Limited-Edition Print o f 500 (13x19) prints
Signed and numbered by the Artist.
The most highly anticipated, most watched race of the 1964 Winter Nationals, was the A/Gas Final between the two Legends of Drag Racing, Stone Woods & Cook vs. Big John Mazmanian; but if you got to the racetrack on Sunday it was too late, as the A/Gas Final was run on Saturday.
Saturday was a cold, windy ,stormy looking day, as evident by virtually everyone in the grandstands keeping their hands in their pockets to stay warm. Also the Winter National's banner is not flying across the starting line, as NHRA only strung the banners on the day of Sunday's Finals.
With the success of Movies like 'Bikini Beach," Drag Racing was becoming "Main Stream," and at the 63 event, NHRA had to turn away spectators due to lack of seating. So for the 1964 race, NHRA doubled the seating capacity by adding more grandstands, the grandstand seen here behind the starting line is one example.
Because of the 1963 seating shortage, the next year people started to line up at the gate as soon as it closed for the day, to get in the following morning and claim your seat. Spectators would campout along the streets behind the track as it was "First come, First served" seating; so the people we see in that grandstand most likely have been waiting all night to get those seats...
After it's successful first use at the 63 US. Nationals, the newly developed 'Christmas Tree" became NHRA's "Official" starting system in 1964, it's also the first race we see the "New" Official Starter, Buster Couch managing the starting line.
In this race, we see both teams have a Big T decal visibly placed on their cars, this signifies "Trophy Dash," and it was put on all the final round participants vehicles...
In this dash, Doug "Cookie" Cook has put a holeshot on "Bones" Balough to take the A/Gas final at 10.03 at 142.85mph.
