Drag car racing can be more interesting with cars that were originally designed as family cars. At the recent Mooneyes New Year's Party Drag Race at the Irwindale Dragstrip in Southern California, classic cars from 1972 and earlier compete.
While muscle cars and hot rods make their presence known, the most fun races involve cars that were once rather unassuming. YouTuber Celso Monserrat captures the best drag race results at this event. See a few of the unlikely cars that are doing burnouts at the line at Irwindale in this video.
Age-Old Drag Racing Car Rivalries
The first race pits a 1955 Chevy Bel Air against a 1957 Ford Ranchero. Both are set up with huge blowers, but the Ford ultimately wins the day at 6.42 seconds on the eighth-mile. The announcer mentions that the heavily-modded Ranchero is still street-legal. But, only racing a car like this on a sanctioned strip such as this one in Irwindale is legal, since street drags are illegal nearly everywhere in the U.S.
In another race, a 1965 Dodge Coronet lines up against a 1969 Chevy Kingswood station wagon. It's an unlikely pairing and the Dodge, of course, prevails. But the wagon lags only by under three-tenths of a second.
Fierce A/FX Cars And A Rumbling Rambler
The most dramatic race of in this video involves a 1963 Plymouth Sport Fury and a mid-60s Pontiac in NHRA's A/FX or Factory Experimental class. The A/FX drag racing cars have altered wheelbases that improve traction. They are the predecessors to the NHRA's Funny Car class. In this heat, the cars pop wheelies and leap forward as they leave the line. Ultimately, the Mopar drag car prevails.
A 1964 Rambler once was a cheap family car. The one at Irwindale, however, is dubbed the "Rumbler" and it packs a 390 ci engine. Its rival is a big, heavy 1963 Ford Galaxie that resembles the model that the iconic Fireball Roberts drove. It's not an equal match by any means, but we can't help but cheer for the American Motors underdog.
It's no surprise that the Ford bests the AMC. It goes to prove, though, that even a car like the Rambler could go from a cruiser to a racer on a town's main street, otherwise known as a drag. From medieval workmen dragging their carts on an English High Street to post-World War II teenagers racing their old Fords on the avenue, this is why they call this exhilarating motorsport drag racing.