Last year the NHRA Wally Parks Motorsports Museum put on a panel discussion and event that marked the 39th year since the closing of famed Lions Dragstrip near Long Beach California. With 2012 being the 40th Anniversary, and with such a huge response the last time, it was no surprise that the Museum would step up and make this year’s event even larger. With so many stories to be told, the museum staff ended up putting together two panels of famed racers and Lions staff highlighted by Gene Adams, TV Tommy Ivo, Tom “The Mongoose” McEwen, Big Jim Dunn, and Don “The Snake” Prudhomme. It was an awesome event, and we are in love with Rick Voegelin’s slot car track. To say it’s ultra bitchin would be the understatement of the century. Check out all the photos, you are going to love them. We also grabbed a few of our favorites from the NHRA Wally Parks Motorsports Museum for you to get a taste of what you are missing by not coming to visit.
Even 2012 NHRA Funny Car Champion "Fast" Jack Beckman was there.
I love the black & white picture of the Fiat Topolino Altered blowing up on the starting line. There is another picture of this same incident taken a split second later showing the crank and rods on the ground with the oil pan under the back tire. The drivers hand is off the wheel and he’s looking down like “WTF” !!!!! Classic . . . .
I keep watching these photos because eventually I hope to see my dad’s car. I’ve seen tons of pictures of the guy he ran with (including a recent picture of the car on here); but his was, how shall we say, a hooptie? and at that time, hooptie wasn’t cool…
I was there the weekend that Lions closed and because there were large quantities of beer consumed I don’t remember much other than Linda Vaughn got married to Billy Tidwell that weekend. I mentioned that to her at SEMA and she quickly changed the subject . We still love her , She is still our girl . We drove down from Vancouver , B.C. just to be there. When the event ended , the spectators dismantled the place . I knew I should have kept that chunk of the starting line that they dug up . I can’t tell you who won or who raced , remember the beer !