Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! The Best In Drag Racing!
Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! See the best in Drag Racing, see Don “the Snake” Prudhome take on Tom “The Mongoose” McEwen in a Best of 3 match! See Don Garlits and Swamp Rat, see Dragsters, Diggers and More Sunday!
Now doesn’t that sound good? That was me trying to write my own Jan Gabriel add and grab your attention much like the late great Jan Gabriel did in the 60s and 70s. Now I was not around back then, but when I look at the Drag Racing from the era something about it just seems more exciting, especially with the NHRA pro level.
What about the drag racing from the 60s and 70s made it so exciting? Was it the rivalries between the best drivers and their Grudge Match races that they put on for the fans and for bragging rights? Was it the dry hops and long burn outs that they did back in those days that seemed to get the crowd on their feet? Or was it the wheel stands and the more “out of control” racing that happened?
The other huge part that made it better was the rivalries. Whether it was Don Prudhome vs Tom McEwen, or Don Garlits vs Shirley Muldowney, there was always a rivalry going on in drag racing. With these rivalries the promoters would promote the rivalries and the fans would get in on it and take sides during the racing making an exciting show.
The other thing was better was the racing and staging its self during the event. The Cars would do long burnouts that would throw smoke into the crowd and you could here the burnout and I can even feel it through my speakers on my computer! Also the drivers would put the cars in to a staging to duel and keep doing dry hops till one of them stage and dry hops are exciting since you get to here the revving of the engine and see the car shoot forward all before they stage and they go down the ¼ mile!
Over all I think all of this makes the old drag racing seem more exciting. Maybe in the sportsmen world today the NMCA, or the ADRL should put rules requiring dry hops and people should start creating rivalries in the NMCAs Pro Street class or the ADRLs Extreme classes. I have a feeling Hot Wheels wouldn’t have any hard time marketing the rivalry with their cars.