Dale Ham
The headline of the Amarillo times in 1940 read, “Wolflin In Arms Over Hot Rods”. The story concerned rampant street racing emanating from the drive-in on Wolflin Avenue. That was Dale Ham’s introduction to the activity which would be his life’s work for nearly three decades. Dale was part of America’s post war love affair with the automobile and he built a series of hot rods, each a little nicer and faster than the last. He joined the Barons of Amarillo along with fellow drag racing pioneers such as Jack Moss. He was there in June 1954 when the NHRA Drag Safari put on a meet at Caddo Mills. When the first NHRA Nationals were held at Great Bend Kansas, in 1955, Ham was there. It was his chance to see all the heroes from California who he had only read about in Hot Rod Magazine. He won the C Street Roadster class and set a national record at a staggering speed of 94.24 mph. It’s a tossup whether Ham was more thrilled by his own performance or the fact that Mickey Thompson cut in front of him in the tech line. In the early days, dedication was the important factor and Ham was one of those most dedicated to making the dream of organized drag racing a reality. He wanted to be a part of so badly created a job for himself at Custom Car Supply in Amarillo which allowed him to be paid part-time at NHRA as a Regional Advisor. When the divisional system was created by NHRA in 1960, Ham was named to lead the South-Central Division. Assisted by his lovely wife, Glynanna, who served as Trophy Queen at the the 1959 Nationals, he used his dedication and creativity to organize his division and occasionally defended its honor with an iron fist. When the national events schedule began to grow, Ham, one of the best liked officials in drag racing, was given the task of pit control, a job he handled with his normal dedication and enthusiasm. Ham retired from NHRA in 1987, he excelled in the second career as a Western artist. NHRA’s South Central division was nicknamed “Land of the Good Guys”, and Dale Ham will always be Good Guy #1.