THAT '70s "GO"If we had to pick a single drag race that was our favorite of all time, we'd have to go with the 1970 NHRA Winternationals, the "Big Go West," if for no other reason than that there are lots of good photos in our files of those tasty '70s paint schemes and speed parts we love so much. It was also where NHRA Pro Stock was first contested, but the car in the photo represents an equally important, yet long abandoned, class: Modified Production. The old rule books read almost exactly like the street-car eliminators of today, requiring full-bodied cars with minimal deviations from stock appearance, though Modified Production was classed based on weight per cubic inch. The Modified category was dropped after 1981, when a famed protest occurred at the Indy Nationals.
This C/MP Nova (10.00 to 11.49 pounds per cube) was run by Tommy Johnson Sr., father of Jr. who races a Funny Car for Snake Racing. The 396 was apparently built by famed hot rodder Bob Joehnck. But most of all, we dig that red see-through hoodscoop. Shades of the Badman!