Watch The Opening Four Minutes Of The 1965 Winternationals As Shown On Wide World Of Sports


Watch The Opening Four Minutes Of The 1965 Winternationals As Shown On Wide World Of Sports

If this isn’t the single coolest gem I have ever extracted from the mines of YouTube than it has to be damned close to the coolest. This is the actual footage from the 1965 ABC Wide World of Sports broadcast that featured coverage from the NHRA WinterNats in Pomona, California. You’ll see several pair of top gas dragsters run off, and interview about drag racing safety equipment with driver Bob Keith, and four minutes of period perfection in the form of awesome dragsters, a very “homey” feeling drag strip, and the thumping sounds of angry motors on gasoline.

Drivers of note that you’ll watch include “Sneaky” Pete Robinson, George Bolthoff, Jimmy Nix, Ron Colson, and more. The Chrondek signs under the win lights at the top end of the track (remember those are not score boards, they simply lit up to indicate who go down the track first), the traditional banner that was strung across the track, and even a cameo appearance by legendary NHRA “Canadian Indian” Bob Beezer. Beezer was at the NHRA New England Hot Rod Reunion a couple of years ago and was a fixture at NHRA races all through the 1960s where he would perform his “rain dance”.

I’m not going to do anything more but direct you to press play below for four minutes of total and complete drag racing zen from the 1965 NHRA Winternationals. This was what drag racing looked like 52 years ago at the same race that is happening this very weekend on the same track.

PRESS PLAY TO WATCH THE WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS COVERAGE (4 MINUTES OF IT) AT THE 1965 NHRA WINTERNATIONALS!


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