Be There...Sunday!

Remember the drag-racing commercials during the 1960s? Every weekend, all over the United States, from early Spring to late Fall, whenever you turned on the radio, what seemed like tons of commercials filled the air waves for drag-racing, and other forms of racing on Sunday afternoon. Remember the one thing in common with the commercials? The voice talent, multiple times, yelling “Sunday!”, “easy to find!” and “minutes from everywhere!”

What were the directions to San Antonio Drag Raceway (Double Eagle Drag Strip)? Take “Rittiman Road East, to the very end…then turn left one mile.”

By the way, even though it closed in 1969, remnants of the original San Antonio quarter-mile drag-racing strip, from Gibbs-Sprawl to the junction of Walzem Road and New World, still existed just a few years ago...until bulldozed for a housing development.

Extensive research to discover who originated the “Sunday!” racing radio commercials found multiple voice talents claiming to be the originator, or, at least, present during the “birth” of the concept. According to Jan Gabriel, the "Sunday!" style racing commercials began in 1960 when Ben Christ of US 30 Dragway in Gary, Indiana hired "a couple of announcers out of San Antonio." My researchers encountered a lot of “fuzzy” memories, with many stating they never knew a time without the “Sunday!” commercials.

The irony? Even with all the “Sunday!” commercials produced and aired on San Antonio radio for years, finding an original complete "Sunday!" commercial still in existence proved a bit...problematic. Among the reasons for the scarcity: most air checks don’t include commercials; the lack of readily available audiotape at the time; and part-time weekend air staff.

Since an original is not currently available, click here to listen to a reworked version of the “Sunday!” commercial concept.

Vicki Worthington

Editor's Note: I grew up in Panama City, Florida, where "Sunday!" radio commercials dominated the air waves...especially on weekends. When visiting relatives, I remember hearing "Sunday!" even in many parts of Alabama. The "Sunday!" radio commericials were almost a symbol of "cool!"

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