Funny Car Drag Racing in the 1970's from Atco Dragway

[@LKTraz]

I LOVED going to Atco in the late 60's and early 70's.

[@danf321]

The 1970’s were my most active years of going to the drags. I saw each and every one of the cars in this video race. Great memories!!

[@CallMeMrX]

When I watch these old drag racing recordings, there is one thing aside from the visuals and sound I wish I could also experience - the smell.

[@mikedemasi4100]

remember how that nitro would burn your eyes?

[@judykrewson4446]

CallMeMrX AMEN TO THAT!!!

[@happydays8171]

And the tiny pieces of rubber from the burn out, I wore a white polo shirt to a race once, almost ruined it. Jungle Jim did the best burn out, what a showman! The smoke just billowing out from under the body.

[@EscapedFromAzkaban]

This footage is awesome!! The cars and the sound are amazing, Thanks for keeping the real feel of what it was ACTUALLY LIKE!

[@peterg.bassist]

Awesome! Those were my favorite years for enjoying funny cars...because of the 1.) body shapes, 2.) the long smoky burnouts, and because 3) we attended Detroit Dragway!

[@artmchugh5644]

Peter G. I'M FROM. MICHIGAN, DETROIT DRAGWAY !! SIBLY. AT DIX !!!! 😄😄😄😄😎😎😎😎🍺🍺🍺🍺

[@artmchugh5644]

Leroy Goldstein and the RAMCHARGERS FUNNY CAR !!!! Hell yea

[@richardturk7162]

I remember seeing a lot of those very funny cars run. the 70s were awesome.

[@montyler1]

Thanks ! Great memories of this track as a kid !

[@joevald3]

That is when racing was fun

[@dutyhole1734]

my local track ! when it was real drag racing and the stands were packed !

[@CorvetteReport]

MY GOD!!! It REALLY was that exciting! I'm so glad to have been there.The track is still there but looks totally different,

[@dutyhole1734]

YUP ITS A SHITHOLE NOW

[@productboy9658]

Thanks for sharing! Great stuff. Looks like it was all from 1970. Jungle's Red Camaro was his 1970 Car.

[@haroldhoffmanjr4608]

1972 Bob Banning Challenger

[@PhilAVega]

Very cool 😎 I was just a young lad growing up around 1970. OCIR was just down the 5fwy from me. Santa Ana was home base. I couldn't go to the track back then. So my Hot Wheels we're the closes to fast racing for me. I dig this this footage. Thanks

[@MoparMan1320]

Hey Phil...I grew up in West Covina, 58' to 72' (then we moved up to the central coast). The first race I convinced my Dad to take me to, was a 8 TF, 8 AA/FA headliner at Irwindale Raceway, in 1964. After that it was OCIR, Lions, Ontario Motor Speedway, and Pomona each year for WinterNationals. Mom worked as an Industrial RN at Mattel, so I had access to the employee store for all things Hot Wheels. Body surfing Laguna, Huntington, etc. on summer days, then going to the drags at night....Krazy fun!! I do think we had the best of So Cal ✌😎 (PS...began racing after being licensed at 16, and continue to this day with my 70' Duster, in the NHRA Heritage Series...and love it).

[@jeffcarpenter396]

Awsome great footage with sound

[@oldman9843]

Great film , I still would love to make one run in one of those !

[@NitroModelsAndComics]

The perfect period of funny cars.

[@MoparMan1320]

Awesome video, thank you for posting!!! Growing up in So Cal, in the 60's and early 70's....I think funny cars, dragsters, and AA/FA's were extremely entertaining for the fans. Long smokey burnouts, dry hops, and unpredictability was the order of the day. Downside was the fact that safety gear often played catch up to performance...resulting in losing some of our heroes/pilots.

[@johnnieguitar5724]

Rare coverage of early 70s FCs. :)

[@dlxinfinite7098]

Just the sounds take me back to a nicer time. I grew up living not far from Atco. My uncle would take me on the weekends, and we'd have a ball....Got to hang out with Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins, my uncle knew him personally. Great guy...but I was strictly MoPar

[@johntaylor8215]

spent many nights at atco.remember fire burnouts? never forget Jungle Jim and Lou Brutus Arrington in a match race.both cars were charred by the time they staged and ran.also remember Bill Grumpy Jenkins getting called out for unhooking his brake lights in a match race.Atco was the best

[@6548ww]

I love watching these old 70s funny cars they were the best looking cars to me they look more like the street variants and sound so good and can actually make a full run without blowing up

[@robertseelig9358]

Atco and Cecile county maryland and US30 in York PA I'm 65 those were the best yearz of my life

[@arthurmchugh5184]

Was there ever a better looking funny car than a 70 cuda???😎😎🍺

[@happydays8171]

Arthur McHugh ... No sir! That style 'cuda was beautiful. I am totally with you there.

[@slotcargene1]

A '71 Cuda!

[@HoratioFitzbastard]

Partial to a 1970 Dodge Challenger myself.

[@arthurmchugh5184]

@@HoratioFitzbastard RAMCHARGERS !! 😃😃😃🍺🍺

[@Dd13200]

Absolutely awesome

[@iggyfritz7150]

Peter G, I lived about 2 miles from Detroit Dragway and remember those were the best of times 70's. Ramchargers, Mickey Thompson, Gene Snow, Blue Max, Jungle Jim, Snake&Mongoose, Connie Kallatta just to name a few. My mercury bobcat 2.3cyl beat a 350 chevy truck there 😄 They would race anything. I especially loved night time nitro!!! Now drag raceing is all about money and profit

[@venomhemi3914]

Challengers! Yep Awesome.

[@jamesfarrington9030]

I was there in 1975. Cool experience.

[@happydays8171]

Oh what a time that was. Quarter mile junkies would come home from work, tear down their kid's swingset for tubing to build a funny car frame. Mortgage their house for a body and blower, match race that car 3 night's a week if they could get the gigs, and still to this day remember everything about the car and their best passes made with it like it was yesterday, and guys like me relish hearing every word of their stories!

[@Romans--bo7br]

Happy Days...... I remember seeing over 120+ T/F's (AA/FD back in those days) show up to qualify for "64" car fields!!

[@happydays8171]

@@Romans--bo7br You're taking me back to the good old days, the 70's and 80's. My drag racing best friend was always petitioning for a 32 car Pro Stock field, if they had the cars .

[@jpolar394]

" Ass,Grass or Cash. Nobody rides for free " 👍👍👍😉😉😉

[@dr.josephodonnell4339]

It's "ass, grass, or gas."

[@kendallevans4079]

Loved those days. Before corporate sponsorship was a necessity to compete. Just a driver, mechanic(s) and owner. Barry Setzer was a good example.

[@Gottworace]

The good old day's.

[@Biden_Cult_Morons]

+ElectricVulcano Are you mad? Grow up kid the world hates a crybaby

[@biffjones5398]

Electric Volcano is a Candy Ass Punk Who drives a Chinese Schwinn bicycle

[@german_shepherd_dog9169]

@ElectricVulcano Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

[@Romans--bo7br]

@Alejandro Rivero Jr..... it was better, in Many ways.... and not just in drag racing. As far as "2078" is concerned..... forget it.

[@waynewilliams1726]

I was at this track every weekend when i was a teenager.

[@daviddilullo5516]

I made my dad take me there on a "Cold" March afternoon. I was totally sick, but I had to see the Funny Cars.

[@jamesborden4805]

Congratulations! Someone had an 8mm camera with....AUDIO!!!

[@cyberbone56]

I was at that meet, miss those days.

[@hansgruber650]

I saw them all at that track.

[@mmsb13_420]

So sad to see Atco Dragway close! I used to go there in the 70's to watch the funny cars run. Anyone remember the Color Me Gone car?

[@jerrycraig6522]

Hey, it's like me and jungle always said "drag racing is faaar out" !!!

[@johnross1947]

Cherish this footage y'all, all though breif, it may be the only footage of some, of these cars left. Yes that is the outlaw car, aka El Diablo, King and Marshall out of Rhode Island. The most feared car in its time. Always late to the track on purpose when they did arrive some drivers just packed it up because there was no way they could win. If someone did manage to take the record from them, they would return next week and reset the record. Jimmy king fliped his fueler and returned with a wheel welded to the top of the rollcage. Thanks for the memories. That's when it was fun!

[@extramile150]

excellent

[@Romans--bo7br]

Thanks for the Great memories!! Corporate money destroyed grass roots drag racing!!..... along with 120+ Top Fuelers showing up to qualify for a 64 car field!!..... much thanks to Tom McEwen and greed in the top ranks of NHRA.. ie: "Wally P" & Co. Can't even do dry hops any more, or even blip the loud pedal in the pits to seat the clutches. Personally, the Only thing I love about drag racing these days.... Is the "return" of the "Gasser" classes.

[@telsport]

The Utica Flash. Custom Body..my boys from Bleecker Street in Little Italy look as good as any pro team extant. Layin it down.

[@timhopkins1041]

I growed up in drag racing.

[@arthurmchugh5184]

Tri city dragway Saginaw Michigan!! Ramchargers dodge !! Connie kalitta, the farmer beswick. It was great 😎😎😎

[@FrankBonessa]

Old school was badass.

[@musicstewart9744]

Advertised on WFIL AM radio in Philadelphia!

[@medusasg8]

Walter W yes maybe, but also "back in the day" they called the Chevy Small Block " The Giant Killer " the only one w that nick name because it did very well. If you combine drag racing, Trans Am, Nassau, and other circle track racing the little old Chevy Small Block The Giant Killer hands down has dominated racing.

[@biffjones5398]

What? Chrysler big block hemi design has dominated drag racing From the 50's to current times

[@user-hc9yt5gd6r]

biff jones Chevrolet is the most successful manufacturer, having won 779 races and 39 manufacturers championships. Ford is second with 658 victories and 15 manufacturers championships, while Dodge is third in wins with 217, Plymouth is fourth with 190, and Pontiac is ranked fifth with 155.

[@danielgraff3911]

You forgot about NASCAR and Bonneville, the Hemi rules

[@user-hc9yt5gd6r]

Daniel Graff That is NASCAR stats. Chrysler Plymouth and dodge won way less races than Ford and Gm. The Drag race cars don't all use Chrysler hemispherical engines aftermarket blocks some. Arias pontiac and olds heads. Hemi is a great engine. In the beginning they took the early hemi adapted a GM blower and ran nitro methane.

[@johngatling4040]

Jenkins small block was the Godzilla of small blocks.

[@michaelbechtel4944]

That's the real deal drag racing , cars are actually identifiable, not like this shit they race nowadays, 60s and 70s were the best and always will be.

[@blondbearconfederete]

the need for speed , nice .

[@6548ww]

ever notice how back in the day everyone who was anyone drove Plymouth or Dodge and the Ford and Chevy guys were the low budget low end teams

[@Biden_Cult_Morons]

That really depended on what class your car was running in. The Dodge boys hit a home run with the e-body. It was flat and long, a perfect body platform for drag racing. Pro-street was dominated by GM.

[@user-hc9yt5gd6r]

Walter dodge and ford did good mid late 60s early 70s with factory backed cars.

[@amc401nash6]

Chevy consintrated more on sportsman racing and production car sales, in 1969 alone, they sold twice as many Z/28's as Chrysler sold street Hemi's in their 7 year production run. Chrysler and Ford invested millions in the production of limited batch part runs for their factory backed teams as opposed to Chevy who mass produced their high performance parts and made them available to everyone over the counter.

[@AlexTheShort]

hell ya

[@kenlee8246]

My dad was a funny car racer in the 70's, but I didn't know he did this until he died. How might one find out about his racing? He had P1800, a Duster named "Terrys Dustpan" and an AMX. He lived in New Jersey, so I'm thinking he raced there or in whatever circuit there would have been at that time. This is the first time I'm asking, so I don't know anything. Thanks to anyone if you can give me a heads up as to where I can start.

[@johnnieguitar5724]

Wish it was a lot clearer and not stretched sideways, though. Is this what the video is really like?

[@edwardfoehring8827]

What eere they running for transmissions

[@edwardfoehring8827]

@Michael Shapiro awsome

[@amc401nash6]

Notice how more cars made complete side by side runs back in the day. It's not all about top speed, proves you can go slower and actually put on a better show.

[@marandlen]

Drag races

[@WVFreebyrd]

USA. 'Nuff said.

[@daleolson3506]

There are spectators. Not today

[@boataxe4605]

Your comment has taken on a whole new meaning.

[@medusasg8]

Lol that was supposed to be Nascar not Nassau hehe stupid spell check.

[@unionblacksmith7843]

M.O.P.A.R. Ruling at the Strip as Usual, just like 10 years before... can we say HEMI?!??!?

[@andrewmattson9622]

Yup great awesome hemi with that GMC huffer right up there on top of it.

[@russellrode8317]

It was alright... BUT, I NEVER SAW PAM???

[@danielhood4062]

Pam came along about a year later.

[@chrisshaffer8257]

BLACK MAGIC!!!

[@arthurmchugh5184]

DA SANTUCCI !!! great car !