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Pat Ganahl, Rodder and Writer, Killed in Drag Racing Accident

Photo credit: patgahnal.com
Photo credit: patgahnal.com
  • Pat Ganahl was the former editor (and frequent contributor to) Street Rodder, Hot Rod, and (most notably) Rod & Custom magazines, a central figure in Rodder's Journal, and the author of numerous books on hot rodding, customs, and drag cars.

  • "He was in the Iacono dragster when it happened. He never lifted and went into the woods at the end of the track. We think he had a medical issue in the car, possibly a heart attack," wrote his friend and colleague Anna Marco.

  • Pat can be credited with popularizing the nostalgia drag racing movement in the '80s. He recently posted that, at age 75, he still had "a whole lot of stories left to tell."


Well-respected hot rod and rod and custom author Pat Ganahl was killed last weekend driving his vintage dragster down the 1/8th-mile Riverdale Drag Strip at a club event outside Portland, Oregon. He was 75.

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I myself had just spoken to Ganahl only a few weeks ago at The Petersen Automotive Museum’s cruise-in tribute to the 90thanniversary of the '32 Ford. I asked him about the Deuce. He said it wasn’t really his specialty, that he was more of a rod and custom guy, then proceeded to pour out more details about '32 Fords than my digital audio recorder could handle.

At the time he looked happy, healthy and very, very tall. Reports are that he was 6-foot-10. They called him, "Too Tall Ganahl." He sure looked like he had many years of rods and customs ahead of him then.

"Pat Ganahl passed away yesterday in a drag racing accident at the Estranged Car Club show," said Anna Marco, a former longtime staff member of Rod & Custom magazine who worked under Pat Ganahl for many years. "He was in the Iacono dragster when it happened. He never lifted and went into the woods at the end of the track. We think he had a medical issue in the car, possibly a heart attack. He said he wasn't feeling well and wanted one more run. His wife Anna was there and said he died doing what he loved because he wasn't a retirement home kind of guy."

As word got out, the tributes started pouring in on the internet.

Photo credit: David Freiburger
Photo credit: David Freiburger

"Pat was the former editor (and frequent contributor to) Street Rodder, Hot Rod, and (most notably) Rod & Custom magazines, a central figure in Rodder's Journal, and the author of more books on hot rodding, customs and drag cars than I can count," said Ron Thums of Great Lakes Dragway in Union Grove, Wisconsin. "Pat was driving the historic Ike Iacono dragster—a car he restored many years ago—at an 1/8th mile track when he apparently suffered a medical emergency and crashed. Initial reports indicate there was no attempt to stop or brake the vehicle.

"It is impossible to exaggerate the place Pat Ganahl holds in the hot rodding/car culture firmament. If you grew up (and grew old) like so many of us, reading—consuming—the monthly car mags, his name is familiar to you. Pat was both a hot rod historian and a hands-on, how-to car guy who brought a unique humanity to everything he wrote. Even though you did not know him, you felt like you did.

"R.I.P. Pat Ganahl. You made our world a better place."


"Like many, I woke to the news that Pat Ganahl had passed away in a racing accident of all things while driving his beloved Ike Iacono dragster," wrote Chad Reynolds, publisher of bangshift.com. "I say of all things because while he loved this dragster, and for good reason, he was most well known in the hot-rodding world for hot rods, not race cars. He was knowledgeable, passionate, informative, and opinionated when it came to what mattered, and he earned the right to be through years of being a voice for the hot-rodding world like none other. His years as editor at Street Rodder magazine and Rodder's Journal, along with a short stint at Hot Rod garnered him tons of respect and admiration from his fellow staffers, but it was his readers who held him in the highest regard."


"The worst," said David Freiburger, chief editor of Hot Rod magazine and Hot Rod Garage. "Pat Ganahl died today (and) with Pat went an irreplaceable mind loaded with facts and contacts from the history of rods and customs. In the magazine world, Pat was on the first staff of Street Rodder and became the editor. He worked for Sunset mag, then was hired onto Hot Rod where he eventually became the editor with the second-shortest tenure, and he later revived Rod & Custom magazine before leading Rodder's Journal. He wrote many books and freelance stories about our hobby, and he maintained a huge inventory of vintage photos.

"Pat can be credited with popularizing the nostalgia drag racing movement in the '80s. He was the first person I knew personally who painted his own cars—well. He restored the dragster and built a number of VWs, fat Chevys, drag cars, and hot rods including the Nitti-inspired roadster. He drove the yellow F1 everywhere. As far as I last knew, he only drove old cars. He inspired me before I ever knew him, but now I have more Ganahl publishing stories than will fit in this space. Here’s the one that most affected my life. In 1991 I had a job interview with Jeff Smith and Pat Ganahl simultaneously, Jeff for Hot Rod and Pat for Rod & Custom. Pat later said that he told Jeff, 'If you don’t hire him, I will.' Jeff did, and hence my whole career. Ganahl mentored me along the way and enjoyed causing me just a bit of trouble. I’m one of many 100s of thousands of people who gathered knowledge, entertainment, and inspiration from Pat Ganahl. Godspeed."


"Pat’s been a hot rod pal for YEARS," said collector, rodder and Bonneville racer Bruce Meyer. "A sad day for hot rodding and along with Pat went decades of history…"


Ganahl was officially retired, but still wrote a blog when he felt like it. One fairly recent entry read as follows:

As for me, yes I am truly retired. After 45 years, no more articles, no more books, no more deadlines, no pay. There’s a refreshing freedom in this. So I’ll do these columns when I want to. Nobody’s going to tell me what I can or can’t say.

But I’ve realized that there are a whole lot of stories left to tell; there are literally thousands of photos that haven’t been seen; and there’s new stuff happening all the time with fewer and fewer outlets to tell it. I want to share what I’ve got. So let’s give this new medium a try.

Tell me what you think.

Pat

If you have any memories or tributes to share about Pat Ganahl, please comment below.