Death at Drag strip in San Antonio Texas in November of 1969

[steelfingers]

As a kid, I loved watching racing live, particularly drag racing (TOP FUEL). Those few seconds from the tree lighting up to the time and speed posted, were the most exciting moments I could remember. From the noise to the smells of oil and rubber, was heaven.
Anyway, I was talking to a guy about racing and he said I had gone to the drag races with his dad in November of 69 and there was was a death on the track. I don't remember that or maybe it was a qualifier and we had left. I don't know.
Any of you gear heads remember any deaths at San Antonio in 69 drag racing?

 

[swampratt]

Awful.
Maybe you can find it here.

Drag Strip Deaths

The most comprehensive website focusing on drag race driver fatalities on the Web. Includes all vital information, photos of car/driver, links to video clips, etc.

dragstripdeaths.webs.com

And I think that was called Double Eagle Drag strip and then later mid 60's or so became San Antonio Drag Raceway.

My google Foo.

 

[Ryan500L]

May have been Dickie Harrell, he was one of the original funny car guys.

 

[swampratt]

Dickie died in Canada.

Motorsport Memorial -

The objective of the Motorsport Memorial website is to honour the memory of all those that paid motorsport’s saddest price - by remembering their histories, reviewing their careers, celebrating their victories, cherishing their lives.

www.motorsportmemorial.org

That 1969 Gibb Camaro is the reason I gathered parts for a 427" BBC that I have not assembled.

 

[Ryan500L]

Dickie died in Canada.

Motorsport Memorial -

The objective of the Motorsport Memorial website is to honour the memory of all those that paid motorsport’s saddest price - by remembering their histories, reviewing their careers, celebrating their victories, cherishing their lives.

www.motorsportmemorial.org

That 1969 Gibb Camaro is the reason I gathered parts for a 427" BBC that I have not assembled.

Thanks for the info. He was from New Mexico I think.

 

[Snattlerake]

@swampratt, now I remember where your username came from Swampratt! Big Daddy's car's names!

Swampratt 14 was the first rear engined car that Don designed after the last one cut itself in half along with his foot.
I remember one particular Big Daddy Don Garlits' commercial on TV. "When I take a Sunday drive...it lasts only six seconds!" Then the camera breaks away to Don in his drag suit, goggles, mask and helmet sitting in the cockpit of his rail and launching toward the camera, then pulls back and gets a side shot of a 200+ MPH rail flashes by then the parachute spinning at the end.

Funny thing about those type commercials, I can never remember what he was hawking.

 

[Chuckie]

As a kid, I loved watching racing live, particularly drag racing (TOP FUEL). Those few seconds from the tree lighting up to the time and speed posted, were the most exciting moments I could remember. From the noise to the smells of oil and rubber, was heaven.
Anyway, I was talking to a guy about racing and he said I had gone to the drag races with his dad in November of 69 and there was was a death on the track. I don't remember that or maybe it was a qualifier and we had left. I don't know.
Any of you gear heads remember any deaths at San Antonio in 69 drag racing?

As a kid I almost lived at our local drag strip (Lions Drag Strip, Long Beach, CA-IIRC) usually in or around the pits (pass required and always purchased). Some of my best young adult memories.

 

[steelfingers]

As a kid I almost lived at our local drag strip (Lions Drag Strip, Long Beach, CA-IIRC) usually in or around the pits (pass required and always purchased). Some of my best young adult memories.

Long beach was just down the road from me at Riverside. Wow. Times were different then. Everywhere there was drags races and funny cars were the rage. Every little town or big city was part of circuits. Don G was a hero to me as a kid. I know a guy that worked for him/with him (depends on how many beers he's got in him) but has a couple of old pictures of him and some big dogs.
I lived on hot rod comics.
That was so fun and I was lucky to have some friends who's big bros were into building dragsters and some of the coolest funny cars in the business.
Custom garage roadsters were the best. The bigger the breather the better chance at the chicks.
The cruise was cool in every town. All you had to have is a great car and find that drag around town and you hd it made.
I don't think many folks really know how fun that stuff was. No EPA and fake fuel either. If you can build an engine that can snap a chassis in half, you could get it tagged. Ha.