From super stock to Turbonique, these 1960s 8mm movies from Byron Dragway are nothing short of astounding. They are running super stockers at least three wide in some of these clips, they are running female LeMans style start races in some clips, they are running the earliest jet funny cars built in others, and the capper for me was being able to actually watch the Turbonique rocket drag axle equipped Pegasus Mustang make a rip with fire spewing from its end as well.
Byron Dragway has been around more than 50 years. We’re guessing that this film was made about 1967 because of the fact that Walt Arfons’ steel bodied jet funny cars are shown as part of the show. Outside of the hugely obvious stuff there’s a great look into what a weekly program looked at a track like Byron a half century ago. Altereds, door slammers, gassers, motorcycles, street cars, and more are run down the strip.
One of the most interesting features of Byron Dragway is missing from this photo in the form of the nuclear power plant cooling tower which dominates the current skyline at the drag strip and has for a least a couple of decades. There’s a quick peek into the timing tower, there’s footage from the pits, and there’s just an awesome vibe about the whole thing. How about the cars being dragged in with station wagons, which was the norm back then. The guy with the pickup packing the camper in the bed is about as baller as it got a half-century ago.
No, there’s no engine sound as theses were 8mm films that have been chopped together but that did not wreck it for s, we hope you enjoy it as well!
Press play below to check out this killer footage from Byron Dragway in the later 1960s –
Great video. I am going to say 1965, no 66 cars there.
The LeMans start is wild, Fontana like that
Ooops , yes a 66 but no 67’s so 1966…. unless I freeze frame it again
The Riviera was a \’66 or \’67
The Riviera was a ’66 or ’67