Old drag strip home movies are good for the soul, we’re convinced of that. This nearly 12-minute clip that was originally made by Carl and Char Hirst back in the late 1960s at Mid America Raceways in Missouri and Lee County Dragway in Iowa rules. You’ll see some great gasser action, tons of stockers and modified muscle cars, dragsters, a couple of funny cars, and dragsters, too. It seems like the guys were at the track with the driver of a little red Ford Falcon that we see cut into the tape several times making runs. While that car is cool, a screaming yellow gasser that makes repeated dry hops and wheelstanding launches steals the show. Not only that but after one run we get to see the huge and ancient ramp truck that tows it around follow it down the track. If this isn’t raw vintage drag racing perfection, tell us what is.

Mid America Raceways was destroyed in 2005, probably sold to a real estate developer or some other entity that cared not for the history of the place. It was both a road course and drag strip. The road course was closed for many years while the drag strip carried on. We’re pretty sure the strip was part of the road course because in this video you can see a bridge with an MG logo on it and the slogan “Safety First”. MG didn’t sponsor many drag strips because the average man on a correctly geared 21-speed can out accelerate an MG. It would make sense to see their signage on a road course, though and that’s why we’re making the assumption that the strip was part of the road course. Lee County Dragway is also currently closed by a movement is underway to buy the land and open the place back up. We wish them the best of luck on that as we very much enjoy seeing strips come back from the dead!

PRESS PLAY BELOW FOR 12 MINUTES OF DRAG ZEN FROM THE LATE 1960S – GASSERS, STOCKERS, MODIFIED AND MORE!