1958 Hot Rod Nationals: Ingenuity in Action

Hot Rod Magazine put together this great film back in 1950s with a look at the 1958 Hot Rod Nationals in Detroit. As they describe drag racing at the Hot Rod Nationals, it’s “half a mile of asphalt:  a quarter mile to race on and a quarter mile to slow down in.”

It’s great to see this classic video. Although the cars only pushed 500 horsepower and ran the 1/4 mile in a bit under 10 seconds, these drivers were on the edge of what could be achieved in the late 1950s and the races where thrilling and dangerous.