This project was supported in whole or in part by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian Made accessible through a grant from the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation and Photo Friends
Photograph was edited for publication purposes In 1951, Sergeant Bud Coons and Pomona Police Chief Ralph Parker, in cooperation with local hot rodders, addressed the nuisance and dangers of illegal racing on public streets by leasing the parking lot of the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds to provide a safer and more controlled environment for drag racing. The result became the Pomona Raceway, also currently known as the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona and formerly known by it's nickname, 'The Fairplex.' The raceway became host to the first ever NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) event, the 1953 Southern California Championships, and the first NHRA Winternationals, in 1961. Featuring a quarter-mile dragstrip and a seating capacity of 40,000, the Pomona Raceway is currently host to both the NHRA Winternationals and NHRA Finals, both held annually. Photograph caption dated September 15, 1954 reads, "More and more attend Pomona's weekly event, filling grandstand each Sunday, while more stand or watch from parked cars. Some consider grandstand optional facility for drag strip, other think it indispensable. At table at right are score keepers; at left, photographer tries for new angle. Among shutterbugs on hand was man Time, Life and Fortune, getting shots for new national sports magazine."; See images #00140184 through #00140186 for all photos in this series.
Type
Image
Format
1 photographic print :b&w ;21 x 26 cm. Photographic prints
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