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- 1933 Willys Drag Racer - When machinist George Montgomery started racing in 1953, all drag racers were amateurs with "real jobs" supporting their hobby. This car helped change all that. Montgomery bought an old Willys in 1958 and built a dragster so successful that promoters started paying him to run at drag strips nationwide. In 1966, Montgomery became one of drag racing's first full-time professional drivers.
- 1933
- Collections - Artifact
1933 Willys Drag Racer
When machinist George Montgomery started racing in 1953, all drag racers were amateurs with "real jobs" supporting their hobby. This car helped change all that. Montgomery bought an old Willys in 1958 and built a dragster so successful that promoters started paying him to run at drag strips nationwide. In 1966, Montgomery became one of drag racing's first full-time professional drivers.
- Crash Helmet Worn by Drag Racers Bob Thompson and Sam Buck, circa 1960 - Sam Buck and/or Bob Thompson wore this helmet in the Slingshot Dragster they raced in the early 1960s. Their Bell 500-TX helmet was top of the line at the time, used by professional drivers in stock cars and Indy cars. But its open-face design and relatively thin interior padding would make it unacceptable in any form of organized motorsport today.
- circa 1960
- Collections - Artifact
Crash Helmet Worn by Drag Racers Bob Thompson and Sam Buck, circa 1960
Sam Buck and/or Bob Thompson wore this helmet in the Slingshot Dragster they raced in the early 1960s. Their Bell 500-TX helmet was top of the line at the time, used by professional drivers in stock cars and Indy cars. But its open-face design and relatively thin interior padding would make it unacceptable in any form of organized motorsport today.
- Visor Worn by Drag Racers Bob Thompson and Sam Buck, circa 1960 - The face shield illustrates the state of driver safety in drag racing during the early 1960s. The plastic face shield protected drivers from wind and debris, but would have provided only marginal protection in the event of an engine explosion.
- circa 1960
- Collections - Artifact
Visor Worn by Drag Racers Bob Thompson and Sam Buck, circa 1960
The face shield illustrates the state of driver safety in drag racing during the early 1960s. The plastic face shield protected drivers from wind and debris, but would have provided only marginal protection in the event of an engine explosion.