First, the NHRA banned the use of nitromethane in its dragster classes. Next, they banned the use of aircraft powerplants in competition cars. And then, when the Funny Car exploded on the scene as drag racing’s newest and most popular class, the NHRA banned them, too. While all of this was happening as the 1950s played out, racers had nonetheless found themselves a newer, more welcoming place to participate in the evolving sport. First founded in the 1950s by a drag enthusiast from Philadelphia, the American Hot Rod Association embraced these NHRA castoffs with open arms, later led by the intrepid Jim Tice Sr., and in doing so created an entirely new drag racing experience rooted in traditional fuel and fury.
Tice took the reins from founding lead racer Don Garlits, who contributes the foreword to the long-overdue story of the AHRA, entitled Drag Racing’s Rebels, published by CarTech, and authored by the highly respected drag historian Doug Boyce. The organization’s relentless racer-focused rule- and schedule-making allowed it to swell to 10 national events by 1970, which made it a legitimate competitor to the NHRA, a reality that lasted until Tice’s untimely death. This excellent volume runs to 192 pages and retails for $34.95.
Jim Donnelly On Wheels 