NHRA Founder Wally Parks Goes to the Big Dragstrip in the Sky
Luckily there was no NHRA POWERade Series racing last weekend so the NHRA world had time to digest the death of NHRA founder Wally Parks and 14 time NHRA champion John Force (called the Dale Earnhardt Sr. of drag racing by many) suffering his worst accident in over 30 years of drag racing. Obviously, everyone is hopeful the last three NHRA Championship races will be free of any major incidents. Great photo of Wally and John courtesy of NHRA. - FlA
John Force on Wally Parks Passing
Sunday, September 30, 2007
"I'm laying in the hospital after crashing at Dallas, thinking about Eric Medlen and his dad, like I do every day, and the call came in about the loss of Wally Parks. It saddened my heart. There couldn't be a greater loss for the sport because this is the individual who gave us a dream and gave us a playground. My thoughts and prayers are with the family and I just pray that Wally's legacy continues, that the NHRA's current commanders and chiefs take the sport to the level it deserves. NASCAR did it and, if we all work together, we can do it, too. Wally always said this was a family sport and no one knows that better than me. To have my family here during my recovery and to have my extended family of fans and friends sending their wishes has given me the heart to come back from the worst wreck of my career. If I can, I know I owe it to Wally because he saw something special in drag racing. I love this sport just like he did and we'll always have that bond."
John Force - #1 in Championship wins in NHRA history
John Force Racing Team Owner:
John Force, Top Fuel Funny Car
Robert Hight, Top Fuel Funny Car
Ashley Force, Top Fuel Funny Car
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Don Prudhomme's Comments on Wally Parks
Sunday, September 30, 2007
"I was always very close with Wally and Barbara as they both helped me tremendously in the early days of my career. As a young kid starting out, they both really took me under their wing, giving me advice and we had a special friendship. Both Wally and Barbara meant a whole lot to me. I’ve said before that when I look back at all the people I’ve met, not just in racing, but in life in general, I always think of them as people that I really loved and admired. It’s like losing a member of your family and it goes way beyond racing. Wally’s vision and what he represented is what we are all about. "
Don 'The Snake" Prudhomme:
5 Decades of NHRA Racing
#3 on the NHRA's list of Top 50 Drivers in the history of the sport
4 time NHRA Funny Car Champion
International Motorsports Hall of Fame Inductee
Motorsports Hall of Fame of America Inductee
NHRA Racing Teams owner winning 2 NHRA Top Fuel Championships
- - (2002, 2003) with Larry Dixon behind the wheel.
2007 NHRA Team Owner: Top Fuel Larry Dixon (#1 in Countdown Championship points)
2007 NHRA Team Owner: Top Funny Car Tommy Johnson Jr.
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Don Schumacher on Passing of NHRA Founder Wally Parks
Sunday, September 30, 2007
"Wally Parks was the founder, the inspiration and a role model for an entire industry. Not one of the 85 employees at Don Schumacher Racing would be doing what they do were it not for Wally's vision and commitment to NHRA for the past 56 years. Millions of fans would be spending their time and their resources on other endeavors. "I can't think of any other individual whose vision has been so much responsible for the success of a sports field. Wally had many admirable personal attributes, but his greatest legacy goes beyond the engineering and athletic feats of NHRA's 80,000 members; he is responsible for millions of friendships and careers among enthusiasts of the sport he took from the streets of Southern California to modern facilities throughout the world. "Wally is now reunited with his partner and soul mate Barbara. They will continue to provide a beacon of spiritual guidance for all of us who love drag racing."
Don Schumacher Racing Team Owner:
Tony Schumacher, U.S. Army Top Fuel Dragster
Gary Scelzi, Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car
Ron Capps, Brut Revolution Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car
Jack Beckman, Mail Terminal Services Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car
Richie Stevens Jr., Team Mopar/Valspar Dodge Stratus R/T Pro Stock
Antron Brown and Angelle Sampey, U.S. Army Pro Stock Motorcycles
