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Santa Ana Drags was the first drag strip in the United States.^[1] The strip was founded by C.J. "Pappy" Hart, Creighton Hunter and Frank Stillwell at the Orange County Airport auxiliary runway in southern California^[2] and was operational from June 19, 1950 until June 21, 1959^[2]^[3]

Making history

Many pioneers in drag racing began at Santa Ana. Art Chrisman, Don Yates, Calvin Rice, Joaquin Arnett,^[4] George "Ollie" Morris^[5] and others participated regularly.

The strip was created with $1000 startup money, and charged both spectators and participants 50 cents, of which 10% went directly to the owner of the airport.^[3] The strip installed timing clocks, so racers could actually get accurate times for each run. There was also a pit area, restrooms, a concession stand and primitive grandstands for spectators and plenty of parking.^[4] It was closed due to pressure from C.J Hart, whose wife had hired a private investigator to determine if Frank Stillwell was stealing money from the gate receipts in 1957.^[3]

Main Street Malt Shop and Santa Ana Drag Strip Reunion

Reunions are held twice a year, in April and October in Santiago Creek Park in Santa Ana, California,^[6] including the April 14, 2012 event. They are now organized by Leslie Long, after being organized by Bill and Marie Jenks previously.^[7]

References

^ "NHRA history: Drag racing's fast start". National Hot Rod Association. Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
^ ^a ^b Prieto, Don (1999). "Santa Ana Drags... The End of an Era". wediditforlove.com. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c Wallace, Dave (September 6, 2012). "Santa Ana Drags, 1950–1959". Hot Rod magazine. Motortrend. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
^ ^a ^b Madagan, Tom (2007). Fuel & Guts: The Birth of Top Fuel Drag Racing. Motorbooks - MBI Publishing. pp. 19–21, 33. ISBN 978-0-7603-2697-8. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
^ Post, Robert C. (2001). High Performance The Culture and Technology of Drag Racing 1950-2000. Baltimore, Maryland: The Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 38. ISBN 0-8018-6664-2.
^ Parks, Richard (October 1, 2011). "Main Street Malt Shop and Santa Ana Drag Strip Reunion (2011)". HotRodOnline. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
^ Parks, Richard (April 14, 2012). "The Main Street Malt Santa Ana Drags Reunion". HotRodOnline. Retrieved March 17, 2013.