NHRA still keeping guys off streets after 1,000 races

Before determination was a Surfin’ Safari, determination was a Drag Safari. The connection was fundamentally the same: “Let’s spell racin’ now, everybody’s learnin’ how, travel connected a safari with me.”

“It was astir getting guys disconnected the streets,” said 93-year-old Chic Cannon — the lone surviving subordinate of the Drag Safari, which morphed into the NHRA Safety Safari and this play marks its 1,000th nationalist contention gathering astatine the Dodge//SRT NHRA Nationals astatine Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

In solemnisation of the NHRA’s 1,000th nationalist lawsuit astatine @LVMSStrip this weekend, @NHRA is producing a constricted tally of 3,000 commemorative poker chips. All competitors volition get one; fans tin gets theirs astatine the NitroMallhttps://t.co/0czKvnPJyx pic.twitter.com/3QH6AiY91c

— National Dragster (@NHRADragster) October 27, 2021

In 1955, the four-man Safari comprised of Cannon, Bud Coons, Bud Evans and Eric Rickman would question to blistery rod meetings successful a presumption wagon and camper trailer containing instrumentality to safely enactment pedal to metal.

The National Championship Drags began connected an airstrip astatine the Great Bend, Kansas, Municipal Airport and finished connected different landing portion adjacent Phoenix weeks aboriginal aft torrential rains washed retired last runs.

Calvin Rice, a 25-year-old Californian, covered the quarter-mile successful 10.3 seconds astatine 141.95 mph to go the sport’s archetypal nationalist champion.

Entry interest was $5 — importantly little than what it volition outgo for a acold brew astatine Sunday’s last eliminations astatine LVMS.

“In 1955, who thought it was imaginable for cars to spell implicit 150 mph?” Cannon said from his location successful San Jose, California. “Look astatine it now, implicit doubly that velocity implicit a region 20 feet shorter. Thanks to Wally (Parks, the NHRA founder) for that. He was the 1 who had the dream. We conscionable went retired and did the enactment for him.”

In summation to serving arsenic the NHRA’ s archetypal information inspector, Cannon — who lone precocious sold his customized 1932 pickup and present drives a Ford Escape “with each the bells and whistles” — besides is simply a NHRA charter member. He said helium sent distant $2 for a rank paper erstwhile helium was warring successful the Korean War.

“The archetypal 2,000 would beryllium considered charter members, and I was fig 1,426,” helium said, showing that adjacent astatine 93 helium inactive has a crisp callback for detail.

Except, perhaps, erstwhile it comes to John Force’s age.

He said helium had pulled the 16-time Funny Car champion retired of much than 1 upside down wreck implicit the years, and marveled that Force inactive is competitory astatine 60-something years old.

Chic Cannon, a antheral who has seen it each erstwhile it comes to his sport, seemed genuinely amazed erstwhile told the resistance racing Methuselah had won 3 times this twelvemonth astatine property 72.

“No kidding? Well, bully for him!” helium said.

As we hole for this weekend's 1,000th @NHRA nationalist event, here's a look backmost astatine the first, held successful 1955 successful Great Bend, Kan. We've got a dramatic, in-depth contention recap and a monolithic photograph gallery!
https://t.co/IMpW4BMcEP pic.twitter.com/q3Z3G7XCRu

— National Dragster (@NHRADragster) October 27, 2021

Around the horn

— The Las Vegas Bowl committee says it already has sold 30,000 tickets for the Dec. 30 crippled astatine Allegiant Stadium that volition lucifer teams from the Big Ten and Pac-12. To enactment that successful perspective, the past Las Vegas Bowl astatine Sam Boyd Stadium successful 2019 (Washington vs. Boise State) attracted a assemblage of 34,419 and was the 12th-most attended crippled successful bid history.

The @SRSDistribution Las Vegas Bowl welcomes the @PennStateFball Nittany Lions to our vessel projections. 👀 #LVBowl | #OnlyVegas pic.twitter.com/cngS5lMcsO

— SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl (@LasVegasBowl) October 29, 2021

— There were 69 erstwhile Las Vegas 51s oregon Aviators who played successful the large leagues successful 2021 — including Travis d’Arnaud, who deed a treble and a location tally successful the Atlanta Braves’ 2-0 triumph implicit Houston successful Game 3 of the World Series connected Friday. Including rehab assignments, the catcher spent parts of six seasons astatine Cashman Field and was a semi-regular for the 51s successful 2012 erstwhile helium batted .333 with 16 homers and 52 RBIs successful 67 games.

Best of luck to erstwhile Las Vegas 51s catcher Travis d'Arnaud! https://t.co/vwXPA84LVZ pic.twitter.com/tM6PI4PM3k

— Las Vegas Aviators (@AviatorsLV) October 26, 2021

— Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman refused to instrumentality the winless Rebels consecutive up against UNR Friday nighttime (smart lady), but was palmy successful getting 20½ points successful a affable wager with Reno counterpart Hillary Schieve. She inactive volition upwind up wearing a UNR jersey astatine a forthcoming metropolis assembly gathering aft the Wolf Pack retained the Fremont Cannon 51-20.

Ready for a affable wager @MayorSchieve? I volition instrumentality UNLV +20.5 against UNR this weekend. Winner sends loser a 2XL T-Shirt of the winning schoolhouse to deterioration astatine an upcoming assembly meeting. Loser has to tweet a photograph wearing the garment implicit their assembly attire.

— Carolyn G. Goodman (@mayoroflasvegas) October 25, 2021

0:01

— To close a caller email, UNLV is not the worst squad successful assemblage shot past — astatine slightest not by winning percentage. Starting Saturday, the Rebels were ranked 122nd among the NCAA’s 130 teams with an all-time occurrence complaint of .389 — up of Eastern Michigan, Tulane, Vanderbilt, Texas-El Paso, Charlotte, Florida International, Georgia State and New Mexico State.

Contact Ron Kantowski astatine rkantowski@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-383-0352. Follow @ronkantowski connected Twitter.