Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (Tucson)

After four years without it, the Jaycees worked to bring supervised drag racing back to Tucson in 1956. The first race ran on a runway at the air base on April 29, 1956, with over a hundred entries and 23 class trophies. It was NHRA-sanctioned, and the Tucson Timing Association followed with weekly racing, then monthly races in 1957. Emory Cook took top eliminator at 155 mph before 5,000 spectators on June 17, 1957. On August 17, 1958, Red Greth ran 154.25 mph in the Fisher-Greth Tucson Service Station Supply roadster. In a special match race, Bob Huebner’s jalopy coupe crossed the starting line already doing 90 mph while Greth started from a standstill, and Huebner won by only a car length. A Chrysler-powered dragster sponsored by Service Station Supply took top eliminator at 157 mph before 800 spectators on September 21, 1958. Chris Karamesines broke the strip record with 8.39 seconds at 174 mph on November 15, 1959. On March 27, 1960, Greth ran an unofficial world record 8.03 but couldn’t back it up within 2 percent. The NHRA Southwest Regional on October 30, 1960, drew 1,300 people, and Fred Dobney and The Strollers split top eliminator, with a top speed of 176.64 mph and a 9.51 ET. Greth set a track record of 174.03 mph in his “Speed Sport III” roadster on November 19, 1961. Before leaving on a national tour, the Fisher-Greth turbine-powered “Speed Sport IV” dragster set the track ET record of 8.75 at 161.98 mph on June 17, 1962. Monthly racing stopped in March 1963 when the Air Force started storing surplus B-47 jet bombers on the racing runway. The Air Force had also objected to charging admission. That ended drag racing at the base.