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The Quarter Mile Foundation is working with noted drag racing television producer John Mullin and the Mullin Production Group, to create a multiple episode documentary about drag racing – its birth, growth and how the supporting performance automotive aftermarket industry built up around it. It will cover the people, the vehicles, the races, the technology and the entrepreneurs that made up drag racing from the post-war 1940s through the dawn of computerization in the late 1980s.
Using the working title of PROJECT 1320, the episodes will cover each decade of drag race history from the late 1940s and 1950s to the end of the 1980s. It will include key figures in drag racing history, aftermarket innovations that made their way into mainstream automotive technology, the influence of corporate sponsorship, major racetracks and their owners, and the birth and growth of the sanctioning bodies that govern drag racing.
More than just a historical archive, the documentary will bring the daring, genius and excitement of drag racing to a new audience, and a new generation of racing fans. It will be composed of both first-person interviews with drag race and performance aftermarket greats and archival footage that brings the sport to life.
Because the Quarter Mile Foundation members are veterans of drag racing and the performance aftermarket industry, they are uniquely positioned to portray an insider’s view of the sport. The documentary crew has access to the big names in drag racing and the industry. The model for the series is based upon the work of the well-known documentary film maker Ken Burns (“Jazz”, “Baseball”, “The National Parks” and other highly regarded films on the Public Broadcast System – PBS).
Interviews have already been filmed with legends including Carroll Shelby, Louie Senter, Joe Amato, Linda Vaughn, Dave McClelland, Jon Lundberg, Bill “Speedy” Smith, and Ed Iskendarian, Alex Xydias, Joe Mondello, Tom “TC” Lemmons, Ray Godman and many others.
To illustrate the stories and lives of the pioneers, PROJECT 1320 has been granted access to the archives of the Wally Parks-NHRA Museum, Peterson Automotive Museum, the Specialty Equipment Market Association (the trade association of performance aftermarket manufacturers), plus numerous individuals and estates. These organizations and individuals hold vast quantities of unreleased, never-before-seen footage in 8 mm, Super 8, 16 mm and 35mm formats, plus still photography. This footage and photos will be digitized for inclusion in the documentary.
The pilot episode of the twenty-five episode series will be a feature-length documentary showing the highlights and shining stars of drag race history. The documentary is designed to appeal to both drag racing enthusiasts and newcomers.