Timing Towers Part II - The West

Las Vegas Motor Speedway, 2013: Jack Beckman fires his Funny Car for a run, directly under the tower deck of the Control Building at LVMS. The tower forms one leg of the iconic ‘The Strip’ arch which the Las Vegas super track is known for. (Photo courtesy of Competition Plus)

For many early drag racing enthusiasts who live on the West Coast, major racing has boiled down to Pomona (about three times a year) and Las Vegas (which is 250 miles inland and runs in the Spring and Fall.) In the roaring ‘60s & ‘70s it wasn’t that way, with California leading the Nation in drag strips surrounding its major cities. Land values and noise abatement changed all that. For more ‘Timing Tower’ information, see part I.

Stardust International Raceway, Las Vegas, Nevada: The ‘Don’, Don Schumacher blasts off the line in his early vintage Logghe Stamping Co. built Charger at the Las Vegas track built and operated by the Stardust Hotel & Casino. They were Don’s sponsor at the time. The quite modern (for its time) tower is full of crew during this event.  (Photo by Bob McClurg)