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Keeping NHRA Fans Up to Date

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Where have all the nicknames gone? We've got 'em right here …

A super-dumb column in which we decide to give modern-day drag racers nicknames
05 Mar 2008
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
"The Snake" and "the Mongoose" and "the Zookeeper." "Big Daddy" and "the King" and "the Ace." "Superman" and "Dandy Dick" and "the Smilin' Okie." Where have all the nicknames gone? Back in the day, a great nickname…
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Obsolete skills, part 2: Off the track

Pit-area prowess that's no longer needed
03 Mar 2008
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
Those now-growing-rusty skills weren't just things used on the track, but in the pits and other places, too. Adjusting clutches, mounting tires, restripping blowers, and more are all topics of changing conventions, as were the accommodations to…
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Obsolete skills, part 1: On the track

From dry hops to push starts and real bleach in the "bleach box," things we don't see at the drags anymore
03 Mar 2008
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
"Remember when the music came from wooden boxes strung with silver wire." – Harry Chapin Technology is a wonderful, wonderful thing, and it's easy to get nostalgic about the good old days as singer-songwriter Chapin did in his 1980 song, and in…
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Five Fabulous Favorite Fotos ... er, dandy drawings

Famed drag racing illustrator John Jodauga shares some of his favorite works of art
29 Feb 2008
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
I'm going to throw a slight change up at you for this week's Five Fabulous Fotos and deliver a dandy dose of drag drawings from our own in-house artist, John Jodauga. J.J., who was part of the staff at DRAGSTER in the 1970s…
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Obsolete skills

Technology has made obsolete some longtime automotive and drag racing skills
28 Feb 2008
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
Here's a little bench-racing discussion starter. The other day I came across the Web site ObsoleteSkills.com. It's a funny little place where there is a huge list of "skills" that are no longer required for humanity to master, such as dialing a…
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Gator madness!

25 Feb 2008
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
The Phoenix event may have finished just a day ago with high drama in the desert, but it's pretty clear that a lot of people are Gators-obsessed already, even though the event is still three weeks away. Track…
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Friday's Five Fabulous Favorite Fotos: Joel Gelfand

Longtime drag racing photographer Joel Gelfand shares his favorite images
22 Feb 2008
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
It's Friday which can only mean one thing (at least in this column): Time for another round of Five Fabulous Favorite Fotos. This week we reverse the lens and point it at someone outside the DRAGSTER staff: Southern…
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Diamonds in the rough, gators on wheels, diamonds on cars, and how to move a billion dollars

Drag racing gators; a diamond-encrusted Hot Wheels car
20 Feb 2008
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
I'll be attending the ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals this year, my first trip to Gainesville Raceway in many, many years, and I'm looking forward to seeing how the old gal has changed. The new tower will provide a…
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V for Victory and P for Pisano

Celebrating the ol' "V for Victory" sign; keeping the Pisano name alive
18 Feb 2008
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
Happy Presidents Day, everyone. Did you know that U.S. President Richard Nixon once honored the motorsports world when he invited the biggest names in motorsports –- including "Big Daddy" Don Garlits, Ronnie Sox, and Richard Petty -- to the White…
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Winning time

Winternationals celebrations, including a young Larry Dixon in 1970; vintage Dixon family press release; more Simon Menzies
14 Feb 2008
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
One of the best parts of any race is the time spent in the winner's circle. You're surrounded by very happy people, whether it's the racers basking in the glow of victory or a group of tired but pleased NHRA staff members enjoying the satisfaction…
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The Winternationals mystique

What the Winternationals means to me, and probably to you, too
08 Feb 2008
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
I love the Winternationals. Always have. This is my 30th, and the memories never die. Indy is bigger, Virginia quicker, Las Vegas more flashy, but the Winternationals are magic. The points are all at zero and…
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Mail call ...

Simon Menzies weighs in; Doug Herbert heals; Greg Ozubko tells hockey tales; more "Growing Up Boy"
06 Feb 2008
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
It's T-minus one day before the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals and my mind is so a-twitter at the thought of fuel cars firing down Parker Avenue that it's going to make it difficult to keep a train of thought, so I'm going to derail any…
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Can I get a Whit-ness?

The life and times of Whit Bazemore
04 Feb 2008
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
The CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals begin in three days and, for the first time since man invented the wheel, Whit Bazemore will not be participating in the season opener. Okay, so it's "only" been since 1994 that…
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The return of Five Fabulous Favorite Fotos

National Dragster photographer Marc Gewertz shares his favorite images
01 Feb 2008
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
I'm proud to introduce the second in a series of Five Fabulous Favorite Fotos, works of art captured by the drag racing photographers who prowl the sidelines of our sport and capture, for all eternity, the moments that makes…
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Pioneering in Pomona

John Collins and the Pioneer Express Datsun Funny Cars
30 Jan 2008
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
In case you haven't heard or have forgotten (yeah, right), the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals starts a week from tomorrow, the beginning to another glorious season of NHRA POWERade Drag Racing and the kickoff of…
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The good ol' days of magazines

Dick Wells tells Hot Rod stories; reader Don Nickles recalls shooting photos at Lions; 
23 Jan 2008
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
There probably isn't a week that we work here at National DRAGSTER that doesn't cause us to do some research from previous issues that date back 10, 15, 20, or more years, where we often come across the names of those who…
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Growing up boy, the sequel …

Readers share their childhood memories 
21 Jan 2008
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
I mentioned on Friday that y'all were hellraisers as kids, sharing all tales of boyhood shenanigans, and I seem to have hit on a common trait among drag fans. One of my best e-mail pals, Howard Hull, who grew up hawking…
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Growing up boy

Hot Wheels, model cars, fireworks, and more. Growing up as a boy was cool
16 Jan 2008
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
I still have the first cars I ever owned. Let's see, there's that 1967 sleek Corvette and an immaculate '57 T-Bird convertible. A pretty cool late '30s Cord. Yes, friends, those were some pretty hot wheels for a 9-year-old to own. And, of course,…
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Five Fabulous Favorite Fotos: Jerry Foss

National Dragster photographer Jerry Foss shares his favorite images
11 Jan 2008
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
Even though I'm known as a writer, I consider myself a pretty fair photographer as well. Self-taught in my pre-NHRA days with decent results, I found out when I got here that I really didn't know as much as I…
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Top 10 lists, the one that got away ... and a white-knuckle SIMO

A Winternationals Top 10 list that almost got me fired; Don Ewald's tough Winternationals loss; Stuff in my Office: Riding a rollercoaster with John Force
09 Jan 2008
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
Monday's entry about the Don Prudhomme/David Letterman Top 10 list brought back a painful memory from 1989, when the DRAGSTER staff concocted a story for the Winternationals souvenir issue that was a series of Top 10 lists…
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Snake's Top 10 ...and the return of SIMO

Top 10 reasons why Don Prudhomme retired; more Stuff in my Office: commemorative booze
07 Jan 2008
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
Memories of Don Prudhomme's Final Strike season of 1994 keep rolling in, the latest from Bill Holland, the former National DRAGSTER Editor and successful advertising and marketing businessman who some of you may remember…
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Photo Follies Follow up

Reaction to Dec. 31, 2007 photos, including some Stone-Woods-Cook trivia; a look at the National Dragster photo archives
04 Jan 2008
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
Response to Monday's "Photo Follies" entry was heart-warming and informative. Seems like a lot of you really dig seeing photos of old cars and, as noted by CSK bloggisimo Bob Wilber, there's something a little more "real" about seeing fan shots than…
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Phil's Photo Follies

My fan photos; New Years Eve with Bill Bader and the Mazis
31 Dec 2007
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
My entry last Thursday showing the destruction of the Pomona tower mentioned another tower, located at the rear of the track, that some readers said they'd never seen, so I dug out this photo I took at the 1980…
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The Name Dropper

Pat Galvin, the "other" Ron Capps, and more Christmas Tree tales
29 Dec 2007
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
I'm continually surprised by who drops by The Little Blog With The Deceptive Title, as old pals are coming out of the woodwork, including a couple of guys for whom I hold the utmost respect and to whom I still owe a great deal of thanks…
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Spreading Christmas cheer ... and more SIMO

Looking back at Christmas gifts past; Stuff in my office: Piece of the old Pomona tower
28 Dec 2007
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
It's the day after the day after Christmas, when eyes get refocused on work for a couple of days before we ring in a new year and begin the countdown to the start of another season of racing. Christmas was pretty low-key this year. Every other…
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Twas the blog before Christmas

Putting a National Dragster spin on the classic "Twas the night before Christmas"
24 Dec 2007
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
Twas truly the night before Christmas, and between entertaining family and friends, wrapping gifts for the grandkids, and last-minute rushing around, I almost -- note almost -- forgot my Monday deadline. So I sat down, while the family went about…
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More Tree tales, the Mazi model, and Stuff In My Office

Gary Cagle knocks down the Tree (with a crowbar!); Fran Mazi Opel model; Stuff in my office: Don Prudhomme retirement toasting goblet
21 Dec 2007
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
Wednesday's Christmas (Tree) Story was a big hit and elicited a number of interesting comments from those who remember those early days, but none more interesting than the submission from Troy Cagle, whose father, Gary, was…
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A Christmas (Tree) Story

The story behind the drag racing's Chirstmas Tree, and the improvements since
19 Dec 2007
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
(Top) Acrobatic flag starters were entertaining but human, and gave way at the 1963 Nationals to the Countdown Starter. (Above) Pictured at that event are Ed Eaton, left, NHRA’s national…
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Party time, NHRA-style

Holiday hijinks at the NHRA Holiday Party
14 Dec 2007
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
It wouldn't be hard for long-time fans to reel off the list of differences between the NHRA of 1982 and the NHRA of today, but, as proved on Wednesday, as much as some things change, they remain the same. Wednesday was NHRA's annual holiday party…
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Hail to the King!

Reaction to the surprising retirement announcement by Kenny Bernstein
05 Dec 2007
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
You'd think that I've been here long enough that nothing surprises me anymore, but I'm happy to say that's not the case, and yesterday's unexpected announcement from Kenny Bernstein that he was stepping out of the cockpit…
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