"I only promoted it once," emphasized Earl, "because I was involved in Sprint Car racing and didn't have the time. George Riley took over after me." In turn, an environment was created which made hot rodding the most innovative form of motorsports of the last century.
It was fitting that Riley, a speed equipment manufacturer, would follow Earl's lead in keeping organized meets alive at Muroc. Riley made the second most popular aftermarket head (after the Cragar) for the Ford four-cylinder. He knew that an untapped market awaited him and other manufactures with this unique form of racing. Mansell introduced a new form of racing that appealed to the free spirits. Combined with the new midget race cars emerging on the scene, the interest level on the part of the car-building hot rodders began to decline towards circle-track racing as the popularity of the lakes began to grow.
By 1938, 23 Southern California racing clubs had been formed. It was not until May 15, 1938 (11 years after Mansell's first organized event), that the newly formed Southern California Timing Association held its first meet. Dry lake racing had become the new obsession, with 300 entrants that first day.
Ed WinfieldBecause Mansell and Winfield were close friends, we asked Earl for his insight on such a larger-than-life legend: "My father was a motorcycle officer in Pasadena, and they had Henderson motorcycles; it was a four-cylinder inline engine. Winfield would change the carburetor on it-he was making small carburetors-and my dad would test them for Ed. Ed took an old Landis internal grinder and made a cam grinder out of it. I twisted off five camshafts at Legion Ascot because I had no one to coach me. I went to Ed and he helped me. I kept dropping valves, and I figured the springs were too strong. In those days they didn't have spring testers-you tested them with your hands. I got springs that were weaker, and I dropped them faster. Ed wasn't much older than I, yet he knew so much."
A Life of RacingEarl moved to San Diego in the early '30s and opened a garage. When the war started, he served in the Merchant Marines and stayed at sea for a number of years. After the war he became part owner of a tuna clipper. His ability to organize led to a stint as Mayor of Chula Vista, a suburb of San Diego, where he resided.
His reputation as a consistent driver earned him the respect of many and took him all over the country. His ability as an engine builder provided him with a steady stream of customers from the Depression until he retired to Santa Maria.
After all of his injuries on the track, it was a drunk driver who almost cost Earl his life. Since that day, almost 30 years ago, Earl has needed aid in walking. However, while it has slowed him, he still makes a point to travel to functions to meet with old racing buddies. He recently attended a reunion of veteran dirt track racers at the Route 66 Speedway in Victorville, California. Former Indy winners Parnelli Jones and Rodger Ward were some of the dignitaries present.
While others have been given credit for Mansell's efforts at Muroc, we are proud to be able to bring some recognition of his accomplishments-if rather late in life. We're happy to report he received the Golden Helmet Award at the Old Timers Get-Together for Outstanding Contributions to the Sport of Automobile Racing, September 2002.
Earl Mansell set in motion the ingredients that would evolve into the fastest, most innovative sport in the world-land speed racing. Likewise, another pioneer, C. J. "Pappy" Hart (born in 1912), took over where Earl left off, as founder of Santa Ana. Pappy turned a quarter-mile into the quickest of motorsports-drag racing. And Wally Parks (1912) who founded National Hot Rod Association standardized the sport of drag racing in the country and made it respectable.
To treasure "is to retain carefully as in the mind," and what a treasure it is to know such pioneers who span so many years. They were not only there at the beginning, they were the beginning.