Bud Coons
As a policeman in Pomona, California Bud started working with the local hot rodders clubs, implementing various programs that proved beneficial in reducing accidents and fatalities. He set up the first police-sponsored drag strip in Fontana, California in 1949, which resulted in a write-up in the FBI bulletin on how to work with hot rodders. The bulletin created a working relationship between rodders and police agencies nationwide. As NHRA Field Director in 1954, Bud led the NHRA Safety Safari tours that introduced sanctioned drag racing across the country and gave rise to regional and national championships, including the first “East meets West” drag race at Great Bend, Kansas in 1955.