The 1962 NHRA Winternationals were a

National Hot Rod Association The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is a governing body which sets rules in drag racing and hosts events all over the United States and Canada. With over 40,000 drivers in its rosters, the NHRA claims to be the largest motorsport sanction ...

(NHRA)

drag racing Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, mos ...

event, held at Auto Club Raceway,

Pomona, California Pomona ( ) is a city in eastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. Pomona is located in the Pomona Valley, between the Inland Empire and the San Gabriel Valley. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city's population was ...

on 18 February.

History

The 1962 Winternationals were historic for the appearance there of NHRA's first woman class champion. Under pressure from

Peggy Hart Peggy may refer to: People * Peggy (given name), people with the given name or nickname Arts and entertainment * ''Peggy'' (musical), a 1911 musical comedy by Stuart and Bovill * ''Peggy'' (album), a 1977 Peggy Lee album * ''Peggy'' (1916 ...

(wife of track owner "Pappy" Hart) and

Mickey Thompson Marion Lee "Mickey" Thompson (December 7, 1928March 16, 1988) was an American auto racing builder and promoter. A hot rodder since his youth, Thompson increasingly pursued land speed records in his late 20s and early 30s.

, as well as fellow racers Shirley Shahan and Roberta Leighton, Carol Cox was the first woman allowed to race at an NHRA national event. Influenced in part by Thompson's preference for

Pontiac Pontiac most often refers to: * Pontiac (Odawa leader) ( – 1769), Native American war chief *Pontiac (automobile), a former General Motors brand Pontiac may also refer to: Places and jurisdictions Canada * Pontiac, Quebec, a municipality ** Apo ...

s, Cox drove a 1961 Ventura with a 389cui/368HP V8, which was driven (not trailered) to Pomona. Cox won the title in S/SA (Super Stock, automatic transmission), making her the first woman ever to take a win at an NHRA national event; the 9 March 1962 issue of ''

National Dragster The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is a governing body which sets rules in drag racing and hosts events all over the United States and Canada. With over 40,000 drivers in its rosters, the NHRA claims to be the largest motorsport sanctionin ...

'' recorded her as a "crowd favorite", with a winning pass of 13.06 seconds at , but says nothing about it being a first for a woman, dismissively calling her a "'posder puff' handler". Some racers believe a class win is more difficult to achieve than a handicap (eliminator) win. While Cox gained a lot of attention, "Sneaky Pete" Robinson and Tom McEwen (not yet nicknamed "Mongoo$e") both lost to Jim Nelson in the Dode Martin-owned

Dodge Dart The Dodge Dart is a line of passenger cars produced by Dodge from the 1959 to 1976 model years in North America, with production extended to later years in various other markets. The production Dodge Dart was introduced as a lower-priced full-si ...

, on his way to a win in Top Eliminator. Gary Cagle drove

Dean Moon Dean Moon (May 1, 1927 – June 4, 1987) was an American automobile designer. He grew up in Norwalk, California. Moon was around cars and racing from his youth. His father owned "Moon Café" and had a go-kart track he called "Moonza", a pun on M ...

's '' Mooneyes'' dragster to victory in Middle Eliminator. Bob Balough's

Oldsmobile Oldsmobile (formally the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors) was a brand of American automobiles, produced for most of its existence by General Motors. Originally established as "Olds Motor Vehicle Company" by Ransom E. Olds in 1897, it produc ...

-powered

Simca Simca (; Mechanical and Automotive Body Manufacturing Company) was a French automaker, founded in November 1934 by Fiat S.p.A. and directed from July 1935 to May 1963 by Italy, Italian Henri Pigozzi. Simca was affiliated with Fiat and, after Simc ...

defeated Doug "Cookie" Cook in Junior Eliminator. "Dyno Don" Nicholson took the victory in Stock Eliminator, over

Dave Strickler Dave Strickler (born 1944) is an American reference librarian noted for his compilation of ''Syndicated Comic Strips and Artists, 1924–1995: The Complete Index'', regarded as a major reference work by researchers and historians of newspaper comic ...

in the Ammon Smith-owned Chevrolet. In Street, Rich Siroonian, in the Mazmanian-owned 1962

Corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the sloo ...

, lost to K.S. Pittman. Earl Wade, in another 1962 Corvette, defeated Pittman in the final to win Street Eliminator. Hugh Tucker claimed the Little Eliminator win.Ultimateracinghistory
(retrieved 3 October 2018)

Notes

{{reflist 1962 in motorsport NHRA Winternationals