Ford formed their Drag Team in 1963 and in doing so stated their intentions to win the hearst and minds of hot rodders and horsepower obsessed kids on drag strips across America. Chrysler and GM soon followed with their own big factory efforts and the three locked into a struggle that blazed great guns for decades afterward. The Ford Drag Team will be honored this year at the Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion as the Justice Brothers Reunion Spotlight.
Members of the team like Gas Rhonda and Dick Brannan will be on hand at the race to sign autographs and hang out with their fans. Many awesome surviving cars will be part of the display as well, including Bob Tasca’s Thunderbolt, Hubert Platt’s Georgia Shaker and Gas Rhonda’s 1965 Mustang.
BangShift.com will be providing live streaming video of the entire 2010 Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion from start to finish, June 18-20.
Here’s the full Ford Drag Team announcement from the NHRA Museum:
BOWLING GREEN, KY. – The 8th annual Justice Brothers Car Care Products Reunion Spotlight will shine on the Ford Drag Team for their contribution to drag racing history. The Ford Drag Team came to fruition in 1963 and launched the beginning of a quarter-mile partnership that would test the limits of speed and claim many NHRA championships, records and wins. Today, Ford is the official car and truck of NHRA.
“The Ford Drag Team took the drag racing world by storm and produced some of the best known drag racing cars and drivers in the history of our sport,” said Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum Curator Greg Sharp. “These guys were innovators in the sport and what they did paved the way for the Pro Stocks and Funny Cars of today. It’s going to be exciting to honor this incredible team.”
The original Ford Drag Team members were Clester Andrews, Dick Brannan (captain), Phil Bonner, Bill Humphery, Bill Ireland, Ed Martin, Les Ritchey, Len Richter, Gas Ronda, Bob Tasca, Mickey Thompson, and Butch Leal. Some of the original members such as Brannan, Ronda, and Randy Ritchey son of the late Les Ritchey will be signing autographs and meeting fans at the Justice Brothers display in the vendor oval at Beech Bend Raceway Park. Don’t miss this opportunity to see some of the Ford Drag Team cars and meet some of the drivers. The Justice Brothers Spotlight award will be presented to the Ford Drag Team during the free Reunion Honoree Reception on Friday, June 18, 7 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Convention Center, host hotel for the event.
Ford Drag Team cars on display at the Reunion:
- Hubert Platt’s 1969 Ford Drag Team Mustang Cobra Jet
- Hubert Platt’s “Georgia Shaker” 1965 Falcon (pictured)
- Dick Brannan’s 1964 Ford Thunderbolt #690
- Dick Brannan’s 1962 Super Stock Ford Galaxie #717 “Fastest Ford in America”
- Larry Davis’ 1964 Ford Lightweight Galaxie
- Gas Ronda’s 1965 Ford Mustang
- Bob Tasca’s Ford Thunderbolt and many more.
For the eighth year in a row, Justice Brothers will sponsor the “Reunion Spotlight” at the annual Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion slated for June 18-20 at Beech Bend Raceway Park. “The Ford Drag Team is extremely deserving of this honor because of the lasting impression they brought to the strip and left an undying tribute to drag racing and car building,” said Justice Brothers President & CEO Ed Justice Jr.
In addition to the sponsorship at the Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion, Justice Brothers sponsors the Reunion Spotlight at the NHRA California Hot Rod Reunion. This year will be Justice Brothers, Inc. thirteenth year in a row that they have sponsored the Reunion Spotlight in Bakersfield, California.
Along with being a manufacturer and worldwide distributor of over 100 car care products Justice Brothers, Inc. is known for their one of a kind racing museum. For more information on Justice Brothers, visit http://justicebrothers.com.
Three-day Reunion Spectator credentials ($55 each) are available by calling 800/884-NHRA or can be purchased online at http://store.nhra.com. To purchase tickets outside the U.S., call (626) 250-2497. One-day adult tickets will be available at the gate. Children 16 and under are admitted free when accompanied by paid adult. For more information on the Reunion, visit http://museum.nhra.com.
