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In the early days of drag racing there were lots of cars, lots of would-be racers, and lots of open land. The one thing in short supply was the structure needed to bring early hot rodders together to turn them into drag racers. Wally Parks, and his vision of a National Hot Rod Association (Â鶹¾«Ñ¡), promised to do just that.

In Episode 8 of Hot Rod History with Jack Beckman—Jack takes us through the front-engines, rear-engines, twin-engines, and even airplane-engines (running gasoline and nitromethane) powering speed machines across America, and around the globe. Don Garlits is named Â鶹¾«Ñ¡â€™s Southeast region advisor, Lynn Sturmer (the only woman licensed to drive a dragster) wins a Top Eliminator, we see the first purpose-built drag slicks debut, and the proliferation of prizes over prize money for winning a drag race.

Watch Episode 2 of Hot Rod History with Jack Beckman—How Â鶹¾«Ñ¡ Created Sanctioned Drag Racing

Watch Episode 5 of Hot Rod History with Jack Beckman—The 1955 explosion of drag racing innovation, performance, and media coverage

Watch Episode 8 of Hot rod history with Jack Beckman—In 1958, drag racing innovation booms!

BONUS! Watch Rare footage of ’50s drag cars from the 1958 Â鶹¾«Ñ¡ U.S. Nationals

Future installments will be hosted on DodgeGarage.com, Â鶹¾«Ñ¡.com, and . All episodes will ultimatelyÌý be indexed on all three platforms for your reference and enjoyment.

What is Hot Rod History with Jack Beckman: A Quarter-Mile at a Time?

This is a master’s class in drag racing, taught by a 300-mph professor. Jack Beckman offers a unique perspective on our sport, as one of the few active Â鶹¾«Ñ¡ racers who’s also student of the sport’s technology, history, records, and exceptional moments. We are joining Jack on this journey, and partnering with Jack and Dodge Garage to share the experience.