Steve Reyes, a celebrated Hall of Fame drag racing photographer, has etched his name into the annals of motorsport history through his incredible ability to capture the adrenaline-fueled moments that define drag racing. His passion for photography and the roaring engines of race cars began in the early days of the sport, leading him to become one of its most revered chroniclers. With a career spanning several decades, Reyes has had his work featured in numerous prestigious automotive magazines, offering readers a front-row seat to some of the sport’s most unforgettable moments.
Each month, Reyes will share his wealth of knowledge and an exclusive collection of historical photographs with CompetitionPlus.com, bringing to life the vibrant stories behind each image.
From legendary racers battling it out on the strip to ground-breaking innovations in the drag racing world, Reyes’ images encapsulate the rich tapestry of the sport. Through his lens, fans can experience the emotion, excitement, and sheer power of drag racing as it unfolded over the years. His contributions not only honor the sport’s past but also inspire future generations of motorsport enthusiasts and photographers alike.
Get ready to journey through time with Reyes’ captivating photography as he unveils the legends of drag racing history.
The pride of Kalamazoo, Mich., Dick Loehr, is headed in the wrong direction with the stampede Ford Mustang AA/FC at Dallas, Tex., in 1969. Loehr would avoid the guardrail on this run, but just barely. Soon after this race, he would forgo the Funny Car class and become a Ford factory Pro Stock racer with a nice, shiny new Ford Maverick Pro Stock.
Utica, New York’s Phil Castronova had a big-time explosion with his Custom Body AA/FC at Indianapolis 1972. Castronova was not hurt, but the car was severely damaged. A Life magazine photographer captured his “boomer” and featured in a two-page spread. That’s one way to get “ink” for DragRacing in the early 1970s.
“Fearless” Fred Goeske was always a showman at the wheel of any of his many AA/FC’s and here in Irwindale, Ca., in 1972. He gives the fans at Irwindale a nice view of his Vega AA/FC undercarriage. Fred came down from his flight rather hard and bent the front end. But, hey, he put on a show for the Funny Car fans in the stands.
One of the worst things about Funny Car racing was fires; in 1973, 18 of them burned to the ground during this season. This was what remained of the Mickey Thompson Grand Am AA/FC with Butch Maas driving at Gainesville, Fla. The car was a total loss, and Butch was burned and lost one of his pinky fingers to the blaze. He would return to driving in Al Bergeler’s Motown Shaker a few months later. Thompson would have Dale Pulde in the all-new Pontiac Grand Am AA/FC.
This is one record no Funny Car owner back/driver would want, but Joe Winter set the altitude record for Funny Car bodies at Fremont, CA., in 1971. Joe’s body latch broke at the finish line, sending the Funny Car into the Fremont skies. Of course. The body returned to Earth with a thud and was destroyed. Joe just cruised down the shutdown area with his body-less Funny Car. Winter would return to racing in a few weeks with an all-new Mustang-bodied Funny Car.
“Flash Gordon” Mineo became an OCIR guardrail victim when he lost control on a routine burnout in 1972. His wayward Vega made a hard turn and plowed head-on into the guardrail, making the Vega a little bit shorter. Mineo was not hurt but had to make a quick trip to Mike Kaase’s chassis shop to repair the wounded Vega.
Lew Arrington and his Brutus GTO Funny Car had significant issues at Lions Dragstrip in 1967. Lew’s transmission exploded right off the starting line, sending red hot pieces everywhere. Amazingly, no one was injured, including Lew. Before that run, starter Larry Sutton told Lew he needed to wear fireproof gloves, or he couldn’t run Luther and borrowed a pair from Chi-town Hustler driver Pat Minick. Those gloves prevented Arrington from getting severe burns on his hands. After the cleanup of Lew’s transmission, he found Sutton and thanked him for insisting he wear the gloves.
Mike Miller took an interesting ride in his Funny Car during a run in 1971 at the old drag strip in Las Vegas. At the finish line, his roof collapsed, blocking his vision. Running almost 200 mph and not seeing where you’re going is not a good situation for a Funny Car driver. Mike did a little “off-roading” but kept the car upright and stopped it safely. Miller did reinforce the roof on his Funny Car so it would not happen again.
One of the Chevy-powered Funny Cars popular in SoCal in the 1970s was the King Rat driven and owned by Gervas O’Neil. The King Rat found too much traction at Irwindale in 1972, resulting in this huge wheelstand. O’Neil brought the high-flying Funny Car back to Mother Earth without too much front-end damage. At the next Funny Car event at Irwindale, Gervas rat into the guardrail and destroyed the car’s front end. That was the norm for Funny Car racing in SoCal in the early 1970s. Funny Cars often acted funny.
Billy Graham and his Million Dollar Baby AA/FC had a memorable run at the NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indy. Billy and his Monza-bodied Funny Car left the starting line with the front wheels about three feet in the air as the car was headed down the track. The body became unlatched from the chassis. Graham brought the car down, but not in time, as the body peeled off just past the tree. The body did not come completely off the car but folded back and was dragged behind the car, still hooked to the rear of the car. Nobody was hurt, but the Funny Car body had seen better days.
Some days, Funny Car racing isn’t very funny—case in point, Dallas, Texas, 1969. Pat Foster, driving Mickey Thompson’s red Mustang Mach One AA/FC, squared off against Gerry Schwartz, driving his Ratty Cat Cougar AA/FC. Foster had a mechanical issue just past the Christmas tree, which spun him around and into Schwartz’s path. Gerry had nowhere to go and hit Foster square in the driver’s side of the car. Both cars exploded on impact. Foster and his significantly damaged Ford slid down the race track, but Schwartz’s car rolled on top of the guardrail multiple times. Foster would walk away from the crash. Schwartz died at the scene.
