Wally Parks, 1913 - 2007
Many of you will recognize the name Wally Parks, especially if you follow drag racing. If you don’t recognize it, that’s OK, but if your truck or car has any performance or dress-up parts on it, you have a tie to Wally Parks.Wally Parks became involved with cars before WWII, with the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA). In 1948 Parks was a co-founder of Hot Rod Magazine, and became the magazine’s first editor. He remained with the publishing company for the next 15 years.
In 1948, Parks helped develop the first American Hot Rod Show. The following year, he was the driving force behind getting the Bonneville Salt Flats opened for speed trials. Wally Parks created what would become his legacy when, in 1951, he started the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), where he remained active all of his life.
If you like to dress up your vehicle, make it go faster, get better mileage or make it more user friendly, it’s a safe bet that the company producing the accessories was influenced by one or more of the accomplishments of Wally Parks.
As the auto-related industry grows, we'll see more people who are visionaries, people who will be remembered for their ideas and contributions, but let's never forget the people like Wally who pioneered what we have today.
Wally Parks will be missed but his contributions will be with us forever.
