Name: Hot Rodding in Ventura County
Brand: Mr. Tony T. Baker
SKU: 9780738599687
Price: 17.49 USD
Availability: InStock

Hot Rodding in Ventura County

9780738599687

$21.99 $17.49 Save $4.50

Stretching from Ventura to Santa Maria, California, a vibrant and colorful community of hot rod clubs bloomed throughout the middle of the 20th century. Hot Rodding in Ventura County takes a look at the people, places, and, above all, the cars that made up this historic period in automotive culture. Take a look into the golden years of hot rodding through vintage images of the first national championship drag races; visit long-lost drag strips such as Goleta, Saugus, and Santa Maria; and gain access to hot rodding's paramount clubs like the Motor Monarchs, the Kustomeers, and the Pharaohs.

Ted Williams and Friends

9781467122948

$24.99

Ted Williams capped a storybook baseball career with a storybook ending, hitting a home run in his last at bat in the major leagues. That blast, on a dreary September 28, 1960, at Boston's Fenway Park, ushered in a post-playing career during which the Red Sox legend would become a first-ballot Hall of Famer just six years later. During his retirement, he maintained his longtime active assistance of the Jimmy Fund in its fight against cancer, encouraged youngsters at his Ted Williams Baseball Camp, and coached current and future big leaguers in Red Sox spring training. In 1969, he was named American League Manager of the Year; in 1991, he received a Presidential Medal of Freedom from George H.W. Bush; and in 1995, a Boston tunnel was dedicated in his honor. In one of his last appearances, Ted joined fellow nominees for baseball's All-Century Team at the 1999 All-Star Game at Fenway Park--creating an iconic, lasting image of the man known as "The Kid," the "Splendid Splinter," and "Teddy Ballgame."

Whaling in Massachusetts

9781467116220

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The popular novel Moby-Dick first spurred young and old alike to romanticize the whaling industry. Author Herman Melville wrote his story based on the exploits of the Essex whaleship, and he documented his travels aboard the Acushnet, which departed from a Massachusetts whaling port. In the early 1700s, Massachusetts residents caught whales from the shore before embarking on offshore voyages for several weeks. Later, these trips would extend over many years, bringing home an average of 1,500 barrels of whale oil and thousands of pounds of whalebone in the 1800s. New Bedford and Nantucket were the founding towns for the whaling industry, but little known are the other Massachusetts towns that sent out whalers, built the ships, and outfitted them. Essex, Mattapoisett, and Falmouth were shipbuilding communities; Fairhaven began as a whaling town but quickly took to outfitting whalers; Gloucester made the yellow slickers that were rubbed with sperm whale oil to waterproof them; and Provincetown and Boston were among the many ports that sent out whaling ships.

Fishing on the Russian River

9781467132381

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The Russian River tells a rich story of Sonoma County, both historically and ecologically. For as long as can be remembered, there has been an intimate relationship between the people of the Russian River and the fish, specifically the salmon and the steelhead. This tale of fishing begins with the Pomo people's communal fishing forays, winds through Russian exploration and early American settlement, and lands in the present time. For millennia, fishing has been a cultural cornerstone on the Russian River. Unfortunately, this once lively and productive salmonid fishery is dying. Overfishing, gravel mining, increased sedimentation from logging and agriculture, dams, and overdevelopment along the riverbanks and tributaries have all caused a decline in salmonid numbers. Thankfully, through collaborative efforts of local residents, nonprofit organizations, ranchers, farmers, and government agencies, fish populations are rebounding.

Cruisin' the Original Woodward Avenue

9780738540450

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In the 1950s, cruising swept the nation. American street became impromptu racetracks as soon as the police turned their backs. Young people piled into friends' cars and cruised their main streets with a new sense of freedom. Pent-up desires after the hardships of World War II plus a booming economy fueled a car-buying frenzy. To lure buyers to their particular makes and models, automobile companies targeted the youth market by focusing on design and performance. No place was that more relevant than on metro Detroit's Woodward Avenue, the city's number-one cruising destination and home of the world's automobile industry. Barely 50 years earlier, Henry Ford rolled his first Model T off the assembly line at Piquette and Woodward, just south of where cruisers, dragsters, and automobile engineers ignited each other's excitement over cars. This unique relationship extended into the muscle car era of the 1960s, as Woodward Avenue continued to reflect the triumphs and downturns of the industry that made Detroit known throughout the world.

Oregon Surfing:

9781467131018

$24.99

Surfing came to the central Oregon coast in the early 1960s. Mostly young boys from Newport and the Agate Beach area took to the waves, without wetsuits or leashes, and taught themselves how to surf in the forbidding cold waters. Eventually forming the Agate Beach Surf Club, they discovered other surfing communities along the Oregon coast. With no modern-day technology to help them, they traveled the rugged Oregon coast in search of good and accessible surf spots. Fifty years later, the surfing culture has grown and evolved, including both genders, kite, wind, stand-up-paddle, and big wave surfing. What hasn't changed is the unique and challenging environment of the Oregon coast. Geography, the weather, and the cold water still remain the biggest challenges. In the face of all this, the surfing community grows and continues to prosper.

Spokane Hot Rodding

9781467133005

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Spokane, located just 20 miles from the Idaho border, is the largest city in Eastern Washington, and during the 1940s, it became a center point of an evolving postwar hot rod community. Auto sports were expanding at this time from stock car and midget racing to street cars and drag racing. Local car enthusiasts joined together with an influx of military personnel and college students who were just as passionate for hot rodding, and it was during this time that the Spokane hot rodding culture started flourishing. Together, they pushed the boundaries of hot rodding and created lifelong bonds in the process. This book explores that evolution of inland northwest hot rodding from the mid-1940s to the mid-1960s, starting with the jalopy-styled hot rods that began popping up on local streets to the formation of new clubs and organized racing.

Dartmouth College Football

9780738536118

$24.99

Notre Dame and Nebraska may have their claims, but Dartmouth's football tradition is special, perhaps unrivaled. Football, above all, is an emotional game, and nowhere is that spirit more vibrant, more enduring, more a part of the collegiate experience than in Hanover, New Hampshire. Since 1881, Dartmouth has established its place in the annals of college football, rising to national-championship heights and, during the past half-century, ranking as the Ivy League's most successful program.

Dartmouth College Football: Green Fields of Autumn captures the colorful tradition of Dartmouth football. On a campus that President Dwight D. Eisenhower described as "what a college ought to look like," football is at the center of an autumn rite that has left its mark on the game. Dartmouth teams have played in stadiums across the continent, produced Hall of Fame performers, and sent players to the NFL and to the nation's CEO ranks. It is a legacy that continues with each crisp New Hampshire autumn.

Nazareth Speedway

9781467120487

$24.99

In the early 1900s, Nazareth Speedway opened its gates to bring dirt racing to the masses. Located in the industrious town of Nazareth, these tracks hosted many racing legends, such as Mario Andretti, Frankie Schneider, and Al Tasnady, over the years. As the tracks became more popular for racing events, cars got faster, safety rules were modified, and track configurations were changed. In the late 1980s, asphalt was brought in to cover the big dirt track that Nazareth was known for. The new asphalt tri-oval course design was unique and challenged its drivers. Shortly thereafter, IRC merged with Roger Penske, and the track closed in 2004.

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

9780738569253

$21.99

After more than 50 years, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca near Monterey is regarded as one of the most famous racetracks in the world. Mazda Raceway offers competitors challenges unlike any other with its mix of corners, which includes the Corkscrew, where drivers encounter the largest elevation change in the shortest distance of any track worldwide. The raceway also offers spectators sweeping open vistas of the track, and all within view of the Pacific Ocean.

Portland Speedway

9781467131469

$24.99

Portland Speedway, also known as Union Avenue Speedway, opened in the summer of 1936 and enjoyed a 66-year run as the leading oval track in Portland. Originally built as a dirt track on a farmer's field in the far north of the city, the track was known for track roadsters based on Ford's Model T, sprint cars, and stock cars. As returning servicemen discovered a love for racing, the track exploded in popularity after World War II. The track was paved in 1946 and flourished as a center for racing; it even included a drive-in movie theater. Many notable racers, such as Len Sutton, Rolla Vollstedt, Greg Biffle, and Mike Bliss, either started their careers at or visited Portland Speedway. But the real story of Portland Speedway is told in the hundreds of people who made a living or simply enjoyed the racing life while competing at the Pacific Northwest's finest track.

Vanderbilt Cup Races of Long Island

9780738557519

$24.99

"Chain your dogs and lock up your fowls!" heralded posters announcing the first international road race in the United States and the first of the six William K. Vanderbilt Jr. Cup Races held on Long Island from 1904 to 1910. These races were the most prestigious sporting events of their day, drawing huge crowds from 25,000 to over 250,000 spectators. The Vanderbilt Cup Races had a far-reaching impact on the development of American automobiles and parkways and are a testament to the early racing spirit and drama. The rare images in this book, many published for the first time, have been selected from the archives of major museums, libraries, and private collectors.

San Diego's Fishing Industry

9780738559926

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San Diego has always attracted a rich diversity of immigrant groups. Between the 1880s and 1970s, many of these groups helped to create a strong and dynamic fishing industry that became a key component of the city's identity. Waves of varied immigrants continually refreshed the industry, adapting their traditional skills and technologies to San Diegan conditions. Innovations in boat design, nets, and baiting techniques reshaped the fleets that harvested tuna and sardines from the teeming waters. On shore, canning factories sprang up, seafood markets bustled with activity, and fish restaurants filled with hungry diners. The vivid stories and fascinating photographs in this volume recapture the energy and variety that were the hallmarks of San Diego's fishing industry--an industry that has left a deep multicultural imprint on today's city.

Nebraska Cornhusker Football

9780738534374

$24.99

When Matt Davison made a diving catch on the famous "flea-flicker" play against Missouri in 1997, securing Nebraska's perfect season, the Husker faithful were in football nirvana. And that memorable play was preceded by over a century of Nebraska Football greatness. The team was winning conference championships back in the 1890s, and was an established national powerhouse by the time they joined the Big Eight (later Big Twelve) in 1928. Even the mediocre years brought excitement, such as the stunning 25-21 upset of the "unbeatable" Sooners in 1959. Five National Championships (1970, '71, '94, '95, and '97) under the coaching of Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne, when the Huskers won at least 9 games per season for over 30 straight years, is an accomplishment of which most collegiate football programs can only dream.

Bristol Dragway

9780738544441

$24.99

Bristol Dragway was carved into an East Tennessee
mountainside in 1965. In the more than four decades
since, the track known as "Thunder Valley" has carved its niche as a world-class facility in professional drag racing. Located adjacent to Bristol Motor Speedway, the dragway's well-earned nickname stems from the unique acoustic experience fans get when the power of unlimited racing engines echoes off the nearby hillsides. Bristol Dragway retraces the track's early history, its role in shaping the sport, and its return to prominence after an $18 million renovation in the late 1990s. The book features images of drag racing's greatest stars and chronicles decades of the sport's most memorable moments.

Indiana's Lost Speedways and Legendary Drivers

9781467106641

$21.99

From the Indianapolis 500 Motor Speedway to the dirt oval tracks in small Indiana towns, thousands of Hoosiers frequent the raceway of their choice each year. Today, there are an estimated 40 asphalt, clay, and dirt-covered oval tracks in Indiana where race fans cheer local drivers, often navigating jalopies pieced together from junkyard parts, to victory lane. Though many racetracks remain in operation throughout the state, dozens have fallen to the wayside over the past 100 years. Forever in remembrance are the famous and not so famous Indiana-born drivers who thrilled fans at those now defunct tracks. Evansville native Charlie Wiggins won the Gold and Glory Sweepstakes four times. Bob Kinser from Bloomington raced over 40 years and is an inductee of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame, and Tom Cherry of Muncie won the Little 500 four times.

Indiana's Lost Speedways and Legendary Drivers

The Milwaukee Mile

9781467114226

$21.99

Speed has always been the Milwaukee Mile's hallmark, and the one-mile oval track has given race fans and drivers thrills, chills, and memories for 130 years. "The Mile," once a proving ground for the latest in mechanical engineering, has seen it all: from harness racing to endurance races, NASCAR, midgets, sprints, and Indy open wheel. The checkered flag has waved at the Mile for greats such as Barney Oldfield, Rex Mays, Al Unser, and Mario Andretti, as well as a new generation of drivers, including Dale Jarrett, Kurt Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Danica Patrick, and Will Power. The infield saw its share of action, too, including circus acts under the big top and Green Bay Packers games.

Bowling Green Stock Car Racing

9780738585833

$24.99

Bowling Green became the city of speed immediately after World War II as America began its love affair with the automobile. Stock car racing took the city by storm in its inaugural season of 1951, drawing crowds of up to 7,000 in a city of only 18,000. Soon thereafter, the city attracted the Chevrolet Corvette assembly plant followed by the National Corvette Museum. Images of Sports: Bowling Green Stock Car Racing documents the history of stock car racing in Bowling Green and the emergence of the raceway at Beech Bend Park.

Delaware Auto Racing

9780738592077

$24.99

The First State of Delaware has a truly legendary history of automobile racing.

Since the first racers roared down the dusty Delaware State Fairgrounds track in 1915 at Wawaset Park, Wilmington, Delaware, auto racing has thrilled capacity crowds all over the state. Images of Sports: Delaware Auto Racing documents and explores the tracks, cars, and people that made racing what it is today. The history of racing can be seen in historic photographs from the legendary dirt tracks, like Delmar and Georgetown Speedways, to the high banked turns of Delaware's NASCAR track--Dover Downs. Rare images have been collected from drivers, car owners, fans, and historians to provide an insightful look into auto racing in Delaware. Many of the historic photographs have never been published.

Baseball in Alabama

9781467138789

$24.99

Although football may first spring to mind when talking about sports in Alabama, the state has certainly made its mark with the national pastime. Thirteen players with Alabama roots are enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, including all-time greats like Hank Aaron, Ozzie Smith and Satchel Paige. Bob Veale of Birmingham led the National League in strikeouts in 1964. Superstars and former players like Bo Jackson and Britt Burns give back to their home state by organizing charities and coaching Alabama's next generation of players. Author and baseball historian Doug Wedge explores stories from this rich history.

Kentucky Speedway

9781467111959

$24.99

The history of Kentucky Speedway is as colorful as the flags waved from its flag stand and the cars that dart around its 1.5-mile track. The path to its position on NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series schedule included more twists and turns than the roads leading to Sparta, Kentucky. Ultimately, it took Speedway Motorsports Inc. buying the track from its founders in 2008 for developer Jerry Carroll's vision to be realized 3 years later when the venue hosted its inaugural Quaker State 400. It is all part of the history of a speedway that brought a major-league sport to the Bluegrass State.

Bristol Motor Speedway

9780738542461

$24.99

When Bristol's racetrack opened in 1961, tickets were often given away to fill the 18,000 seats. Over the years, Bristol Motor Speedway has grown to 160,000 seats and legendary status among race fans. There is a fascination with the unforgettable moments that take place at the track, including rivalries that are hard to miss when you can watch all the action around the half-mile track no matter where you are seated.

Oregon Surfing

9781467115322

$24.99

Surfing culture began in Portland, Seaside, Cannon Beach, and Pacific City in the early 1960s. Influenced by surf music and a few California surfers, a handful of skin divers and adolescent boys yearned to engage in the sport. In the beginning, surfing was illegal along the beachfronts of Seaside and Cannon Beach. Answering the siren call, locals took to the beaches, while others from around Oregon, Washington, and California found their way to isolated spots along the Northern Oregon coast. The early surfers were not intimidated by their lack of knowledge, poor equipment, or the unpredictable waves. Instead, surfing caught on in the cold waters of Oregon. Experience the early days of Oregon surfing through the pioneer surfers' stories and vintage photographs.

Surfing in South Carolina

9781467115131

$24.99

For centuries, the ocean waters of the Atlantic have impacted the daily lives of those on the South Carolina coast. Beginning in the 1960s, those waves caught the imagination of young beachgoers who studied magazines and Super 8 films and refined their moves on rent-a-floats until the first surfboards became available in the area. The buildup to the Vietnam War brought GIs and their families from the West Coast and Hawaii to South Carolina, and their surfboards came along with them. Unbeknownst to each other, local surfers concentrated in the beach and military base areas of Beaufort/Hilton Head, Charleston, and Pawley's Island/Grand Strand began to conquer nearby surf breaks. When contests finally brought these groups together, a statewide sport was born.

Kingsport Speedway

9781467114653

$24.99

Kingsport Speedway has hosted many of racing's greatest drivers, whether its track surface was asphalt, red clay, or brushed concrete. The short track, located in East Tennessee, has undergone dramatic changes since 1965 in attempts to keep pace with an ever-evolving motorsports landscape while entertaining three generations of fans. Hall of Fame members have raced and won at Kingsport Speedway, as did a contingent of regional stars. Today, Kingsport Speedway features weekly programs of NASCAR's Whelen All-American Series, which crowns track, state, regional, and national champions.

The Historic Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix

9780738585178

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Phoenix's Manzanita Speedway, the last of the big dirt tracks located near the central corridor of a major metropolitan area, is now gone. The track opened in the early 1950s when Jack Holloway, president of the Arizona Jalopy Racing Association, along with Avery Doyle and Gene Gunn, set about convincing Rudy Everett and Larry Meskimen to convert their unprofitable dog-racing operation into a quarter-mile dirt track. On August 25, 1951, Everett and Meskimen beamed with excitement as Manzy opened to an overflowing crowd. They had tapped into America's post-World War II craze for automobiles and found their own Lost Dutchman Gold Mine in the process. Manzanita Speedway dominated dirt-track racing in Phoenix and was heralded as one of the top five dirt tracks in the United States. Manzy became an integral part of the racing culture in Phoenix, and its sale and closure in 2009 created a sense of lingering disappointment.

The Historic Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix

Watkins Glen Racing

9780738556666

$24.99

The war was won, the Depression was over, and Americans were back on the road. From all across the nation, sports car drivers converged on Watkins Glen to race through the gorges, hills, and village streets of western New York. Over the years, the course has evolved from its humble beginnings on streets lined with hay bales to the modern closed track that plays host to NASCAR today. Through vintage photographs, primarily from the International Motor Racing Research Center at Watkins Glen, Watkins Glen Racing chronicles the history of the track with early drivers, like Cameron Argetsinger, Phil Walters, and Dave Garroway, vintage cars, hairpin turns, and death-defying races.

Hydroplane Racing in Seattle

9780738531182

$24.99

Hydroplane racing burst onto the Seattle scene in 1950, and local sports fans embraced it with a passion that is hard to imagine. Throughout the early 1950s, thousands of fans flocked to Lake Washington to watch classic races between Seattle's Slo-mo-shun boats and a fleet of East Coast challengers. For over 40 years, hydroplane racing was synonymous with summertime in Seattle. During its golden age, when "hydro fever" was at its height, drivers like Bill Muncey, Ron Musson, and Mira Slovak were sports heroes on par with today's Ken Griffey Jr. or Ichiro. Seattle became the "hydro" capital of the nation.

Yarmouth

9781467129268

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Yarmouth, founded in 1639, has always had close ties with the sea. From shore whaling, fishing, and boatbuilding to sailing, salt making, and other maritime pursuits, almost everyone dealt with the ocean. A 160-acre Indian reservation existed until a smallpox epidemic in the 1770s. Later, a substantial Friends community (Quakers) grew in South Yarmouth. Yarmouth slowly leaned toward tourism after the Civil War, with railroads providing the transportation. Automobiles created even more tourism. People no longer stayed for the summer but could now spend just a night or two. Restaurants, dance halls, and cabins changed the landscape. There was little growth during the Depression; however, it was explosive in the years following World War II. Townspeople grudgingly adapted to these changes. The one constant has been the Bass River and its influence on the town.

Middletown Pacemakers

9780738519579

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Hot Rodding began in Southern California in the 1930s and had spread throughout the United States by the mid 1950s, spawning the sport of drag racing and the advent of the Detroit "muscle cars" of the '60s and '70s. Hot Rod Magazine and the National Hot Rod Association promoted the formation of responsible car clubs to combat the delinquent reputation of hot rodders, earned through illegal street races and Hollywood's portrayal in "B" movies. And thus were born the Middletown Pacemakers in 1951.

The Pacemakers brought southern Ohio its first reliability runs (1952), custom auto shows (1954), and drag racing competitions-setting national records (1958, '63, '64) and winning national championships (1963, '64, '65). When the hot rodders were not busy upgrading their drive train for more horsepower or "chopping" and "channeling" for improved performance, they could often be seen on the streets of Middletown feeding expired parking meters or rescuing motorists whose cars had broken down or run out of gas. By 1966, as was the fate of so many hot rod clubs, the mass production of Detroit muscle cars ushered the Pacemakers to fold.

Hydroplane Racing in the Tri-Cities

9780738558271

$24.99

Pasco, Kennewick, and Richland sit along the banks of the Columbia River and form a large, vibrant community in Washington known as "the Tri-Cities." For over 40 years, tens of thousands of fans have come to the Columbia River to enjoy a day in the sun and watch the Columbia Cup Unlimited Hydroplane Race. Famous drivers like Bill Muncey, Dean Chenoweth, Chip Hanauer, and Dave Villwock have all come to Tri-Cities and battled deck-to-deck to win the Columbia Cup.

Turbine Racing in Seattle

9780738548913

$24.99

Hydroplane racing captured the heart and soul of Seattle in the early 1950s and never let go. No Seahawks, Sonics, or Mariners game has come close to drawing one-quarter of the audience that watches the hydroplanes race. The unmistakable sound of the boats' huge motors was as big an attraction as the racing itself. In the mid-1980s, something began to change. The distinctive roar of the old Thunderboats gave way to the whoosh of the turbine. The old names like Muncey and Chenoweth were replaced by new names like Hanauer and Villwock.