1979 NHRA WORLD FINALS - 1ST RD FUNNY CAR

Classic footage with Raymond Beadle, Don Prudhomme, Tripp Shumake, Gordie Bonin, Tom Ridings, Jim Adolph, Billy Meyer and an up and coming John Force.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• classic
• drag
• racing

[shelbysheroes]

Was that girl at the end Force's wife? Hot!!!

[spxmet]

Snake vs mongoose can't get any better than that!

[cschoen100]

Merlin811, that is Laurie Force. Ashley was born in '82.

[percboy555]

@shelbysheroes

His first wife Lana (Adria's mother)

[JoeC7711]

i miss the playboy car



[brdrptrl]

wow so cool to see my Dad's best friend beat the champ back when I was like 4.  Tripp we all miss you!!

[Merlin811]

@shelbysheroes Force's wife would have been about 12 in 1979

[barmtrail]

That timing tower at 3:58 is now at the race track inpomona at the fairgrounds. I sure miss Ontario motor speedway. What a bunch of idiots!..They tear down a track and build another in fontana just east of ontario? Money to burn i guess. Force wife and most all So. Cal girls were all hot back in the day. Now they are just fat tatooed raging big mouths.

[gypsyjoes]

That Tripp Shumake pass was all over the place!

[CannTankerous]

I grew up in Fullerton and we used to hear Force fire his car from our place. All the great tracks...We'd already lost Lions and Irwindale, people kept crowding in 'till it could take a couple hours for the drive to work-not the greatest in my 6-pak '69 RR or built '65 300. Those last nights walking out of those last drag races-such a sense of loss. Soon, Bakersfield was dieing-end of an era-I moved away in '89. So.Cal sure ain't what it used to be...

[CannTankerous]

This is great to see again! We usually sat in the central concourse by the big end. Seeing Big roar through with at 5.63 250 in '75 and Snakes 5.98/240 was awesome. I'll never forget this year as we all leapt into the air for a high 5 when Garlits conquered the awful rt. lane to ease by Rob Bruins for the only fuel win out of that lane. Saw NASCAR and Indy there and all the drags. 40 mil n closed so soon. The World Finals went off to our home track, OCIR. Didn't know how soon it would die too.