You may have to Search all our reviewed books and magazines, click the sign up button below to create a free account.
Many fans of drag racing consider the most interesting era to be from the 1950s through the 1970s, the years when the sport really took off. During that period, so much changed from a speed and technology standpoint that people often refer to this time as the golden age of drag racing. Drivers often became associated with a particular manufacturer, such as Chevy, Ford, or Chrysler through sponsorship, factory team rides, or sometimes simply their own preference. The more successful drivers became household names in the drag racing community. Chevy had Grumpy Jenkins, Pontiac had Arnie "the Farmer" Beswick, Mopar had Sox & Martin and Dandy Dick Landy, and Ford's most successful driver of the ...
Drag racing is a very regulated sport. In the history of the NHRA, IHRA, and other sanctioning bodies, many classes existed in an effort to make sure the cars racing against each other are as equal as possible. It is a noble, if not futile, pursuit. You have two cars facing off that have very similar statistics in terms of weight, transmission type, fuel type, estimated horsepower, and all other sorts of measurables. The byproduct is that often the races that were "fair" were not the races that the fans wanted to see. During the golden age of drag racing, fans didn't care as much about class racing as much as they wanted to see scores settled, rivalries battled, and interesting match-ups. Th...
William K. Ketchison was born 7 July 1759 in Howden, Yorkshire, England. His parents were William Ketchison (1736-1763) and Sally Ayr. He emigrated in 1775 and settled in Virginia. He fought with the British in the American Revolution. He married Mary Rull (1761-1842) 16 March 1779 in Bedford, New York. They had ten children. They migrated to Canada in 1783 and settled first in Nova Scotia and then moved to Sidney, Ontario. William died in 1848 in Belleville, Ontario. Descendants and relatives lived throughout Ontario.
In the world of archeology nothing compares to the discovery. Whether it’s related to King Tut’s tomb, the Titanic, or Amelia Earhart, the uncovering of an artifact outdoes all the research; work; and blood, sweat, and tears into a singular rush of adrenaline. In the world of the muscle car, some of the greatest creations are still waiting to be discovered. This book is a collection of stories written by enthusiasts about their quest to find these extremely rare and valuable muscle cars. You find four categories (Celebrity, Rare, Race Cars, and Concept/Prototype/Show Cars) within three genres (Missing, Lost History, Recently Discovered) that take you through the search for some of the mo...
Fresh on the heels of the best-selling book Lost Drag Strips comes a new look at other long-lost and forgotten drag racing facilities from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. In the first volume, the author examined the birth of drag racing and its subsequent popularity that invaded every city and community across America. Unfortunately, after the initial explosion of popularity, it waned, and various drag strips closed for a myriad of reasons. Financial pressure for the real estate they occupied, suburban sprawl, and waning participation were all reasons for the change in fortunes for the small, and even not-so-small, racetracks. The first volume was great, but readers demanded more! Lost Drag Str...
Learn the entire fascinating story of the American Hot Rod Association (AHRA) in this wonderfully illustrated color history. When the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) was formed in 1951 by Wally Parks, the reasoning for the formation was to "create order from chaos" by instituting safety rules and performance standards that helped legitimize the sport of drag racing. Some organization was certainly necessary. A postwar boom in automotive enthusiasm was reaching new heights, and Hot Rod magazine and the NHRA were right in the thick of it. The NHRA hosted its first drag racing event in 1953, and in 1955, the organization staged its first national event, which was simply called "The National...
Few men have impacted the sport of drag racing like Bill Grumpy Jenkins. His storied history at the drag strip began in the late 1950s, and continues today. Throughout his career, both innovation and success have followed him closely, and this book documents the long and colorful history of the competition cars that proudly bear the name Grumpy's Toy. "Grumpy's Toys: The Legendary Cars of Bill Grumpy Jenkins" stands as a full and complete history of Jenkins' career to date as told through his cars, and has been heartily authorized by the man himself (Jenkins wrote the book's foreword.) Author Doug Boyce has been following Jenkins throughout his racing career, and amassed an impressive collec...
Skillful hunters beautiful in flight, Prairie Falcons inhabit the rocky cliffs of the American West. These raptors range from southern Canada and northern North Dakota to Baja California, Arizona, New Mexico, western and northern Texas, and southeastern Coahuila, Mexico. This is the first book for a wide audience devoted exclusively to the Prairie Falcon. Stanley Anderson and John Squires cover all aspects of the falcon's life history from mating and rearing young to hunting behaviors and the yearly migration cycle. They provide complete descriptive characteristics for identifying Prairie Falcons and also compare them to other raptors, especially the closely related Peregrine Falcon. In addition, the authors recount the long association of falcons with people, which may extend back as far as 2000 BC. They describe the practice of falconry from the Middle Ages until today. And they assess the threats to Prairie Falcons posed by human activities, from pesticide use and destruction of habitat to disruption of the breeding cycle by careless birdwatchers.
"In poems that both honor and transcend his blue-collar roots, BJ Ward blends poignancy and humor with downright good storytelling, and takes his place among the bright up-and-coming voices of his generation." —Stephen Dunn, Winner of the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
Relive the glorious first 25 years of Chevy drag racing in this comprehensive and nostalgic history. With the introduction of Chevy’s OHV V-8 in 1955, the brand’s domination on the drag strip immediately snowballed. Drag racers loved the compact V-8. It was lightweight, revved high, and responded like no other engine previously produced to modification. Chevy saw a record year in sales in 1955, thanks to a combination of a restyled body and the new mill. It was the age of ingenuity, and those who could get their hands on the new engine were swapping it into engine bays that once housed other weaker mills. Ford’s flathead, one that had dominated for so long, was rendered obsolete almost...