Jim Warren (drag racer)

Warren's first Top Fuel event[2] was at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, California, at the NHRA Winternats in February 1964. In a field including "Big Daddy") Don Garlits and Chris "The Greek" Karamesines, Warren was eliminated in round one by "TV Tommy" Ivo.[3] At Beeline Dragway for the 1965 AHRA Winter Nationals in Scottsdale, Arizona in January 1965, Warren faced a field including Karamesines, Conrad "Connie" Kalitta, Tom Hoover, and Danny Ongais; Warren was eliminated by Hoover in Round Two.[4]

Warren went to the 1965 Winternats, along with Garlits, Tom "Mongoo$e" Mcewen, Ongais, Kalitta, and Art Malone; Warren again fell out in Round Two, losing to eventual event winner Don "The Snake" Prudhomme.[5] Later that year, he faced Prudhomme and McEwen (the Hot Wheels-sponsored team) at the Hot Rod Magazine Championship Drag Races, held at Riverside Raceway, "one of the most significant drag racing events"[6] of that era; the Top Fuel Eliminator (TFE) trophy that year went to Warren.[7] (He would also appear in a film centering on the year's racing, produced by Hot Rod, "The Hot Rod Story—Drag Racing", narrated by Dick Enberg.[8] In September, at the AHRA World Championship, held at Lions Drag Strip in Wilmington, California, Warren lost a Round One matchup to Harry Payne.[9]

The 1966 Winternationals were better for Warren: he defeated Nando Haase in Round One, Mike Sorokin in Round Two, and Funny Car pioneer Jimmy Nix in Round Three, to reach the semi-final, before losing to eventual winner Mike Snively.[10] At an AHRA match race in August, with no less than 58 entrants (including Garlits, McEwen, Karamesines, and Frank Pedregon), Warren made the field and survived to reach the semi-final, before being eliminated by eventual winner John Edmunds.[11]

At the 1967 NHRA U.S. Nationals, held at Indianapolis Raceway Park, Warren turned in another fine performance. In a field including Snively and McEwen, he reached the final against Garlits, but lost there.[12]

The 1968 Winternationals was Warren's best event yet. He took home a US$12,500 prize after defeating Dwight Salisbury in the final.[13] In March at a PDA invitational at OCIR in Irvine, California, also attended by Garlits, "Sneaky Pete" Robinson, Snively, Prudhomme, McEwen, Kalitta, and Larry Dixon, Warren went out in Round One.[14] In November, the Race of Champions Invitational (also organized by PDA, held at Lions) saw appearances by NHRA's top drivers: Garlits, Prudhommme, John Mulligan, McEwen, Steve Carbone, Ruth, and Karamesines; after three rounds of eliminations, Warren was ranked third, behind Garlits and "King" Ruth.[15] The next day, at a second Race of Champions Invitational (again organized by PDA, this time held at Carlsbad Raceway in Carlsbad, California), the same slate of drivers put Warren sixth after three rounds.[16] One week after that, at a third PDA Race of Champions Invitational, held at Sacramento, California's Sacramento Raceway, Warren came out on top, ahead of Garlits.[17]

Warren started the 1969 season at the AHRA Winter Nationals at Beeline by qualifying #15 in a 32-car field, which included Leroy "The Israeli Rocket" Goldstein, Karamesines, Robinson, Carbone, Cliff Zink, "King" Ruth, Hoover, and Prudhomme, among others.[18] He followed in February with the Winter Nationals, qualifying #21 in a field for which Garlits, McEwen, Snively, and Ivo, among others, failed to make. Warren would be eliminated in Round Two by eventual winner John Mulligan.[19]

The next year at Pomona, Warren made a 32-car field, which included Kelly Brown, Jim Dunn, and Tony Nancy, qualifying #11; he was eliminated in Round Two by Larry Dixon, who went on to take the event win.[20] In November, at the Supernats at Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, California, Warren again qualified for a 32-car field, which included Snively, Salisbury, Carbone, an up-and-coming Dick LaHaie, Garlits, Ruth, and others. Warren's #18 slot put him up against #2 qualifier Ongais in Round One, and Warren lost.[21]

At an NHRA Division 7 Top Fuel event at OCIR in January 1971, with a field of just eight, Warren fell to event winner Gary Cochran (in a Carl Casper-owned digger); Warren took home US$150 for his effort.[22] The 32-car field for 1970 NHRA Winternationals included many stars, including Dunn, Carl Olson, McEwen, Prudhomme, Karamesines, and Ruth (and for which Dixon failed to qualify). It proved a tragic event, when "Sneaky Pete" Robinson was killed in qualifying. Warren qualified #18, and, once again, lost in Round One, to #2 qualifier John Nichols (in the Jerry Dee Hagood slingshot).[23] At the Supernats at Ontario in November, the 32-car field included Prudhomme, Dixon, Nancy, and Olson, among others; Warren qualified #20, and was eliminated by #4 qualifier Larry Dixon in Round One.[24]

At the first Grand Premiere, an NHRA Division 7 Top Fuel event at Lions in January 1972, the 8-car field included Prudhomme, Olson, Nancy. and Jim Paoli; Warren's #16 qualifying e.t. was insufficient to make it.[25] Warren went to the 1972 Winternationals, along with Olson, Cochran, Prudhomme, Garlits, Nancy, Dixon, and Ongais, among others; he qualified #17, eliminating low e.t. qualifier Garlits in Round One before losing to #25 qualifier Dwight Salisbury in Round Two.[26] At Tulsa Raceway Park in Tulsa, Oklahoma in September, Warren entered the AHRA National Challenge, along with Dixon, LaHaie, Ronnie Martin, and others; Warren qualified #17, and lost in Round One to low e.t. qualifier Garlits, taking a prize of US$500.[27]

The 1973 Winternationals saw Warren qualify #27.[28] In March, he attended AHRA's Northern Nationals, at Fremont Drag Strip in Fremont, California; he reached the final round before being eliminated by #10 qualifier Garlits (in Swamp Rat XIX).[29] In October, he returned to Fremont for AHRA's World Finals, in a John Wiebe-owned car. Qualifying #2, Warren eliminated Jack Martin and Chris Karamesines on his way to a final round showdown with Garlits; Swamp Rat XIX won again.[30] Warren attended the Supernats at Ontario in November, but failed to qualify.[31]

Among the 71 entries, Warren turned in low e.t. to qualify for the 1974 Winternationals field, which included Garlits, Ivo, Ruth, and Gary Beck. It enabled Warren to eliminate #9 qualifier Jim Murphy in Round One, but was not enough to get by #13 qualifier Ruth in Round Two.[32] In March, Warren qualified #3 for the Northern Nationals; he fell out in Round One to Dennis Baca.[33] At an AHRA event at OCIR in April, also attended by Salisbury and Dixon, Warren went to a final round with Garlits, but lost (again to Swamp Rat XIX).[34] In October, Warren was top qualifier for the Supernats at Ontario, also attended by Olson, Garlits, Dixon, Gaines Markley, Ruth, and Beck, among others; Warren lost to #9 qualifier Jake Johnston in Round One.[35]

The Winter Nationals at Beeline in January 1975 was attended by (among others) Garlits, Beck, and Top Fuel newcomer Shirley Muldowney (who qualified #3); Muldowney lost to Warren in Round Two, while Warren was eliminated in the final by #4 qualifier Marvin Graham.[36] At OCIR in March, Warren recorded an AHRA event win, defeating Bob Noice in the final.[37] For the U.S. Nationals in September, Warren qualified #6, but was eliminated in Round One by #22 qualifier Graham.[38] Later that month, at the NHRA Fallnationals, held at Pacific Raceways in Kent, Washington, Warren qualified #3, but proved unable to capitalize on it.[39] At Ontario in October, the NHRA World Finals were attended also by Beck, Ivo, Richard Tharp, and Garlits, among others.[40] Warren qualified #6, and eliminated Garth Widdison (qualified #14) in Round One, but was defeated by #2-qualified Beck in Round Two.[41]

Warren racked up a win at NHRA's Winter Classic, held at Beeline Dragway in January 1976. He was low e.t. qualifier, eliminating #9 qualifier Jim Plummer in Round One, Markley in Round Two, #3 qualifier Herman Petersen in the semi-final, and #6 qualifier Beck in the final.[42] It earned Warren a US$3000 purse.[43] At Pomona in February, in a field of 16 cars (for which neither Muldowney nor Dixon qualified), Warren qualified #6, defeating #14 qualifier Salisbury in Round One, Beck (qualified #2) in Round Two, and Tom Kaiser (#8 qualifier) in the semi-final; he lost to #3 qualifier Frank Bradley in the final.[44] At the Gatornats, Warren qualified #5 and eliminated #13 qualifier Larry Petit, #1 qualifier Beck, Bradley, and #10 qualifier Jim Bucher, on his way to a win, taking home US$12,250.[45] In June, Warren was at National Trail Raceway in Hebron, Ohio, for the Springnationals; he qualified #3, but was defeated in Round One by #11 qualifier Ted Wolf.[46] Englishtown hosted the Summernationals in July, attended by, among others, Beck and Tharp; Warren qualified #10, and went out in Round One, to #2 qualifier Bob Struksnes.[47] That September, Warren, along with the likes of Beck, Muldowney, and Ruth, went to the U.S. Nationals; Warren failed to make the field.[48] The next weekend, he was at Spokane County Raceway in Airway Heights, Washington for the AHRA World Finals; qualifying #5, he defeated #2 qualifier Jim Barnard, #4 qualifier Gary Beck (who had already defeated low e.t. qualifier "King" Ruth), and #7 qualifier Frank Bradley to take the win.[49] The weekend after that, Warren qualified #1 for the Fallnationals; the event win went to Jeb Allen.[50] In October, Warren joined Muldowney, Tharp, Ruth, Bradley, and others at the NHRA World Finals, where he qualified #4.[51] He defeated Tharp (qualified #12) in Round One) and #8 qualifier Hank Johnson in Round Two before being eliminated in the semi-final by #6-qualified Ruth.[52]

January 1977's PRO Top Fuel Winter Nationals, at Beeline, was especially successful, featuring appearances by Ruth, Muldowney, and LaHaie, among others. Qualifying #6, Warren defeated #14 qualifier Beck in Round One, #2 qualifier Garlits in Round Two, and #4 qualifier Jeb Allen in the semi-final, before eliminating Bill Pryor (qualified #7) in the final.[53] Later that month, at Pomona, Warren qualified #7, defeating Rick Ramsey in Round One before losing to Ruth in Round Two.[54] At the Gatornationals, Warren qualified #4, and was beaten in Round One by #12 qualifier Grant Stoms.[55] The next weekend, at the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) Winter Nationals, held at Darlington Dragway in Hartsville, South Carolina, Warren qualified #9; Paul Longenecker (qualified #5) would win the event.[56] At State Capitol Raceway (Port Allen, Louisiana) in June, Warren joined a Cajun Nationals field including Muldowney and Beck, qualifying #4; the event was won by Richard Tharp.[57] The next week, at National Trail Raceway, Warren failed to qualify for the Springnationals.[58] At Indianapolis in September, Warren eliminated Beck in Round One, only to be defeated in turn by Rance McDaniel in Round Three.[59] In his final NHRA event, the Fallnationals, Warren defeated "King" Ruth in Round One, only to lose to #10 qualifier (and eventual meet winner) Stan Shiroma in Round Two.[60]

Despite his paucity of event wins, Warren was NHRA's Division Seven points leader every year from 1975 to 1978.[61]