers who raced them. The transition to professionalism, the big-money sponsors, the many sanctioning bodies, the rivalries, and even the lower classes (such as Modified Eliminator and Super Stock) are chronicled in this illustrated tribute. Add a copy to your drag racing library today.

One of Mickey Thompson’s many ideas was this compressed-air, Hemi-powered Funny Car. The experiment made the power but was doomed from the beginning because the NHRA didn’t allow the use of compressed-air tanks. (Photo Courtesy Rich Carlson/Grant Bittner Collection)

Kelly Brown drove the Barry Setzer Vega during its debut at the 1971 NHRA Springnationals. Pat Foster would be handling the butterfly steering wheel by the end of the season. (Photo Courtesy J. R. Bloom)

Don Prudhomme’s Kent Fuller–built Yellow Feather weighed less than 1,300 pounds. It was innovative, but national event wins proved to be elusive. Prudhomme raced the car into 1973 before he abandoned Top Fuel to concentrate on Funny Car. (Photo Courtesy Michael Pottie)

Don Prudhomme lost only two NHRA national events in 1975, which earned him the first of four consecutive world championships. The secret was in the setup of his clutch and the fuel delivery. Of course, great driving and a top wrench helped. (Photo Courtesy J. R. Bloom)

Bob Glidden went to Pro Stock racing full time beginning with the 1973 season. He had previously focused on Stock and Super Stock cars. Glidden provided a taste of things to come when it took a holeshot by Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins to defeat him at the 1972 Supernationals. (Photo Courtesy Bob Martin)

One of the last chassis that Woody Gilmore built was under the Phil Castronovo Custom Bodies Enterprises Dart. Driver Tom Prock closed the NHRA season as the runner-up at three national events. (Photo Courtesy Michael Pottie)

In round two at Ontario, Bernstein lost to Ron Colson, running a 6.30 ET at 227.84 mph to Colson’s 6.21 ET at 233 mph. Bernstein’s star burned brightly in the coming years. (Photo Courtesy Keith Hudak)

Publisher ‏ : ‎ CarTech
Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 24, 2025
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 192 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1613258429
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1613258422
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.49 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.5 x 0.38 x 11 inches