If there was one person who personified the history of hot rodding, it would be Dick Kraft, who passed away on January 16 in Anaheim, California. Dick was born in Anaheim 87 years earlier, and during those years, was one of the most important forefathers of the hot rod hobby and the sport of drag racing.
Kraft got his first car when he was 14. He was 16 in 1937 when he began to build his reputation as one of the most competitive street racers around. The Southern California Timing Association was started that same year, organizing races at the dry lakes north of Los Angeles, and Kraft soon became one of the best, and best-known, racers out there-at the same time maintaining his reputation on the street.
Santa Ana dragstrip opened in 1950 and Kraft was there from the beginning. He was known for his attention to reducing the weight of his cars in order to go faster. He had switched from Model As and Deuces to Model Ts for just that reason. His most famous roadster, a flathead-powered T with tractor tires called The Bug was stripped down to little more than a rolling chassis, drivetrain, cowl, and single bomber seat. It was literally a "rail job," and the the precursor of every rail dragster that followed. Kraft, was known to strip down himself, racing shirtless, and even wearing just a bathing suit. Showmanship and personality would soon become a big part of drag racing, but Kraft was developing that element before anybody.
Kraft entered roadsters in the first and second Grand National Roadster shows in 1950 and 1951, and later worked with George Barris. Just a few years ago, he was working on another T roadster called The Bug II. He was a hot rodder before there was such a thing, and he was a hot rodder to the last day of his life.