Flashback Friday: The 1955 World Series of Drag Racing

Well, it doesn’t get much more ‘flashback’ than this, ladies and gentleman. Utilizing our trusty flux capacitor courtesy of Dr. Emmitt Brown, we travel all the way back to 1955, with some great footage of the World Series of Drag Racing that took place on what appears to be an airstrip in Lawrenceville, Illinois. Despite the lack of any audio given that there weren’t even such a thing as VHS camcorders at the time, this is still some pretty cool stuff that, that displays what is essentially the very birth of drag racing and the heyday of the “hot rodding” movement. You won’t see any slingshot dragsters, funny cars, fuel altereds, or anything of the sort. Interestingly, the World Series of Drag Racing is still held to this day as the oldest continuous drag race in the world, and the 1955 running marked the second annual edition.

Back in those days, there was no Fantasy Football, computers, or video games. Just cars and guys with gears constantly running in their heads, and their ingenuity really shines with some of the creations you see in this clip. Among them is the legendary Art Arfons’ Green Monster II, a twenty foot long car with four rear wheels powered by a 2,000 horsepower Allison aircraft engine that topped more than 100 MPH and preceded his famous run of jet and turbine-powered cars. You’ll also see an interesting full-bodied coupe in which the driver and the engine have traded places. Along with that, there are plenty of cool old couples, sedans, altereds, and body-less cars that eventually led to the creation of the front engine dragster. Obviously, as with all motorsports at the time, safety wasn’t quite paramount, as evidenced by the lack of roll cages, helmets, or any sort of driving suit or even long-sleeved shirt. If you want to see the very seeds of the sport we know today planted, this is about as close as you’re going to get.

About the author

Andrew Wolf

Andrew has been involved in motorsports from a very young age. Over the years, he has photographed several major auto racing events, sports, news journalism, portraiture, and everything in between. After working with the Power Automedia staff for some time on a freelance basis, Andrew joined the team in 2010.
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