Famous Photogs Show Their Stuff at Indy & Famoso
By Dave Wallace
Photography by Sky Wallace and Dave Wallace

INDY WINNER - Dragfest winner Kaye Trapp received a James Ibusuki artist proof from HRN for this shot of Norm Weekly, Ron Rivero, Jim Fox and Dennis Holding. The Frantic Four were a dominant Top Fuel team in the early 1960s. (Imagine a comparable photo of a winning NHRA team today, with the multiple race cars and personnel involved.) Our judges felt that Trapp captured the purity and innocence of that era.

Against my better judgement, I've allowed this publication and myself to become responsible for determining "winners" of prestigious photo contests conducted at two major annual events: the Dragfest collectibles show (Indianapolis) and the California Hot Rod Reunion (Famoso). I didn't listen when my judgement reminded me that (1) there's no flippin' way that anyone's qualified to compare an art form as subjective and varied as the photography of race cars and racers; (2) there's a possibility that two photographers a year will still want to be my friend, while the rest will suddenly stop speaking whenever I enter a room;

INDY - Bob Snayko's photo books rewarded Karen Minick and Kenny Youngblood with an unpublished shot of Karen's dad in the first Mopar that Pat Minick and John Farkonas campaigned.

(3) attending these multiday events from setup to teardown requires a considerable investment in travel and payroll expenses; (4) if our small staff actually had the spare time twice a year to write and send out 60-plus contest invitations, then field calls from interested photographers, then unpack and transport and repack and return their prints with the degree of care that these irreplaceable treasures deserve, this publication would show up on your coffee table in time for holiday shopping.

FAMOSO - Kenny Youngblood was really inspired by John Durand's unpublished, previously unseen B&W shot of the Surfers at Irwindale. Don't be surprised if 'Blood decides to recreate this one on canvas in the near future.

Yeah, it's a dirty, thankless job, but someone's gotta do it. We humans like our contests to wind up with a winner; a runnerup; a Miss Congeniality. I volunteer because I believe that my genuine enthusiasm for this art form might motivate some veteran photographer to pull out the old cardboard boxes, dust off the darkroom equipment, and practice an art that might've gone unpracticed for decades: creating custom photographic prints in some dark, smelly closet or bathroom. (Computer not required — nor desired!)

INDY - Bill Jenkins helped artist Tim Frederick unveil this original painting of NHRA's first Pro Stock final (1970), in which Grumpy defeated Ronnie Sox.

Once I saw Bill Turney's black-and-white photo of Buddy Sampson's clutch explosion that virtually no one had seen since October 1961, when Hot Rod published it (for the second time), I knew that the months-long coordination process was time well spent. Of course, Hot Rod Nostalgia also benefits from contest coverage in big-time publications including Popular Hot Rodding, National Dragster, Super Stock (aka Drag Racing Monthly), and the annual California Hot Rod Reunion program. Last but not least, since our staffers are out there working the two events, we also get to connect some of your faces to the voices and handwriting samples by which we've come to know you good folks. So I'm not complaining (much).

FAMOSO - Contest winner Tom West (left), runnerup Bob McClurg (second from left), and semifinalist Bill Turney (not present) were honored on the starting line. Announcer Mike Lewis interviewed HRN's Dave Wallace, who coordinated the contest and made the trophy presentations.

Neither am I accepting full blame/credit for the ultimate outcome of these competitions. No, you must also point fingers at approximately 35 veteran artists, writers, photographers and fans at Indy and Famoso who accepted my invitation to select three favorite images, in order of preference. Entered photographers were allowed to vote for any work except their own. Each judge was encouraged to take into consideration how many different stories were told by an individual image, along with the level of technical skill required to record it — and the number of spine tingles generated by it. The process is as fair and simple and democratic as we can possibly make this impossible task.

INDY - Someone showed Pete Millar a mint copy of Drag Cartoons, published nearly 35 years ago. The artist-publisher's mug shot was on the cover. Then as Linda Vaughn and Pam Hardy hugged, Da Grump made his move. (Jenkins doesn't shift a four-speed anymore, but he's still got those quick hands.)

The eight images that earned honors at Dragfest and the California Hot Reunion appear here, followed by as many additional entries from Famoso's contest as we could squeeze into Page 45. (Please excuse the glare and/or irregular shapes that affect some images, as it was necessary to hastily shoot these particular prints in their frames, before they were reclaimed by the respective photographers.) The invaluable contributions of Jere Alhadeff, Norman Blake, John Durand, John Ewald, Don Gillespie, Russ Griffith, Jim Kelly, Ron Lahr, Bob McClurg, Jim Phillipson, John Shanks, Bob Snayko, Kaye Trapp, Bill Turney, Don Varian and Tom West were viewed and enjoyed by thousands of nostalgia enthusiasts in Indiana and California.

FAMOSO - Eric Rickman, the granddad of hot-rod photographers, is still shooting at age 80! Eric was a member of the NHRA Drag Safari in the 1950s, then spent a career at Petersen Publishing (left). Among the distinguished judges of the Leslie Lovett Memorial Photo Contest was veteran Detroit shooter Bob Snayko, who was impressed with the detail of Tom West's winning entry (right).

Brooklyn photographer Norman Blake contributed the image that best captured the spirit of Leslie Lovett, the longtime National Dragster photographer who suffered a fatal heart attack while deep-sea fishing in 1996. Les owned the world's greatest collection of exploded race-car parts, including this fiberglass souvenir from the 1975 Gatornationals.

Since at least two of these guys are still speaking to me, I've foolishly agreed to coordinate both contests again in the coming season. If participation continues to increase at the current rate, we'll devote even more pages of HRN Five to each of these very special "shows within a show."

The Winning Photos