Few people if any on Earth have had the life in drag racing of Dave Wallace. He literally grew up at the strip working jobs from tearing tickets to announcing. He rose to become one of the greatest journalists in drag racing and in the hot rodding world. A Vietnam veteran, a pain in the ass to the powers that be, and someone who never compromised himself to the influence of others, he’s in the drag racing hall of fame for a reason.
In this 30-minute interview with Cole Coonce, shot by our pal Les Mayhew, Wallace touches on a myriad of topics ranging from his own life to the famed Surfers top fuel team of the 1960s, to how races were operated at places like San Fernando, and the list goes on.
The neatest thing about Dave Wallace is that he is, for anyone who knows anything about this stuff, a titan but when you are near him, with him, or around him, he’s the coolest, warmest guy you have ever met. He had many scrubs with the powers that be in drag racing over the years and perhaps that’s why we respect and love the guy as much as we do. In an era when there were so many tight controls on who said what and where they said it, Wallace bulldozed barriers on reporting. He told the gritty and honest stories of the sport, not the fairy tales some would rather have had you believe the world of drag racing was at that time.
When he speaks, we listen. When he tells stories about life, racing, and history, we are enthralled and we bet you guys will be as well. Press play and simply listen. This rules.
I have had the the extreme pleasure to meet Dave through a mutual friend not too long ago. I have to say he is one of the most humble and down to earth people l have ever met. I have been a “hot rodder” and been around drag racing my whole life and thought l have a pretty in depth knowledge of both… this guy takes it to the next level!! His knowledge knows no bounds, he has litterally been there and done that to the 10th degree!!! There is a reason why he has the accolades he has received and should have more in my opinion. Thanks Dave for your countless hours of archive work so we can enjoy and gain knowledge with every new issue of Hot Rod Deluxe that comes out!!