Martin's new dragster headed toward competition , 82-year-old gets NHRA license

Dode Martin will be returning to competitive drag racing, at least as a car owner.

A new car called “The Dragmaster Trainer” was completed after 14 months of work and has been tested at the Barona drag strip. Some of the driving was done by Martin himself, who at the age of 82 obtained a National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) competition driver’s license earlier this year.

“I thought it would be kind of interesting and fun to see if I can do that after 45 years,” Martin said.

Martin began his drag racing career at the Santa Ana drag strip in 1950, prior to the existence of the NHRA. Martin didn’t drive at the first NHRA nationals in 1955 but made his nationals debut in 1957.

Martin and Jim Nelson partnered to win various races, but in the mid-1960s the NHRA switched from gasoline to racing fuel and Martin and Nelson didn’t wish to make the change. The two retired from racing, although they remained active in the drag racing community as Dragmaster continued to build chassis.

The new car has a Dragmaster chassis, giving it the old-style look and making it a likely candidate for the Nostalgic Eliminator #2 class. It has a late-model motor and a 170-inch wheelbase, making it safer than the shorter dragsters of Martin’s initial racing days.

Additional safety equipment also differentiates it from Martin’s cars of the early 1960s. “It looks the same,” he said.

The car is designed as an actual competitive dragster rather than a replica. “I just thought it would be interesting, fun, to drive the car again,” Martin said.

That required NHRA approval. “You can’t go to a drag strip, any drag strip, and say ‘I want to drive the car’,” Martin said.

Before the car is even tested it is examined by NHRA-sanctioned officials. Measurements are taken to ensure that roll bars and head clearance meet specifications, and other safety specifications must be met before the car can be taken to a drag strip.

An NHRA license is required before the car can be raced in competition, and that includes a test at an NHRA-sanctioned drag strip. A potential driver must secure the NHRA paperwork and take a physical examination – for a driver over 55 years old a more extensive physical is required.

The car must meet the specifications on the drag strip at which it is tested, and three NHRA-licensed drivers must observe the trial runs.

Martin went to the 1/8-mile Barona strip on March 15 to seek his license. He first was asked to make two runs of 100 feet and then two runs halfway through the trap before completing two runs to the end of the trap. The two full 1/8-mile runs must be made in 6.4 seconds or faster.

The driver then fills out paperwork in the presence of the strip manager, and the three witnessing licensed drivers sign the application to certify that the applicant can meet the time requirements. The new driver then mails the application to NHRA headquarters in Glendora. “It’s a lot of paperwork,” Martin said.

NHRA processes the paperwork and mails the license, which usually arrives a couple of weeks after the application is sent to NHRA. The license is good for two years.

Because the standard drag strip distance is a quarter-mile, Martin’s license allows him to drive any NHRA-approved vehicle 7 1/2 seconds or slower over a quarter-mile.

A review of records showed that Martin became the third-oldest NHRA licensed driver; the older two drivers are both 83 years old. “I don’t know what class they run in,” Martin said.

While the license allows Martin to drive in NHRA-sanctioned competition, others will race more frequently. “We’ll have some of the young guys drive it,” Martin said. “They’re quicker.”

Mark Schilling, who is married to Martin’s granddaughter, has since obtained his NHRA license. Tommy Osborne and Steve Layton, who also helped build The Dragmaster Trainer, have also obtained NHRA licenses.

“We’re getting people licensed to drive,” Martin said. “Nobody had a license when we first built the car.”

Others who helped with the car are in the process of obtaining their NHRA licenses. The car hasn’t yet competed in an actual elimination race. “There’s not that many drag strips any more,” Martin said. “It’s not quite like it used to be years ago.”

The car will be based in Martin’s shop even though he plans to race it himself infrequently. “Everybody’s got to take their turn,” he said of splitting the driving.

Martin is contemplating a Fallbrook public appearance during one of this year’s Hot Summer Nights events. “Kind of a fun car,” he said.

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