Looking forward to 09!
Update from the Drag Racing Artist!
It’s hard to believe it has over a year since I updated the site, or wrote about currant news. It appeared that every time I started to write an update, I would get news of another friend in the sport passing away.
We lost a lot of great drag racers in 08, including some friends of mine…My mentor’s best friend Leroy Chadderton, one of my first design clients, Al Hofmann, and then that horrible crash of Scott Kalitta…We also lost several other great names, but these 3 were very personal to me…
It’s scary to think about how many people I’ve known that have passed away, since I stared my design business in Dec.88... I don’t even want to think about how many eulogies I’ve already written in my life for family and friends…
Also, with all the unrest in the country during the Presidential campaign, it was hard, and seemingly meaningless to write about Drag Racing art, in the grand scheme of things, who really cares?
Well, in the grand scheme of things, it’s always prudent to pay attention to history, even if this history may only be Drag Racing…I think now more than ever, it’s good to remember just how creative we humans can be…Remember in the early 60s, when Scientist’s claimed that an internal combustion engine could not, and would not, surpass a 165mph in a ¼ mile? I remember a certain black car from Florida that broke the 200mph barrier; at about the time the Scientist’s were making their claims. (Guess they never read Drag News)
Drag Racing has a rich and vast history, replete with tales of creativity, knowledge, and technological breakthroughs. I’m still surprised, that to this day, I remain enamored with the art and creativity that went into every car in the sport of Drag Racing. If necessity is the mother of invention, then the need to go faster and quicker created a world of incredible race cars that have lived on in the memories of males of all generations.
When I do my Art Shows, I am always surprised at the emotional reactions I get from men in their 50s and 60s…I’ve seen men looking through my prints, all of a sudden they run across “the One”; the one that brings flooding back a lifetime of memories. I’ve seen them smile, and then actually struggle to hold back the tears as they dig in their pockets for some cash. At this point they could care less how much it cost, they only care that it captured and brought back those great memories…
I know what those memories are too! They are memories of the “WOW!” factor, the moment when time stood still, when jaws dropped, when eyes glared with astonishment. It was the moment of seeing for the first time, a Top Fuel car fire up, or that first Funny Car burnout, and especially that (“LOUDEST THING IN THE WORLD) first pass!
The legacy of this sport will be those “Awe” inspiring moments. When as a spectator, we stood at the edge of the world with crossed fingers, hoping and praying the driver would make it all the way down the track without exploding and killing us all! At least that’s how it was in the eyes of this 10-year-old kid.
I think it’s safe to say, that any red blooded American male who witnessed the formative years of drag racing in the 50s, 60s and early 70s, has been a diehard fan ever since. There was nothing quite like witnessing early drag racing. To us on the other side of the guardrail, the drivers seemed like earthbound astronauts, as they donned their silvery space age firesuits, in hopes of setting a new track record and staying alive in the process…Every pass was on the cutting edge of technology and safety, and every pass was an attempt to break some previous barrier, whether personal or sanctioned.
But to me, the greatest thing about Drag Racing is the beauty of the cars themselves. There was no reason to make these screaming monsters attractive, after all they were just racecars. They caught fire, they exploded, and they crashed, and rolled, and occasionally flew. There was no reason to have polished headers, and chromed parts, no reason to have candy-apple or metalflake paint jobs, and yet, they had just that and much more!
There is a not so obvious reason these cars were made to look beautiful. It would be obvious to you, had you handcrafted the car yourself, or had driven it at unimaginable speeds on the edge of disaster. It would be obvious, had you spent hundreds if not thousands our hours, and dollars, to create these “Time Machines.” It was obvious to us early fans, as we clamored to the fences cameras in hand to witness this new spectacle. The obvious reason was PRIDE!
Pride in craftsmanship, ingenuity, style, creativity, and raw horsepower. Once again, there was no reason to make these cars works of art, but that’s what happened. It wasn’t at all unusual to attend a “Custom Car” show, and see a whole plethora of gorgeous Drag Cars, these were racecars that looked good enough to show, and occasionally win a trophy in the process.
It is from this point of view that I’m developing my book on the sport, an illustrated history dedicated to the “Art” of Drag Racing…or, should I say the Artistic aspects of Drag Racing…
So with that in mind, here is a list of my latest news and artworks developed over 2008…
The best thing that happened in 08, is our new ability to produce larger panorama prints, 13 x 38…this will allow me to do some great images that I haven’t been able to do before…
1.FAST GAS! …Gas Ronda’s 69 Mach 1 on an early checkout pass at Irwindale. 13x19
2.FIRST STANG! …Bill Lawton’s history making 65 “Tasca” FX Mustang at US 130
3.THUNDER ON THE FARM! The Ramchargers Dragster 1965
4.HARREL’S GRANDSTAND! Dick Harrell’s historic wheelstanding 67 Camero FC
5.NIGHT OF THE FX’S…Bob Harrop and Bud Faubel at the 1st. “Super Stock” Mag meet in 65.
6.TOP FUEL VODKA…A static view of the classic “Smirnoff” Top Fueler 13x38
7.SMOKED CUDA…a classic burnout shot of Mazmanian’s 70 Cuda FC at Lions.
8.CUTAWAY CUTLASS…a cutaway painting of Warren Johnson’s 96 World Champ Olds PS.
9.THE GREATEST HAWAIIAN…Roland Leong’s performance setting 65,66,67 Dragster..
10.PSYCHO PSTANG...A static view of Snodgrass & Mannken’s 66 Mustang FC.
11.“HOOSIER THUNDER”…”Ramchargers” vs. “Hawaiian” at Indy 1968
12.LEROY…a tribute to the late Leroy Chadderton, featuring 4 of his most famous rides.
13.HOFMANN’S DODGE...a tribute to the late Al Hofmann, featuring his Dodge Daytona FC
14.GOODWIN’S GREEN BIRD…Randy Goodwin’s Award winning Firebird TAFC
15.COLORS BY STRATTON…Featuring Randy Anderson’s “Jolly Rancher” TAFC
16.CANDY RED…Featuring Brad Anderson’s “World Champ” “Jolly Rancher” Trans Am
17.FACTORY OUTLAWS…Dick Brannon vs. Phil Bonner at Lions 65 13x38
18.THE TIGERAND THE RAM…Mr. Norms 67 Charger vs. Arnie Beswick’s 67 GTO
19.ASSASSINATION IN DALLAS…Roger Guzman’s beautiful 70 Cuda FC at Dallas
20.PLUM FIAT…a static view of Davis & Ingram’s 65 Fiat altered
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