Travel back to a time in drag racing when one of the richest paydays for Funny Car was reserved for the driver who could best navigate their race car down a strip which ran down the middle of two mountains.

IHRA Founder and President Larry Carrier was the driving force behind Thunder Valley Dragway in Bristol, Tenn., and one of his finest promotions was the annual Spring Nationals which paid almost double of what the leading NHRA events did.

The IHRA Spring Nationals was the equivalent of the NHRA U.S. Nationals and drew the cars, and the crowds. During this era, Funny Car was the lone source of nitro racing for the Bristol-based organization. In this video you will see the greats like Dale Pulde, Don Prudhomme, Mark Oswald, Tom McEwen, Al Segrini and Billy Meyer.

It's not all nitro, as the IHRA's unique brand of Pro Stock, the Mountain Motor division, also takes center-stage with the icons Roy Hill, Bob Glidden and Reher-Morrison. Extensive sportsman final rounds also makes this a complete watch.