IHRA Throwback Thursday: 1985 Strohs Summer Nationals

In March of 1985, Lee Shepherd, who many thought was the best Pro Stock driver, racing for arguably the best Pro Stock team, Reher-Morrison, was killed when he was testing a new car at the Ardmore, Okla. track. A severe crosswind was blamed for sending Shepherd's car airborne, and after that, he was just a passenger.

Without question one of the nicest guys in drag racing, Shepherd left some enormous shoes to fill. That job went to Bruce Allen, who won the IHRA Pro Stock title in 1985, dedicating it to Shepherd.

Still, losing Shepherd, not only a top driver but one of the best mechanics when it came to cylinder head development, cast a pall over the 1985 season. Despite upbeat interviews from drivers like Kenny Bernstein, Dale Pulde and Rickie Smith, the ESPN broadcast of the 1985 IHRA Strohs Summer Nationals from Edgewater Park in Cincinnati (below) is colored by the loss of Shepherd.

That said, it's a solid 44-minute wrapup of the event – you'll want to see the race between Pulde, the top IHRA Funny Car driver of the time, and Bernstein. Billy Meyer and his Ford Mustang figure into the drama, too.

It's hosted by the much-missed duo of Bob Jenkins and Larry Nuber, with a young Marty Reid in the pits. Well worth your time: