Irwindale Dragstrip!
 

Seems that the Irwindale website indicates that the drag strip portion of the property is observing its 20 th year. Great going! If you look at So Cal drag race history, very few tracks lasted longer than about 12-15 years before they got shoved out. Hope we're there another 20!

Re: Irwindale Dragstrip!
 

I'm not a big fan of the 1/8 mile strip but you take what you can get.
I miss the old Irwindale drag strip made my first pass down that track in 1974.

Re: Irwindale Dragstrip!
 

I like that little track, I hope I get to run there again some time.

Re: Irwindale Dragstrip!
 

It would be a nice place for a National Open, especially if Fontana and Sonoma don't come back on the LDRS schedule.

Re: Irwindale Dragstrip!
 

I ran at the old San Gabriel till the night it closed. That was when In-N-Out was a sponsor and had their trailer there selling hamburgers. If I remember right the current location is the third one. As long as it attracts a crowd and makes a little money it will be around. It's built on a landfill of old tires so the ground isn't much good for any kind of development.

Re: Irwindale Dragstrip!
 

That won't happen with NHRA fees. Just like Famoso in Bakersfield they get by very well without NHRA.

Re: Irwindale Dragstrip!
 

I was at OCIR for "the last drag race" we ran way into the night. A fun but also sad ending to a great tack.

Re: Irwindale Dragstrip!
 

Do you remember all the the photos in the magazines of the Funny Car shows at Irwindale and OCIR?
My favorites were Fred Goeske's Road Runner and Mike Mitchell's Vette!

Re: Irwindale Dragstrip!
 

I wish that Rick Vogelin of Car Craft Magazine would post on this forum.

Re: Irwindale Dragstrip!
 

Another Irwindale story - I’m sitting at the front of the staging lanes on a grudge night, I think it was Wednesday night and they hold me and motion for someone to come up in the empty lane next to me. I’m looking over to see if they’re pulling up a car for me to race and I see the Army funny car of Don Prudhomme. They proceeded to fire up the car right next to my mustang with me sitting in it waiting for my turn. I’m watching header flames right next to me and I realize MY PAINT! I was worried it was going to get scorched or damaged and I couldn’t move my car. They pulled him out and sent him on a test pass and then I got to follow. Back in the pits I was relieved to see no damage to my paint.
Quite a different prospective being in your car right next to a running funny car.