Bradley, Frank
In top left photo, Frank Bradley works on the engine that he hopes will power him to the Winston World Championship on the National Hot Rod Association circuit. Bradley is a firm believer in superstitions and he not going to take any unnecessary chances--like getting in on the right side of his Top Fuel dragster before making a run like in the lower phot which might keep him from collecting the $25,000 bonus from R.J. Reynold Tobacco Co. for winning the title.
Name/Title
Bradley, FrankEntry/Object ID
2025.1.64Description
Frank Bradley was one of the great independent Top Fuel racers of the nitro era, a driver‑tuner whose career stretched more than three decades and made him a legend on the West Coast drag‑racing scene. Known universally as “The Beard,” Bradley raced Top Fuel dragsters from the late 1960s through the early 1990s, competing in NHRA, AHRA, and major independent events. He was among the first racers to make a full‑time living solely from drag racing, handling everything himself — tuning, driving, and even hauling the car from track to track. His career included two AHRA Top Fuel Championships and four NHRA national‑event wins, achievements that placed him among the most respected nitro racers of his generation. Bradley’s reputation came from consistency, mechanical intelligence, and the ability to run with — and often beat — better‑funded teams. He remained a fixture in match racing during the 1970s and 1980s, a period when Top Fuel was evolving rapidly in speed and technology. His long career and contributions to the sport earned him induction into the NHRA Hall of Fame, and he is still celebrated at vintage drag‑racing events as a Northern California icon. Even after retiring from driving in 1991, Bradley remained deeply connected to the sport and its community, remembered as one of the toughest and most resourceful nitro racers ever to compete.Collection
Dr. Frederick A. Simeone Founder CollectionCategory
Race Car Drivers