Author Archives: stevecole

Why should we look to the past in order to prepare for the future?

Because there is nowhere else to look…..

Legacy: Anything handed down from one generation to the following generations.

Art Chrisman dragrace-early-50ies-pioneering

Art Chrisman – Early 1950’s

This is a question drag racing and the industry must answer as each move forward in the 21 Century.

The number of surviving pioneers and legends in both drag racing and the automotive performance aftermarket continue to shrink.

Therein lays a unique – but very limited opportunity. Our sport and industry are very fortunate to still have among us enough of the pioneers who were there at the beginning. These legendary pioneers have the opportunity to provide the sport, the industry and the general public with a very intimate look at how a sport and an industry grew from the energy unleashed by the World War II’s returning veterans – how they and their contemporaries made and molded these dynamic facets of the American automotive market.

This opportunity to capture that intimate look at how we started and how we grew is the mission of the Quarter Mile Foundation, and its PROJECT 1320 multi-episode documentary film series. The Foundation is digitally filming interviews of these pioneers to get their perspective of their careers, the growth of the sport and/or the industry.

As we prepare for a New Year, we look back on the previous year to reflect on what we accomplished and how to improve for the New Year ahead as well as what will the year hold for us. I look at it as we survived where others are still struggling, but there is strength and determination to make it through times such as these. We grow stronger as the bond this industry carries will always be the very integral part of our survival.

As the Quarter Mile Foundation prepares for 2015, our journey to preserve and share what we were built on still has miles to go. The gap of bringing the past to our future is shrinking, we have made great strides and are very proud of our accomplishments because of those that have stood up and joined in as their beliefs have imaged ours.

It is never easy to ask for support and money. It is something I never had to do before until I started this foundation. I was very accustomed to folks coming to us at Mr. Gasket to ask for support, whether it was race sponsorship, discounts, longer terms on purchase orders, loans, free product, you name it we were there so others could survive, succeed and keep the wheels turning.

And so the tables are turned, I am in unfamiliar territory asking for support, yet I will not be deterred from our mission as Project 1320 is a very long overdue story of over 60 years of hard work, passion, love and the incredible tenacity to get up back on your feet whenever you fell down. The ingenuity to never stop improving, testing when you really didn’t have the right equipment to test with, the never ending ideals, traditions and relationships that have lasted throughout the test of time need to be told.

Quarter Mile Foundation will with your help bring the past to meet the future so those that our new generations that are new to our industry and also for those that will follow will understand what we have accomplished through our trials and tribulations, strengths and perseverance, love and passion.

Please join in and together as a family we will keep alive and share some extraordinary stories of what was so richly built.

Quarter Mile Foundation has many great programs of support that will fit any budget. All we need now is for you to stand up with the others and be a part of what we all feel is a part of our culture that needs to be told now.

Do you remember what it was like back in the day? How did you get to where you are? What did this industry give to you? I have to believe that for some, our pioneers were many of your mentors as I know who mine were.

Do we let them just fade away and not honor their accomplishments? Our pioneers started this painting for us; it is our responsibility to keep the brush in hand.

Please feel free to visit our website at quartermilefoundation.org for a listing of how you can become part of sharing the past with the future through Project 1320 or contact me directly at Hrudka@sbcglobal.net or 440.888.0088

Thank you for your time and consideration,

Traci Hrudka

MAVTV to telecast 2014 International Drag Racing Hall of Fame banquet

Ocala, Fla. – The Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing, home of the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame, has announced the 24^th annualInternational Drag Racing Hall of Fame presented by Lucas Oil induction banquet will be televised on the MAVTV cable channel.

The first airing will be made on the network’s “Inside Drag Racing” program on Thursday, October 2 at 1:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 12:30 PM Central, 11:30 AM Mountain and 10:30 AM Pacific.

The program was recorded on March 13, 2014 at the Paramount Plaza Hotel & Suites in Gainesville, Fla. The program will feature the introduction of the 2014 inductees – John Abbott, Al Bergler, Frank Hawley, Tom Hoover, Forrest Lucas and Warren Johnson, and Founder’s Award recipient Kenny Youngblood; and their acceptance speeches. Master of Ceremonies, the popular Bob Frey, will provide his insightful, and often humorous, commentaries.

The program will re-air on Thursday October 2 and Saturday, October 4. See below for all dates and airtimes.

DATE TIME 

October 2 1:30 PM Eastern, 12:30 PM Central, 11:30 AM Mountain, 10:30 AM Pacific

October 2 6:30 PM Eastern, 5:30 PM Central, 4:30 PM Mountain, 3:30 PM Pacific

October 4 10:30 AM Eastern, 9:30 AM Central, 8:30 AM Mountain, 7:30 AM Pacific

October 4 1:30 PM Eastern, 12:30 PM Central, 11:30 AM Mountain, 10:30 AM Pacific

All times are Daylight Savings Time

MAVTV is available on DISH and DIRECT TV satellite systems, as well as select cable systems.

NOTE: The 2015 IDRHOF Banquet is coming up on March 12th…Mark your calendars, -reserve your seats now. Contact Donna Garlits at the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing, 1-(877) 271-3278.

Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing nominated for international award

The British Drag Racing Hall of Fame has announced it has nominated The Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing to be honored with the “Museum Collection of the Year Award.” The Museum Collection of the Year Award is connected to the International Historic Motoring Awards, a prestigious automotive event which honors a number of individuals and groups each year for contributions and achievements in several categories. The winners will be honored at the St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel in London, England on November 20, 2014.

Brian Taylor, spokesman for the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame observed, “The Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing has long been a destination for drag racing fans, worldwide. Don’s contribution to the preservation of historic drag racing vehicles, and not merely his own, as well as uniforms, helmets and other memorabilia is a major reason why the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame chose to nominate the museum for this honor.”

He adds, “Because of the way the International Historic Motoring Awards process is structured, each ‘nomination’ is considered a ‘vote’ for that particular museum. The nominations are eventually reviewed, and the museums with the largest number of nominations are selected to go into the ‘Short List’ of six to determine the museum which receives the Museum Collection of the Year Award. The final selection is made by a panel of judges.

“We would hope the drag racers and fans in North America would go to the International Historic Motoring Awards website (http://www.historicmotoringawards.com/categories.php?view=1) and fill out the form to ‘nominate’ Don’s museum. The nomination process is the key to making the ‘short list’ for consideration. It is important to note, that being ‘short listed’ is considered to be a major honor by itself.”

Make this HAPPEN! Click the link (http://www.historicmotoringawards.com/categories.php?view=1), fill out the form and NOMINATE THE DON GARLITS MUSEUM OF DRAG RACING AS THE

2014 MUSEUM COLLECTION OF THE YEAR