15 Comments:

• I do remember the Orange County Airport. My cousins lived on the other side of baker st. I think the area was called Santa Ana Heights. On Baker st behind the airport was where they kept all the old ww11 planes, and my cousins and I used to play on them, sometimes pretending to be pilots. I also remember the Orange County Raceway. My brother belonged to the Orange County Timing Assoc. That was in the early 60's. I was born in Santa Ana, and grew up there. I left to join the Army in 68, and only returned to Orange County in 2002. I have gone back to my old neighbor hood, and it is nothing at all like it was when I was a kid. I just can't begin to explain that, it would take a book. But time marches on, and its nice to be living in Orange County.

  By  charlie, at July 17, 2007 1:23 PM  

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• I had been to the "Santa Ana Airport" as a kid on and off over the years when I lived there. My first trip to a drag race was there on a very hot sunny August Saturday afternoon, 1959. My friend Hank Avis was a car guy and we both were just about beyond reality looking over the various drag cars! it was just unreal! Well, the day progressed into one race after another, then the Chrysler powered COOK and BEDWELL digger came on the line! The noise was horrific, the tire smoke coupled with fuel fumes caused a seven alarm headache! The speed was unbeleivable for the time, 148 MPH in the quarter mile! Oh my, not to be out done by that the twin engined(Chev Powered, side by side no less, blown fuel)Howard Cams special "TWIN BEARS" lines up and is push started and roars to life! What a noise, I thought Hank was gonna faint! We were about thirty feet behind this thing when the driver (Jack Chrisman) nails the throttle and launches into the afternoon sun! My Dad picked us up later that afternoon, my ears ached, head hurt and so did Hanks, we just talked and talked about the noise and the speed and the did you see this and that! For years after I would go to the drags races at Lions in Long Beach, Colton, etc. Pamona became the real event as years went by, some of the fastest drag cars on the face of the earth make their debut at Pamona. Well for sure, Santa Ana Airport, C.J.Hart, started a real something back then, was really something to have been there!

  By  Anonymous, at July 18, 2007 5:51 PM  

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• My father was the first air traffic control chief at Orange County Airport in 1958. They annexed land and began to expand the airport. I was too young to go to the drags in the mid 50s, but heard many stories. They named the control tower road after my father when he passed away in 1968 in Tucson, AZ... Randy Jones (Son of Ike Jones)

  By  Anonymous, at August 22, 2007 12:13 AM  

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• It was May of 1952...we had moved
  to Lido Isle from Sunland. It was
  a big deal. My parents had to sell
  all but one car and my dad kept his
  '32 Ford Coupe...which he had chopped himself. He was running
  a Vic Edelbrock prepared 59-A block
  with 4 Stromberg 97's and Edelbrock
  Heads... We moved in on Saturday
  and my dad was supposed to start
  his new job in Brea on Monday. Well, we took the Ford to The Santa Ana Dragstrip and turned 98.5
  MPH...The Coupe was not even painted...dark primer only and we didn't even have floorboards. Everyone said...boy is that car fast...but it is so ugly! On
  the last run of the day...Dad
  blew the transmission and my folks
  friends from Lakewood had to take
  us to stay with them Sunday night
  and then take Dad to work in Brea
  to start his new job the next day.
  Luckily, he was going into sales
  and they gave him a company car.
  A new '52 Ford 2 door!

  By  Ron & Anna Winship, at September 20, 2007 9:31 PM  

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• My mother worked as a waitress in the Orange county airport restaurant and has told me many stories of the dragstrips. I remember the airport back in the 60's. My grandmother had her pilot's license and we flew out of OC many times. What wonderful memories!!!!!

  By  Terry Lynn, at October 11, 2007 2:02 PM  

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• Lets not forget O.C.I.R. or the Orange County International Raceway
  ...Leo

  By  leogent, at January 04, 2008 9:09 PM  

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• creativeI was the youngest member of the Orange County Timing Association. My older brother Greg and I used to go to the meetings they had at Anaheim High School. One of the local papers back then published an article along with a picture of my brother and I having Holly Hendrich signing an Entry form While sitting in the Schaeffer Clutch Special. A great looking rear engine dragster with flamed body. I still have the photo they gave us. This was the early sixties. The money from the OCTA dues help put OCIR on the map. Matt Holmes

  By  Anonymous, at March 12, 2008 11:38 AM  

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• Does anyone remember a Thomas Brooks. He is said to have been a founding member of Orange county timing assn. He ran a green colored fiat altered. I believe he did motor and body work for many racers.
  
  Thanks

  By  Anonymous, at March 25, 2008 8:24 AM  

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• I was the Divisional Director of OCTA, the Orange County Timing Assn. Our goal was to build a drag strip in Orange County and I signed on over 2000 OCTA members, each getting a membership card. Jack DeBord, from Muncie, Indiana founded OCTA. We held fundraising events like car washes and a car show at OC Fairgounds where Dick Dale played. Bill Thomas in Anaheim was building Chevy powered sports cars and he was one of our sponsors at events. Mike Jones worked for him. We failed to find land to build a strip but were in contact with the Irvine Company...but they wanted to own the drag strip and let us work there but Jack said no. We ran out of money and disbanded but Mike Jones stayed in touch with Joan Irvine and that led to the building of Orange County International Raceway in Irvine. Mike managed it for a while.
  
  Dave W.

  By  Anonymous, at April 03, 2008 5:19 PM  

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• Tom Brooks was indeed an engine builder based in an old house on Chapman Ave in Orange. He was one of the many people involved with the Orange County Timing Association, along with Jack Ford, Dave Wise, two brothers who worked for the Anaheim Bulletin newspaper, and of course Jack DeBord, founder of OCTA. Jack's brother ran the drag strip in Muncie Indiana and Jack would phone him often to get advice on how to find land and raise money to builds a drag strip in Orange County.

  By  Anonymous, at April 03, 2008 5:23 PM  

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• I was born in 1947. We lived in Santa Ana and my Father, Harvey Malcolmson, owned Harvey's Auto Glass at 302 E. First St. My Father sponsored a race car (back in the day...early 50's) driven by a fellow named Ollie. All I remember is that Ollie's car was white, shaped like a bullet & on the side of it, it said Harvey's Auto Glass with the address. I wonder if anyone remembers this? I can be reached at 714.528.1141 or rose.malcolmson@gmail.com Oh yea, those were the days; 3 lanes to the beach; the middle was for passing only; there were no freeways or shopping malls, just the good old days! P.S. My Father is still alive & will be 93 in August!

  By  Anonymous, at April 24, 2008 6:09 PM  

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• Hello everyone. I live in a small town called KIng City. My brother and some friends and I are tring to host some drag races at our local airport, the only thing that we are runing into is how we get the FFA to allow us to close the airport dow for a day or two. I would realy like for some one to help us out. thanks..........

  By  slim, at August 31, 2008 12:13 AM  

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• My father in law, William "Bill" Sanders raced dragsters at this track in the 1950's against the likes of Don Garlits. Now 83 years old, I'm looking for any photos of stories from back then for a tribute to his early innovations in the sport. I think he said CJ Hart was the starter.

  By  Anonymous, at September 08, 2008 12:53 PM  

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• My family had long time ties to the founders of the Santa Ana Drags. My dad "Ronnie" was a neighbor of Creighton Hunter of Hunter Oil Company on First St in S.A. My dad just gave me a cast iron green oil tank truck that Creighton gave him in the late 1930s. It's my guess this was a promo for Hunter Oil. Creighton's parents would take him downtown to Main St for an ice cream back then.
  My mom (Patti) was a friend of Joan Hart (CJ's and Peggy's daughter)in high school and they sold hot dogs together at the races in the early 50s. Peggy would drop Joan off at school and my dad said she would usually burn out when leaving upsetting the faculty.I have many cool things that they have given me recently such as an original unused decal,stick pin and pictures they took.
  Keep on sharing. darboo55@yahoo.com

  By  Anonymous, at September 10, 2008 6:23 AM  

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• Our family vacationed in Balboa beginning in the 40s. They bought a waterfront cottage just doors from where we rented. Coming from the San Fernando Valley, as a teenager in the fun 50's we used to watch the drag races on San Fernando Blvd. in the Valley. But to come down to the Air Strip in Orange County was even a bigger thrill with more souped up cars, screaming kids, and the noise....loved the noise. Forgot about those days....thanks for the memories!

  By  Anonymous, at September 22, 2008 10:15 AM  

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