Phil's Photo Follies
My fan photos; New Years Eve with Bill Bader and the Mazis
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…
The Name Dropper
Pat Galvin, the "other" Ron Capps, and more Christmas Tree tales
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…
Spreading Christmas cheer ... and more SIMO
Looking back at Christmas gifts past; Stuff in my office: Piece of the old Pomona tower
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…
Twas the blog before Christmas
Putting a National Dragster spin on the classic "Twas the night before Christmas"
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…
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
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…
A Christmas (Tree) Story
The story behind the drag racing's Chirstmas Tree, and the improvements since
(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…
Party time, NHRA-style
Holiday hijinks at the NHRA Holiday Party
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…
Hail to the King!
Reaction to the surprising retirement announcement by Kenny Bernstein
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…
“The Good Old Days?”
Former National Dragster editor Bill Holland looks back at how the publication was assembled back in the 1960s
Bill Holland
When I first slipped into the editor's chair at National DRAGSTER some 21 years ago, the hard work was already done. The 14 gentlemen who had preceded me at the top of the…
Statistically speaking ...
Why stats are so important in drag racing; a look at the printing presses that produce National Dragster
Let's face it: Numbers rule our lives. Pretty much every electronic device you own is programmed with a code based on two numbers (1 and 0) and let's not even get into having to memorize phone, PIN, driver's license, and…
See you in the glue, friend
Longtime National Dragster staffer Todd Veney leaves the team to concentrate on his racing career.
Todd Veney would never, ever write about himself. He'd rather, as he so eloquently stated, "jump off the Empire State building."
So I guess I'm going to have to. Sorry Todd. Hey, this isn't going to be any easier for me…
One nation, united for Wally
A celebration of the life of NHRA founder Wally Parks at the Auto Club NHRA Finals.
Lined up just behind the starting line at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona were some of the biggest names in drag racing, past and present. Kenny Bernstein, Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins, Joe Amato, Dale…
Tricks and treats
Prepping for the World Finals; remembering L.A. Times sports writer Shav Glick;
The pumpkin has been carved, the kids' and grandkids' costumes laid out, and a trip to the store is in order to replenish the candy we bought two weeks ago that somehow disappeared before the trick-or-treaters could get to…
Writing made infinitely easier
The creative writing process is built on countless choices among infinite options.
(I lifted this drawing from the website of author Esther A. Lombardi, who has some great tips to beat writer's block here.)…
What's your legacy?
Before I begin today's column, please allow me to say …
She bit hard and hiked the front end and was hookin' and bookin' for the other end, but kicked 'em loose, smoked the hoops, and got crossed up. I pedaled it and she stayed glued and hiked…
"Now he belongs to the ages"
Reflecting on the passing of NHRA founder Wally Parks
I can't believe it's been five days since we lost Wally Parks. Then again, a part of me still can't believe that we have.
Not to overstate the drama, but Wally's passing is going to be one of the memories where I say, "I…
Travel Agent woes and more Force fan feedback
Funny Car racer Frank Mancuso talks about two memorable crashes in his Travel Agent flopper
This is supposed to be a column about National DRAGSTER and a behind-the-scenes look at what goes on to produce drag racing's only news weekly, but lately I'm finding that that one topic alone isn’t going to dominate this column. I've shared quite a…
The healing power of words
Fan reactions to John Force's crash
Well, I guess y'all sure do like John Force about as much as I do. After seeing what you did to help Ashley win the AOL Hottest Athlete poll, I reckon between us we could probably get John nominated for president, if not…
Hurry back, Superman
Reacting to the news of John Force's near-career-ending crash at the 2007 Dallas event
It's Sunday night and I'm parked by the computer, cell phone inches from my hand, trying to stay on top of The John Force Situation. I've done all I can do for now. The Web site is updated with the latest information we have…
Rumble Doll channels Cha-Cha
Singer/songwriter Patti Scialfa (wife of Bruce Springsteen) writes a song about Shirley Muldowney
I've been a Patti Scialfa fan since she married my all-time favorite rocker Bruce Springsteen, at first mostly because she was a Jersey girl of his own after the breakup of his head-scratching marriage to actress Julianne…
The 5 Ws: The where, what, when, and why of Who
The life and times of former Indy champ Marvin "Who?" Graham
"Hi, my name is Marvin Graham. You might not remember me, but I used to race in Top Fuel."
It took every ounce of willpower I could muster not to respond with "Who?"
Of course, he would have said "Exactly," and we would have launched into the…
This issue is not the bomb
Work is interrupted by a bomb scare at National Dragster HQ.
From left, Lisa Handy, Cynthia Cabrera, Jeff Mellem, Richard Wong, and Nicole Cintron wait out the search. Copy editor Sarah Barnes keeps herself busily efficient.…
Now comes the hard part ...
The job's not done until the paperwork is complete; what happens after a race.
We stole out of Indy like thieves in the night under cover of early-morning darkness, me, Kelly, and "Bad Brad" with Big Go hangovers and three suitcases full of U.S. Nationals-soaked memories tucked in the trunk of the G6 rental. The o'dark-30…
It's the little things I miss ...
Basically, it's me crying because I missed the birth of my grandson while covering Indy. You would cry, too, if it happened to you.
Over the years, this job has caused me to miss a lot of dinners, some birthdays, a few family gatherings, and a couple of vacations, but this one really hurt.
I love the U.S. Nationals; what serious drag racing fan doesn'…
The Daily DRAGSTER
Before the internet made it obsolete, we used to produce -- literally overnight -- a daily newspaper for each day of the U.S. Nationals. Really!
After a travel day yesterday, the National DRAGSTER staff is here in Indy en masse to cover the Big Go not only for a regular weekly publication but also the annual Daily DRAGSTER publication, which is distributed free to…
Twenty-five and counting (and the one that got away)
So, there I was, standing in the warm embrace of the cascading water of the morning shower where I traditionally do some of my best thinking, running through my pre-Indy checklist at T-minus two days, when it struck me with…
Deadlines? We don't need no stinkin' deadlines
Push almost came to shove this morning as we raced right past the deadlines that Production Manager Matt Hurd (that's him to the right) had set in stone for us yesterday, definitive lines that we absolutely could not cross…
The waiting is the hardest part ...
J.K. Rowling could learn a thing or two about suspense from the NHRA Countdown to the Championship. If she had, old Harry Potter might still be casting spells and playing Quidditch or whatever it is he does.
As the Toyo…
Bad timing ... and phone calls from famous folks
“Who are you going to make mad this week?” joked Mike Dunn when I spoke to him this morning for his regular post-race Final Take column.
He was referring, of course, to DRAGSTER’s weekly dilemma of who to put “on the…
Tools of the trade
They say that a mechanic is only as good as his tools -- and by “they” I probably mean the tool companies, because I reckon Alan Johnson could get a fuel dragster to run 4.50s with a Swiss Army knife and some baling wire --…