Have you seen that beer commercial on TV where several people (actors) are having an argument in a bar and John Wayne walks in, and in 60 seconds, everything is settled? Somehow, the film makers have superimposed an old John Wayne movie clip over the new scene and the Duke’s dialog fits so perfectly that you’d swear he was there when they filmed the commercial.

This got me to thinking. What if we took some drag racers from the past and with the same “magic” as described above, we superimposed the old cars with some of our new Fun Ford Weekend cars. This is what it might look like.

Let your mind go back to Labor Day weekend, 1964, at Island Dragway in Great Meadows, NJ. Pulling up to the line, with the unmistakable crackle of a nitro burning, supercharged Chrysler 392 Hemi , is none other than Don Garlits in the Wynn’s Jammer Top Fuel dragster. Pulling up in the other lane is Les Baer’s Pro 5.0 Mustang. The light turns green (or was it a flagman) and both cars leap forward.

The crowd is hushed, waiting for the results. Then the PA announce addresses the spectators with incredible news. Don Garlits has just broken the 200 MPH barrier with a run of 200.44 MPH. Unfortunately for Big Daddy, his 7.75 et was not quite enough to hold off Les Baer’s 7.69. Huh?

That’s correct. In the 35 years since “Big” banged out the first official 200 MPH run, we now have Pro 5.0 and Super Street cars running quicker et’s.

OK, now let’s keep going. Picture this. It’s still 1964 (November) and Street Renegade has been called to the lanes for the first round. The first car up to the line is the Worlds Fastest late model door slammer ever seen (remember, it’s 1964). That’s right, Jack Chrisman’s unbelievable Comet Cyclone with a GMC 6-71 supercharged, nitro burning 427” Ford is firing up. In the opposite lane is Bob Kurgan with his fully muffled, 3400 lbs. Street Renegade Mustang. The light turns green and the nitro burning Comet is breathing fire (literally). But Chrisman’s 10.13 @ 154.10 is not enough to hold off Kurgan’s 9.80 et.


Should we keep going? It’s 1967. Dyno Don Nicholson’s all tube frame, fiberglass bodied Comet (Eliminator II) is scheduled to match race Billy Glidden’s Mustang. The crowds in the pits are three deep around Dyno Don’s car and since the entire “lift-off” body has been removed for maintenance, the fans can get a close up look at the giant, SOHC supercharged, fuel burning Ford engine. After all, this is the first really serious professionally built “Funny Car”. A great day to be alive, but for Dyno Don, his best run of 8.20 at 175.10 just wasn’t quite enough. Heck, an 8.20 won’t get you through too many rounds in Pro 5.0 or Super Street today.

Once more, we travel back to the early days of drag racing. This time, it’s the 1963 NHRA Winternationals. Super Stock is all the rage. The Chevy 409’s, the Pontiac 421’s, Plymouth and Dodge 426 Max Wedges (the 426 Hemi is not out yet) and finally, a few 427 Ford Galaxies (425 HP, dual quads, light weight hood, doors, trunk lid, seats and bumpers) are all ready to do battle. Into this mix we will include a couple of our Trophy Stock Mustangs. As everyone knows, the Trophy Stock class is made up of almost completely stock OEM 5.0 Mustangs. But since the Super Stocks are “only” running in the low 12’s, our Trophy Stock Mustangs will do quite nicely and win more than their fair share of races.

Finally, here is a “quick 16” field that any Pro 5.0 or Super Street event could be proud of. Number 1 qualifier is 7.62. The rest of the field is 7.73, 7.79, 7.84, 7.98, 8.01, 8.02, 8.06, 8.11, 8.24, 8.26, 8.30, 8.52, 8.54, 9.04 and 9.05. Hell of a field but actually, this is the qualifying for the Coca Cola Fuel Altered Nationals held in Tucson, AZ on Labor Day, 1973. A good running Pro 5.0 Mustang would have fit right in with those T-buckets and Fiat coupes with their fuel burning blown Chryslers.

So, what does all this prove? Well, I guess it shows just how far drag racing technology has come in the last 35 years, or so. Who, in their right mind in 1964 would have ever imagined that a small block Ford powered gasoline burning Mustang would run quicker than Big Daddy’s Top Fuel Dragster? Who would have thought in 1963 that Fords quickest 427” Super Stock Galaxie would be barely competitive against a mostly stock 302 Mustang?

Since the drag racers themselves haven’t changed much in 35 years (other than aging, of course) the drastic improvement must be do to something else. Tires, obviously are responsible for the biggest improvement in elapsed times. Early drag slicks were kind of, well, “slick”. Smoking the tires all the way down the track was normal, especially in the Top Fuel ranks.

And then, the internal (and external) components of our engines have improved significantly. Big Daddy’s fuel burning, supercharged 392 Chrysler Hemi was probably making about 1100 HP at best in the early ‘60’s. Today, a Ford Pro 5.0 or Super Street engine is putting out about 1300+ horsepower, ON GASOLINE.

As an “old timer” we thought that we new everything back then, and when we found out that we didn’t, we just “tilted the can” a little more (add 10, bump 10, lean 10; secret code for us old timers).

But many of today’s racers actually DO know everything. And they don’t mind telling you about it on the internet message boards. Just ask them.