At the dawn of the 1950s, Santa Ana was little more than a sleepy outpost somewhere between Los Angeles and San Diego. Orange County was largely populated by citrus groves and berry farms, and Disneyland was still years from existence. But there was a humble airport ‘in the O.C.’ that was home to the very first commercial drag strip in America. Opened by C.J. ‘Pappy’ Hart in June of 1950, the Santa Ana Drags featured modern timing equipment, racing organized by classes, and a NHRA sanctioning. All of which paved the way for a modern, (and eventually safer) motorsport that got many hot rodders to stop street racing around Southern California. Check out this color 8mm footage short at the track during those early, pioneering years…
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