Funny Car Summer brings you back to simpler time
Written by David Lamm · September 16, 2004
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Do you ever long for the good old days when racing was a hobby and not a job? Are you too young to remember the good old days? The movie Funny Car Summer is just what the doctor ordered for your yearning for a little taste of drag racing nostalgia.
Produced and directed by Ron Phillips, Funny Car Summer is more of a documentary that follows veteran Funny Car racer Jim Dunn around the country in the summer of 1973. Many that follow the sport these days know Dunn as the team owner for the K&N Filters Funny Car driven by Tony Bartone. But before he was a team owner, Dunn was an Orange County firefighter that took summers off to go racing. The film tracks Dunn from Orange County Raceway to all over the country while experiencing challenges on and off the track. Although Dunn plays the most prominent role in the film other legendary figures in drag racing appear. Legends of drag racing like Gene Snow, Billy Meyer, Linda Vaughn and track announcer Dave McClelland all are a part of the movie.
Released in 1974, Funny Car Summer has the look and feel of the era in which it was made. With a touch of drama and shrieking soundtrack to accompany the crash scenes, the movie is pure nostalgia. Scenes that include Jim’s preteen son, Mike Dunn, brings the viewer back to a simpler time. We all know that Mike had a successful career in both Funny Cars and Top Fuel and now is the color analyst for ESPN’s coverage of NHRA POWERade Drag Racing.
In this day and age of surround sound and digitally enhanced picture, Funny Car Summer is a breath of fresh air for those that remembered the 1970’s fondly. Just the mere fact that the times and speeds the Funny Cars were running back then are now comparable to what the Pro Stock cars in the NHRA are running today is amazing. The movie really takes you back to when racing was prevalent all over Southern California and you could race almost any night of the week during the summer.
Funny Car summer is not Days of Thunder by any stretch of the imagination. There are no actors and the racing footage at night is a bit dark and leaves a little to be desired. It does capture the true spirit of drag racing the way it was and has preserved it for future generations to come. I am sure when Phillips was making the movie he did not intend for it to be a time capsule film, but he achieved that as well.
You can find Funny Car Summer at Amazon.com.
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