6th Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion Honoree discusses drag racing in the 1960s and ’70s

In the late ’60s and early ’70s, Ohio was a hot bed of dragster

activity, and Jim Walther was consistently one of top performers of the

nitro class. Walther gained national prominence in 1972 by driving his

"Special Edition" machine to NHRA Top Fuel World Championship honors

over the nation’s best racers. In addition to racing, Walther an

Honoree at the 6th annual Holley National Hot Rod Reunion, June 13-15,

Beech Bend Raceway Park, dedicated more than 40 years to the production

of top quality speed equipment.

6th Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion Honoree discusses drag racing in the 1960s and ’70s

In the late ’60s and early ’70s, Ohio was a hot bed of dragster activity, and Jim Walther was consistently one of top performers of the nitro class. Walther gained national prominence in 1972 by driving his "Special Edition" machine to NHRA Top Fuel World Championship honors over the nation’s best racers. In addition to racing, Walther an Honoree at the 6th annual Holley National Hot Rod Reunion, June 13-15, Beech Bend Raceway Park, dedicated more than 40 years to the production of top quality speed equipment.

1. How does it feel to be an Honoree for the 6th Annual Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion? What does the Reunion mean to you?

Jim Walther:  Any award you get at this stage of the game is humbling. I’d like to thank all who voted me the award. I’m honored and it will be great fun to be an Honoree at the Reunion. I drove Top Fuel for 18 years because I loved doing it. We all loved what we were doing back then. I was happy to be a part of it. To me, the Reunion is about reliving the past with your old racer buddies again. Unfortunately, we’re losing too many of them. But it will be great seeing everyone in Bowling Green. We’re like a brotherhood. Even if I haven’t seen or spoken to some of the guys in years, the second we get together, it seems like yesterday. 

2. When you started racing in the ’60s, did you think you’d be honored years later? Are you surprised that people remember your racing exploits?

Walther: I don’t think anybody racing in the ’60s ever imagined they’d be remembered and honored years later. Darn near everyone back then did something else besides racing to keep them going. But it was fun, always trying to make the cars go faster and faster and beat your competitors. When I go to national events it’s surprising how many younger people know who you are and what you’ve done. It’s very gratifying and humbling. They know the history of the sport. I’m proud to have gone through it, from the short-shift clutch to the 134-inch wheel base. It’s been an evolution.

3. What are some of your fondest (and funniest) memories about drag racing in the ’60s and ’70s? What do you miss most about the "old days?"

Walther: We were a pretty raw group of racers back then. After a race we’d put the car in a box, pull it back to the hotel, take a shower and hit the bar until 2. We had to be up early to get in line to qualify. There was no set time back then – you just got in line. Sometimes I’d be strapped in the car with my fire suit on for 90 minutes. At Indy in 1970 there were 107 Top Fuel cars. You worked on your car while waiting in line. We didn’t have the luxury of going back to the trailer.

Today it’s a lot different – more corporate-oriented. I’m not sure you could have the fun and camaraderie we had, but I understand it. When I think of the stuff I raced in the ’60s, I thought I was invincible. Driving the front-motor cars, whew, that was a shot of adrenalin. I didn’t need to do any dope: driving at night with the flames shooting out of the headers at you was about as high as I was going to get. 

4. Are you surprised at the popularity of nostalgia drag racing? Why do you think people enjoy it so much?

Walther: I think it’s great. It’s bringing back memories from the past by bringing the history and evolution of the sport to modern spectators. I’m amazed the number of front-engine cars racing today. Nostalgia racing is also more affordable, no doubt about it. It still takes money to run, but I’ve found if you were a successful racer on the track, you were also successful in business and life, too. So now you have more cars running and more people watching. Younger kids appreciate seeing older cars. Most of the people who go the Reunions in Bowling Green and Bakersfield hang around the cars. They are in awe of the sling-shot cars. We thought they were state-of-the-art back then.

5. What do you think of drag racing today compared to when you were on the circuit?

Walther: On one hand it’s great and on the other hand it’s not so good. The average guy can’t get into racing like he once could. Now you have to have the money. Today’s tracks are so much better than what we ran on. It’s funny: a lot of drivers today bitch about getting ‘a good lane or the bad lane.’ In my day it was just asphalt; like driving on a two-lane street. We also had only 60 minutes between rounds in a 32-car show.and no air tools!

The drivers today deserve respect – they are very good. In a 300 mph car, anything can happen. Expect the unexpected. Anyone who straps in is grabbing a tiger by the tail. They deserve respect. I take my hat off to Tim Wilkerson. He’s a throwback to the old days. He’s been so good for so long. He’s as good as there is – a true racer. I pull for him every damn week.