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Parma Heights, Ohio (23 June 2011) – The Quarter Mile Foundation has announced it has collected an additional 16 film interviews for the PROJECT 1320 documentary film series at the recently completed NHRA/Holley Hot Rod Reunion at Beech Bend Raceway (Bowling Green, Ky.) on June 16-18. The PROJECT 1320 documentary series chronicles the history of the pioneers of drag racing and the performance aftermarket from the late 1940’s through to the end of the 1980s.
The interviews were conducted by noted drag racing journalist/historian Don Gillespie over the course of the three day event. “It was an honor at Bowling Green to sit down with a terrific cross-section of the literal legends of the sport, especially from the east and mid-west region, and record firsthand recollections of drag racing’s evolution, their individual careers and friendships, on-track triumphs and tragedies. These are the faces – and voices – of our sport’s history, and the quest for interviews remains vastly important as the Foundation continues its efforts to create awareness and secure vital membership assistance at major drag races across the United States,” said Gillespie.
“Just listening to these individuals is not only important insight, but a real treat, as well. When you stop and think of the era in which they raced, the machinery they created – much of it by hand, and the mechanical behemoths they strapped themselves in to, plus the achievements and trial-and-error lessons learned, it is truly an amazing presentation. I’m sure viewers will not only enjoy their serious and sometimes tearful tales, but the content which traces exactly how our sport progressed from humble, post-war, hot rod beginnings to the professional form of 300 mile-per-hour entertainment it has become.”
Foundation Chairman Traci Hrudka commented, “We were able to get to some very significant racers who competed in a variety of classes. Don (Gillespie) again was able to pull out a tremendous range of emotions from these guys, as well as capture significant historical information.
“I want to thank the team of the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum for their tremendous support to make this all come together. Greg Sharp, Tony Thacker and Steve Gibbs and the rest of staff made the train run on time. I also want to send a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to Jeff Stange and Strange Engineering for their timely donation to make this set of interviews a reality!”
Below is the list of the interviews obtained at the NHRA/Holley Hot Rod Reunion:
- Al “Mousie” Marcellus
- George “Bushmaster” Schreiber
- Gene Altizer
- Bobby Langley
- Al Bergler
- Kenny Hirata
- Bob Muravez (aka Floyd Lippincott, Jr.)
- Hubert Platt
- Bruce Larson
- Jim Oddy
- Bill Pryor
- Steve Gibbs
- Don Garlits
- George Montgomery
- Jerry Baltes
- Steve Reyes
This brings the total number of interviews completed to 50.