Next weekend we’ll be at the NHRA World Finals in Pomona, California. The race has been held at different locations over the years and back when this video was made in 1967 Tulsa, Oklahoma was home. In an effort to make the track better for the racers, the NHRA or the track operator had “scraped” the track. We’re not talking about scraping like we see on modern tracks but rather they actually heated the asphalt with torches and skimmed the top layer of it off! This was done to make the surface better but as you will see in this video, it turned the place int kind of a nightmare with loose stones and lots of tire spin (more than usual).
Don Garlits and Brock Yates announce the race and this has to have been about the time the two guys struck up a friendship that would span most of their lives. The announcing is pretty funny because they are just standing trackside and yelling into the microphone, relaying exactly what they are seeing.
Perhaps one of the most interesting parts of the whole deal is the interview between Garlits and Grumpy Jenkins. While the two guys are a central part, it is what Grumpy says about how he will tune his car for the crummy track conditions that we really liked.
Things have changed a ton in 49 years at the NHRA finals. We wish we could revisit this one in a time machine today!
