Santa Ana Drags was the first drag strip in the United States. [1] The strip was founded by C.J. "Pappy" Hart, Creighton Hunter and Frank Stillwell at the Orange County Airport auxiliary runway in southern California [2] and was operational from June 19, 1950 until June 21, 1959 [2] [3]
Many pioneers in drag racing began at Santa Ana. Art Chrisman, Don Yates, Calvin Rice, Joaquin Arnett, [4] George "Ollie" Morris [5] and others participated regularly.
The strip was created with $1000 startup money, and charged both spectators and participants 50 cents, of which 10% went directly to the owner of the airport. [3] The strip installed timing clocks, so racers could actually get accurate times for each run. There was also a pit area, restrooms, a concession stand and primitive grandstands for spectators and plenty of parking. [4] It was closed due to pressure from C.J Hart, whose wife had hired a private investigator to determine if Frank Stillwell was stealing money from the gate receipts in 1957. [3]
Reunions are held twice a year, in April and October in Santiago Creek Park in Santa Ana, California, [6] including the April 14, 2012 event. They are now organized by Leslie Long, after being organized by Bill and Marie Jenks previously. [7]
33°40′38″N 117°51′58″W / 33.677166°N 117.866091°W