The second half of 1959 saw the growing use of parachutes in drag racing, particularly for vehicles that ran over 130 mph. But overall, the lack of standardization across different sanctioning bodies was still prevalent in the sport. How long was that going to last, though? Several changes were anticipated for early 1960, including growing tension and anticipation for the new paper being debuted by the NHRA. Get caught up to speed:

Jack Beckman’s Hot Rod History: Episode 1
Jack Beckman’s Hot Rod History: Episode 2
Jack Beckman’s Hot Rod History: Episode 3
Jack Beckman’s Hot Rod History: Episode 4
Jack Beckman’s Hot Rod History: Episode 5
Jack Beckman’s Hot Rod History: Episode 6
Jack Beckman’s Hot Rod History: Episode 7
Jack Beckman’s Hot Rod History: Episode 8
Jack Beckman’s Hot Rod History: Episode 9