AHRA first referred to themselves in their beginnings as “the only democratic national hot rod association,” and some would argue that those numbers show democracy.Īt the end of the 1969 season, AHRA could claim over 80 sanctioned dragstrips, over 25,000 members, and sanctioning of over 2,400 events (national and regional races). 1968 Super Stock magazine, the AHRA Springnationals at Bristol, Tenn., had 413 classes and 15 eliminators decided on the weekend. In 1969, AHRA ballooned up to a super-healthy 10 national events, holding races at Scottsdale, Detroit, Memphis, Bristol (twice), Lions, New York National Speedway, Rockingham, and Tulsa.Īccording to a Sept. In 1967, AHRA grew to five national event sites. For 16 consecutive years, the AHRA's biggest event was always at Green Valley. From 1961 through 1976, AHRA held a national event at this facility always either its National Championship drags or its World Championships events. If NHRA had Indy and IHRA had Bristol, then Green Valley was AHRA's equivalent. If there was one track that was identified with the organization it was this one. The second move by AHRA was its switch of National Championship sites to Green Valley Raceway in Smithfield, Texas. The 1960 event marked the final time AHRA would be a one-race organization. I didn't think there was anything crooked going on, he was a businessman, but over the years, AHRA changed subtly into a profit-making organization.”īy late 1959, Tice had become president of the organization, and not surprisingly, AHRA’s National Championships race was held at Kansas City International in 1960. “Jim Tice used to be involved in insurance and he took the company books with him to Kansas City, while I was racing in Florida. “AHRA was originally set up as a non-profit organization and realistically, I suppose I could’ve been seen as a figurehead president,” Garlits recalled. On the one hand, he was voted to handle a growing hot rod association, and on the other, he had a full-on, year-long racing schedule. ![]() Garlits, as could be expected, would have a difficult schedule to wrestle with. Garlits had been elected president of the organization in 1958 with Kansas City racer and insurance salesman, Jim Tice, being installed as vice-president. In 1960, AHRA had undergone some more significant changes and these involved a lot more than what fuel was run. In fact, the ATAA World Series, which they first held in Lawrenceville, Ill., and later Cordova, really was the first of the big races for fuel cars and that was the way I wanted to race - on nitro." “I had run the ATAA (World Series of Drag Racing) event on nitro race. “AHRA, and in the middle 1950s, the ATAA (Automobile Timing Association of America), ran nitro," said former AHRA president and 10-time AHRA Top Fuel champ “Big Daddy” Don Garlits. In fact, while it was not called such, AHRA also had the first Pro Stock class, a heads-up, ultimate-statement Super Stock eliminator in 1968. It was AHRA that first provided a home for Top Fuel, ignoring the fuel ban of 1957 through 1963, and also giving the Funny Cars their first hot rod association abode. It was announced that AHRA would hold its National Championship drags at the 8,000-foot long Great Bend site through 1959.ĪHRA was responsible for much significant drag racing history. On the weekend prior to the Nationals event, the group re-convened and had grown to where 18 states were represented at the second meeting. Tice moved the AHRA to Kansas City, took over the books, and incorporated the name there, creating a profit-making organization. By late 1959, Garlits had gone on with his racing career and Tice became president of the organization and changed the AHRA into a profit-making organization. ![]() Don Garlits had been elected president of the organization in 1958 with Kansas City racer and insurance salesman, Jim Tice, being installed as vice-president. Mentzer was drafted in 1957, which took him out of the racing picture. Every member registered with the home office in Pittsburgh and after a year, they had a vote in how it was run. Mentzer wanted the racers to actually have a voice in how this organization was run. ![]() At the end of 1955, Hot Rod magazine did a story on the fledgling Pennsylvania non-profit organization and it attracted a lot of attention. Mentzer went to the Pennsylvania county office that handled such things and incorporated the name of the American Hot Rod Association with himself at the helm. Walter Mentzer felt that the drag racers needed an organization that spoke for them as opposed to one that spoke for the drag strips.
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