Okay, old drag racers. Look what I found

I grew up out in Big Spring, Texas, 186 miles west of Abilene on I-20. I knew that I went to some drag races out there in the 50's with my dad but never realized until now that at one time they actually had a Timing Association and became pretty prominent. I knew Ted Grobel who is spoken of in this article and rode with him to a road race out in Pyote, Texas.

I will let the article speak for itself. Maybe this is where I began my love affair with the car. I knew a bunch of the guys in the Aces and the Tappet Tickers car clubs but I was too young to join them.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://bp3.blogger.com/_5apJj1h72Ls/SAVi9-dVJXI/AAAAAAAAAoI/AyWeM3agcTQ/s400/Timing%2BUnit%2B2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://hechointexas.blogspot.com/2008/04/big-spring-texas-1950s-drag-racing.html&h=283&w=400&sz=25&hl=en&start=3&tbnid=dWlW3Jua3chk5M:&tbnh=88&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3DBig%2BSpring%2BTiming%2BAssociation%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG

 

It may not mean anything to anyone else but I found it very interesting that a group of hot rodders in a small west Texas town started one of the first timing associations in the US. Read the story and see how they got the whole town involved. I was only about 10 at the time and remember going to some of the races at the closed down airstrip north of town.

Like I said, I knew a good number of the guys in the two car clubs and kind of idolized them and their souped up cars of the time. I rode to a road race at Pyote, Texas with Ted (Teddy) Grobel. It was where I got to see A.J. Foyt race for the first time. I was about 17 when that happened. We rode 185 miles west of Big Spring to the old airfield at Pyote in a Barracuda that Teddy had modified for road racing so I kept hitting my head on the rollbar every time we hit a dip or a bump.

I am really amazed to find this out about my hometown. I thought I knew most of the useless triviality about Big Spring and now I find this.

 

Jim Hall and the Chaparrals out of Midland.
Fuzzy Carter and Gary Prater of Big Spring were the crew chief and lower engine man on Eddie Hills top fueler when he won the National Championship.
Former National record holder Alvin Moore in B/FD was from Big Spring.
Big Spring Timing Association was the first portable timing equipment that traveled from track to track to allow former airstrips to become drag strips. Timed the US Nationals in Oklahoma City before Nationals moved to INdy.
Autrey Moore won the Oakland Roadster Show in the 60's with a '23 Ford T-Bucket.
John Huckabee, a well-known, at the time, Ford race car builder was operating out of Big Spring.
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This a photo of the old Hamilton Airfield that closed in the 60's. This is where I witnessed my first drag race with the Big Spring Timing Association. It was used for a few years before the land was sold and it became a mobile home park.

the second is of the Howard County Airport that has been used for many years for race team testing and the SCCA Spring Sprints. It closed in the early 80's and the Big Spring air traffic was moved to the old Webb AFB facility there. I watched Bobby Rahal testing there many years ago and the XJ220 Jags were brought there before going to Fort Stockton, Texas for their high speed tests at the test track there.
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http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/88/Peyoteafb-1-12-96.jpg/180px-Peyoteafb-1-12-96.jpg&imgrefurl=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyote_Air_Force_Base&h=183&w=180&sz=18&hl=en&start=40&tbnid=K1xV2eaFN0muSM:&tbnh=102&tbnw=100&prev=/images%3Fq%3DPyote,%2BTexas%2Bairfield%26start%3D20%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D20%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-USfficial%26sa%3DN

And here are some photos of the old Pyote, Texas airfield where I first saw A.J. Foyt drive. It was where I set the record for my class at the drag strip that had been established there. A year later the strip closed without my record being beaten so I guess I have held that record for over 40 years........yeah baby......This is also where I saw some of the first altered wheelbase funny cars being driven including Tommy McNeelys 427 Falcon, Dick Landys Dodge, Ronald Swans Falcon and the original Little Red Wagon. It was a 100% concrete track and very wide as it was originally used for B24 and B29 Bombers. The Enola Gay was originally stored there after WW2. It is now the West Texas State School (prison).

These photos of the cars were not taken at Pyote. You can see they are on asphalt. I was racing and did not have my camera to record the cars then. I sure wish I had......

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://ashcom.homestead.com/Chaparral_track.jpg&imgrefurl=http://ashcom.homestead.com/ChaparralTribute.html&h=438&w=600&sz=246&hl=en&start=9&tbnid=pJHdij8K8VW2RM:&tbnh=99&tbnw=135&prev=/images%3Fq%3DRattlesnake%2Braceway%2BJim%2BHall%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-USfficial%26sa%3DG

And this is a site for all the information on Jim Hall and the Chaparrals. There is an aerial photo of Rattlesnake Raceway in Midland, his private test track......
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Out in Midland was the Indy engine building company of Franz Weitz. The engines built there were used by Jim Hall's Pennzoil Indy team, A.J. Foyts Indy cars, Al Unser and others. This was when Chevrolet branded what seemed to be almost unbeatable engines in the 90's.

http://images.google.com/images?gbv=2&hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-USfficial&q=VDS+racing+engines&start=20&sa=N&ndsp=20

VDS is now located much further north. Back then it was located one mile from the Midland/Odessa International Airport. Many big name racers and race team owners made the flight into west Texas for their "tailor made engines".

Click on the image of JIm Halls Indy car for a good view of the engine.

 

I believe it is still being driven in exhibition. The last I heard was in 2006. Bob Riggles took over driving after Bill Shrewsberry.

Here are some more photos of various wheelstanders.
Enjoy....
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