'71 Supernationals At OMS
 

I was curious if anyone here ever attended and/or participated at the Supernationals (World Finals) when it was contested at Ontario Motor Speedway? Although I never attended, and was too young to remember specifics back in '71, it brought back a couple of unusual scenes from what I recall during TV covereage of the event -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9g0BsgTRXiw

At 3:36 into the video I noticed the slight track bend between the track burnout box and the starting line. I assume this was due to limited length because of the event being run on pit road.

At 4:52 into the video there are Pro Stockers doing burnouts before turning onto the track.

How long was this method used?

Re: '71 Supernationals At OMS
 

I ran there in '77 or '78? Think it was the last year the finals were held there. Shame to loose a nice facility like that. Don't remember the water box not being in line with the track (I'm old) it may have been. Seems like you did turn left coming out of the staging lanes. I remember the world finals at Tulsa, Lewisville/Dallas, Amarillo, then Ontario. That was back when you had to qualify to enter the workd finals. Not just anybody got to enter. They have dumbed that down like everything else.

Re: '71 Supernationals At OMS
 

I was there with Jim Selby's div. 6 modifield V.W. We spent all our spare time up in the bar above the main grand stand. Great place to see the race.

Re: '71 Supernationals At OMS
 

We were there in 1979 and 1980.
In 79 it was a one lane race track. Very few wins in the right lane. track was peeling up bad. We had a bye in the semis and I thought our car was wide enough to straddle the peeling bald spots. So I painstakingly lined Ray (Tex) up. He left went about 50 feet and then idled down the track. We both knew what we needed to know. In the final we ran Jeff Powers with a Cobra Jet Mustang D/SA . We flipped for lanes we won the toss and To Jeff Powers' astonishment picked the right lane. I could read Jeff's mind it was saying these guys just gave me the world championship. He got the spot. about 2 tenths (I think) Tex went by him in first gear. We became world champs

Ray allen's famous ss/ea in 1970@ontario nhra world finals
 

The "Killer Car" as it was called is shown on the line in 1970 at the first annual "Supernationals" at the Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario Calif. This was the first time NHRA drag racing was televised live on "ABC Wide World of Sports." Ray Allen killed the competition here as well with a Super Stock victory at this last race of the 1970 season. Allen also lowered his own 11.55 ET record to 11.33 ET on the final winning pass.http://community-2.webtv.net/musclec...s/mailedD0.jpg

Re: '71 Supernationals At OMS
 

Art,

I wonder how many Olympia cans were left on Power's trailer before the final LOL!!! My mom used to get mad at me for hangin' around Jeff because he was "a bad influence, and drinks too much beer". Couldn't have been that bad, cause I'm still here :D.

Seriously does anyone remember when the burnouts stopped prior to the left turn?

Re: '71 Supernationals At OMS
 

I ran there in 70 and 80, there was nothing unusual about going from the water box to the line.

Re: '71 Supernationals At OMS
 

Here's another video, this time Dick Landy doing the same thing. It's around 4:05 into the clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlloUbyaKzg

It looks as though there's a burnout box in front of the lanes.

Re: '71 Supernationals At OMS
 

I ran Stock there in 1971 SuperNationals . The staging lanes came in at a angle to the left. Once you were in the water box, you went straight to the line.

Re: '71 Supernationals At OMS
 

Thanks for posting that video. How refreshing, to watch a young Dick Landy stabbing the clutch while power-shifting that 4-speed... and actually DRIVING the car instead of the "stab it and steer it" clutchless shifting that goes on, nowdays.

A qualified field of THIRTY-TWO Pro Stockers... wow.... I don't even remember that! What a show!!!

There was a purity, a wholesomeness, and an an innocence about racing then, that we have somehow lost, along the way. Is it just me, or do you think that's true?

It just seems different, thirty-eight years later, to me. And, what a shame, to lose that facility...

They hide lead in there cars back in the day???
 

Ray Allen hooks the M&H slicks and pulls the front wheels skyward @ Ontario Motor Speedway during the 1970 NHRA World Finals on the Briggs Chevrolet sponsored LS6 convertible. This car amazed everyone with the way it left the starting line. The suspension was dialed in by the guys from Truppi-Kling Competition and worked well. Rumor has it, there was some hidden lead in the rear of this car to help with the launch. It used 6 cyl front coil springs from a '65 Chevelle wagon for quick weight transfer.

Re: '71 Supernationals At OMS
 

Paul forgot to mention that he won stock at the 1971 Supernationals.

Re: '71 Supernationals At OMS
 

I raced there in 1970 and qualified 13th but red lighted in the first round. I raced Super Stock from 1970 - 1974 at most of the NHRA nationals and points meets in division 2 and Super Stockers never did water burn outs. I would lock the line lock spin the tires release the line lock than slam the brakes on and do it again as many time as I could before the starting line. No wonder my headers were smashed and I cracked the shock tower. I don't remember very much about the track other than it was a long ride back to Fl. with my dad trying to explain why I redlighted against Jim Hale.

Re: '71 Supernationals At OMS
 

Rusty, did you only run at OMS or did you try any of the other SoCal track during your visit (i.e. Irwindale, Lions, etc.)? I remember a host of CJ cars at Lions on a few occasions, but was too young to know who was from where. Really ironic you run OMS and some 37 years later I get to run with you, this time in your native "backyard". Very cool!!!

Re: '71 Supernationals At OMS
 

Gary,

In 1972 I made one run at Orange County during a Funny Car meet between the Winternationals and a race in Las Vegas. The record for SS/GA at the time was 11.43 and I won class at Pomona and during time trials ran 11.28 twice once on the brakes. At Orange County I went 11.18. I also went to the March meet in Bakersfield. I went to Irwindale one night before the Winternationals but didn't run the car.
In 1973 I had both my 1968 SS/FA and SS/GA at Pomona but was having problems. I did run the 1968 at Irwindale once before the Winternationals. I found out later that year I had a problem with my transmissions and not the engines.

Rusty

Re: '71 Supernationals At OMS
 

I attended the 1974,75 and 79 events at Ontario. some of the highlights I recall were: in 74 being overwhelmed by the sheer size of the place, walking under the track as a pair of Top Fuel cars ran overhead, watching the Accel plywood finishline sign getting destroyed by the end of Sat. by flying debris, an engine exploding T/F car coasting all the way around the oval and stopping in the back of the staging lanes, Shirl Greer's F/C fire and all the Pro Stocks having the garages in the infield, and me and my buddies sleeping in the parking lot across the street.In 75, it was all about Garlits vs Beck and the battle of the 5.60 cars, Big' ran the 5.63 at 250.69 that stood for about 7or 8 years, watching Snake go the first 5 a .98 in the Army Monza, buying Superstock/Drag Illustrated for 3 years for 11 bucks from Phil Rubin, watching DeFrank and Cohen Hemi Cuda chase everybody down, sleeping in the parking lot again, but this time with my girlfriend( yes, shes now my wife of 32 years). In 79, seeing Rob Bruins lose to Garlits in T/F but becoming the only T/F world champion to never win an event,but doing it only on points, watching Allen Patterson's and Garley Daniel's Chevy IIs doing their thing, seeing Hutchens in the all conquering Opel G/T and finally sleeping in a nice hotel as my wife and I and another couple flew for the first time instead of driving. For the 10 years Ontario Motor Speedway was here it was the state of the art facility that you just had to experience. The lounge was deffinately THE place to hang out, especially when the sun came around in the afternoon and it started heating up. What a shame its not around anymore.
Danny Durham

Re: '71 Supernationals At OMS
 

I vaguely remember cars driving onto a oval turn at the end of the track. Not sure where that was, but can anybody help out or does anyone have any video or pics of this? I had a large painting of Shirl Greer's F/C on my BR wall in the mid 70's, that a friend of my dad's painted. I had no idea who that was at the time, but thought the painting was cool being a 6 year old.