The year was 1974. The
race was the AHRA Grand American Series, which
attracted many of the top names in the sport,
including Prudhomme, McCulloch, Capp and a variety
of others. In the A/Funny Car class, Ken Veney was
the star of the weekend, winning with a car he
called Veney's Vega. Miss Firebird (left) helped
present the trophy to Ken & Rona Veney (and crew
chief Mike Hayton, right). Also pictured was AHRA
president Jim Tice Sr., who attended the event. If
you ever wondered why the Firebird staff to this day
wears white pants, part of the reason comes from
Tice who always thought it added a touch of class to
any race day. Image by Rich Carlson.