As he pulled back the black curtain, revealing the new exhibit at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum in Pomona, California, a tear glistened from the eye of Vic Edelbrock Jr. Assembled before him were cars, engines, trophies, manifolds, and photographs representing the history of his family, the performance industry, and the company that bears his last name: Edelbrock.
Vic Jr. recently led a tour of Edelbrock: A Performance Legacy, an exhibit at the museum that showcased the cars and parts that Vic Edelbrock Sr. built and that helped start the aftermarket performance industry. Edelbrock was joined by NHRA founder Wally Parks as well as SO-CAL Speed Shop founder Alex Xydias in giving the tour.
As the group came upon each car, Edelbrock recalled its history and how it took its place in the pantheon of hot rodding. He even explained the first use of nitromethane, the fuel now used in the professional levels of the NHRA PowerAde Drag Racing Series. "Nitro" was used by Vic Edelbrock Sr. in his No. 27 Kurtis Kraft midget racer to help him win races at the old Gilmore Stadium in Los Angeles (now the home of CBS Television City) as well as venues throughout California in the '40s including Bakersfield, San Bernardino, and Fresno. The nitro-fed racer was the first V-8-60-powered midget to win a main event at Gilmore and it beat the Offy-powered cars to become a racing legend. Edelbrock Jr. was only 11 at the time this car was racing, so he was only "allowed" to clean the car after its runs. The showing also includes a restored 1946 Ford Woody wagon that originally towed the historic midget.
Another vehicle is Vic Edelbrock Sr.'s original 1932 Ford roadster: the very same one he raced on the dry lakebeds in Southern California and had helped develop his reputation as a racer and a builder of performance components. The roadster was the company's original test vehicle and one of the first cars used to develop aftermarket performance products at the dry lakebeds in the early 1940s. Among its best runs was a 121.42 mph blast on Nov. 16, 1941, at Rosamond Dry Lake. Edelbrock Sr. sold the roadster five decades ago, only to have Vic Jr. recently buy it back and have it restored by Roy Brizio Street Rods to better-than-original racing condition.
According to Greg Sharp, curator of the Parks Museum, the Edelbrock exhibit also features artifacts such as trophies, engines, old company catalogs, prototype products, and even Vic Sr.'s original toolbox. "I've known the Edelbrock family for more than 50 years," said NHRA founder Wally Parks, who is also the museum's chairman of the board. "The contributions they have made to racing and performance are unmatched."
When it comes to American racing and performance, one family name has stood out for nearly 68 years: Edelbrock. The story of this remarkable family and company, which helped shape the hot rod car culture and launch an industry, began in 1938 with Vic Edelbrock Sr. working in a small garage in Los Angeles. It continues today with Vic Edelbrock Jr. at the helm of the $115 million-plus Edelbrock Corp., which now features more than 8,100 performance products for domestics and import cars.
The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, presented by the Automobile Club of Southern California, houses the very roots of hot rod racing. Scores of famous vehicles spanning American motorsports history are on display, including winning cars representing 50 years of drag racing, dry lakes and salt-flat racers, oval track challengers, and exhibits describing their colorful backgrounds. By the time this story is published, the Edelbrock exhibit will have ended, but the museum will continue to showcase the history of drag racing, and is well worth a trip. The museum's Web site is www.museum.nhra.com.