The (One and Only) Wally

The (One and Only) Wally

A conversation with the father of drag racing

by: Jackie Ling

2/12/2004

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After meeting Wally Parks, most will walk away with a new appreciation of the phrase � �been there, done that�. This is especially true if you have a single ounce of motor oil in your veins.

At 91, Wally Parks' name is still inseparable from any discussion about the early days of hot rodding or drag racing. His roles in the founding of the NHRA, Hot Rod Magazine, and the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) have ensured that.

Parks' obsession with speed began early in his high school years, during which he built stripped down Model-T Fords and Chevy fours for street and desert speed trial forays. In 1937, he helped form the SCTA that is still the oldest active organization of hot rod car clubs. Ten years later in 1947, he helped Bob Peterson and Bob Lindsay establish Hot Rod Magazine and became its first editor. Later in 1949, he set up the campaign that opened the famed Bonneville Salt Flats for hot rod speed runs.

But it was his 1951 project that sport compact enthusiasts will most identify with � the establishment of the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). As the premier drag racing sanctioning body in the world, as well as the worlds largest motorsports sanctioning body, the NHRA literally invented the sport of drag racing as a response to a growing problem of illegal and deadly street racing. Today, the NHRA�s legacy continues for the newest drag racing fans � import and sport compact drag racing enthusiasts.

For 2004, the NHRA Summit Sport Compact Drag Racing Series is entering its fourth and biggest year ever while the NHRA POWERade series continues its 50-plus year tradition of the quickest and fastest racing on the planet with international stars like John Force, Kenny Bernstein, and Warren Johnson. One of the highest honors in drag racing competition remains winning an NHRA trophy � a sculpted bronze trophy that features a figure (modeled in the �spirit of Wally Parks�) alongside a drag radial that is known simply as �the Wally�.

And just as he has done for five decades, Wally Parks will be following closely � at home and on the sidelines. Though he is well into retirement years, Wally still serves on the NHRA�s board of directors and attends events � national and even local scale � whenever he can (often with wife Barbara alongside him).

In fact, we spent time with Wally during a few days in December at Pomona Raceway� a couple of chilly days that most people who don�t need to be anywhere would probably sleep in. Parks was on the sidelines to check out a group of automotive journalists take a crack at a couple of invited Toyota drag racers (which is as exciting as watching your overweight gym teacher try to play basket ball) as part of the Toyota Performance Challenge � just as he does at the NHRA Mazda Sport Compact World Finals every year.

An opportunity to pick the brains of the man who made drag racing a hobby, a sport, a living, - a reality, for millions of people doesn�t come along too often. So when Parks kindly agreed to a few questions, we immediately sat with him for a few minutes and talked to him about a few topics - including the parallels and differences between the rise of sport compact drag racing today and drag racing in its infancy. The following are excerpts from our conversation.

URC:	When did you first notice the import/sport compact drag racing scene?
WP:	A little over five years ago, the NHRA assisted in the organization of the SEMA Auto Salon that was being held at the Pomona Fairgrounds (the site of Pomona Raceway and the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum). Jim Skelly (now the Racing Competition Director of the NHRA Sport Compact Series) was there and saw how excited the highly enthusiastic and ethnically diverse crowd was about drag racing � ultimately he saw an opportunity for the NHRA to safely grow the sport for this new generation of drag racing fans as it had did over fifty years earlier for a different generation.
URC:	What are you thoughts about the future of Sport Compact Drag Racing?
WP:	I think its great. It will continue to be a headlining sport for years to come. It has great spectator appeal already and the series will keep growing with time.
URC:	What are some of the parallels between the beginnings of import/sport compact drag racing and the first organized drag racing five decades ago?
WP:	Well, I think the goals were the same as they are today � to safely compete in an environment that will bring out the highest levels of motorsports competition. Obviously, the technology available today makes for a big difference in how fast the sport is developing � that�s all technology, from the cars to the media � but it just all still comes down to the competitors. Whether in imports or hot rods, these guys share the same impulse to go faster than the guy next to him.
URC:	What do you think is the greatest challenge for sport compact drag racing�s growth?
WP:	For a motorsport to successfully survive, a sophisticated balance between the racers, the fans, the sponsors, and the sanctioning body needs to be achieved. Right now, the obvious challenge is the need for more sponsorships, but that goes for any motorsports series. The talent and the fans are there already. Basically, in the beginning, everybody involved shares the challenge to grow the sport.
URC:	When did you realize that drag racing was going to succeed as a professional motorsport?
WP:	There are so many moments that come to mind, but one that is particularly memorable happened in 1959. We were in Detroit at the Detroit Dragway for the U.S. Nationals. It was a great turnout and there was excitement coming from carmakers, the press, and fans alike. I was on the sidelines when I turned to see Chevrolet�s Chief Engineer Ed Cole betting Chrysler VP Tex Colbert who�s car would win the event � that was an unforgettable moment.

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