Sunday...Genesis

Sunday…Genesis

Ben Christ of US 30 Dragway in Gary, Indiana (near Chicago) had just purchased Double Eagle Dragstrip in San Antonio from Bill and Dorothy McClure and renamed it San Antonio Drag Raceway. One of the reasons for the purchase was…there is a much longer racing season in San Antonio than in Indiana.

Now Ben was looking for a different way to promote his new purchase. Previous research and experience had proved to him that the KTSA format would, most probably, reach the San Antonio and South Texas listeners who would come to see his races. Furthermore, KTSA was convenient, since it was located not that far from the raceway.

Bob Sinclair and I were in the middle of our commercial production shift the day that Ben came to KTSA. So, we were the ones who got to move Ben’s advertising concept from his mind to an actual commercial.

Ben knew he wanted a high-energy spot full of excitement. We tried a number of things, including attempting to get the words to fit to the drumbeats of Let There Be Drums by Sandy Nelson. The drumbeats on the record sounded somewhat like a drag racer motor at idle. The main problem was that Bob and I couldn’t say the words fast enough to match the drumbeat. When we played the 45 RPM record at 33 1/3 RPM, things started falling into place.

Bob and I were both hoarse by the final take, but it added to the character of the commercial. We were finally finished with what was the first of many spots we did for Ben at KTSA.

The emphasis on Sunday just sort of happened. Since very few places were open on Sunday in the 60s, repeating Sunday left no doubt when the races were taking place.

Bob and I also did spots for Ben’s other racing venues: US 30 Dragway near Chicago and more interestingly…a drag raceway he owned in Puerto Rico.

For the Puerto Rico spots, Ben brought in an announcer from KCOR, the number one Spanish station in San Antonio, who echoed in Spanish, what we said in English. That made for some very interesting production sessions.

Ben closed down San Antonio Drag Raceway in 1969 and at that time moved his raceway commercial production to the Chicago area.

Bruce Hathaway

Bruce Hathaway

Editors Note: Ben Christ believed that the origin of the term "drag" racing came from farmers who, in the days before automobiles, raced their best horses against their neighbors’ best horses. The winner of the drag race was the horse that crossed the finish line first, while pulling a weighted sled behind it.

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