The name Wally Parks may not ring a bell to a non-drag racer, but his achievements and accomplishments have benefited all motorsports enthusiasts. Sadly, Wally Parks passed away September 29th in Southern California at the age of 94 years young. Parks was the founder of the NHRA, which is now the largest motorsport sanctioning body in the world.
While there are many flavors of motorsports, and not every enthusiast is into drag racing, every enthusiast can appreciate the passion for speed that Wally held. Parks' passion for cars started in high school when he built stripped-down Ford Model-T's and Chevy Fours to race on the dry lakebeds in the Mojave dessert North of Los Angeles. From there, he helped form the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) which was dedicated to conducting land speed record events until World War II began. After the war, Parks returned from serving his country to assume the role of President of the re-formed SCTA organization, and later left his 'day job' as a test driver for GM to assume a role as the GM of the organization. He later helped form Hot Rod magazine, and served as the original editor. Through this position, he supported organized drag racing and used his dedicated readership as support to form the NHRA in 1951. In 1963, Parks left his role in publishing to pursue the NHRA full time.
Notably, none of this would have been possible if it weren't for the drive and commitment of Wally Parks. Wally was always quick to credit the people he worked with for his success, preaching to others that 'anything is possible when you believe in it strongly enough'. He was quick to cite that his achievements weren't possible without the dedication of many who had the same vision and passion for motorsports. In recent years, Wally has spent much of his time cultivating and growing the NHRA Motorsports Museum in Pomona, CA, which was recently named after him in honor of his 90th birthday. Wally's late wife Barbara has been heralded as one of the most influential people in the growth of the NHRA in the early years and was seen by Wally's side at most of his public engagements until her passing in early 2006.
While Mr. Wally Parks is no longer with us, his legend lives on through the NHRA, the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, and organized drag racing as we know it and live it today. He was fortunate to live a long and healthy life, and his legend won't soon be forgotten.