{{Short description|American drag racer (died 2021)}} '''Doug Thorley''' (died March 10, 2021) was an American Funny Car drag racer, hot rodder<ref name="HistoryOfAMC" /> and businessman. In 1967, he won the NHRA Nationals' first Funny Car Eliminator title,<ref>[http://landspeedracing.com/2013/newsletter290/ Land Speed Racing newsletter] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181104105129/http://landspeedracing.com/2013/newsletter290/ |date=2018-11-04 }} (retrieved 2 December 2018); [https://www.motorsport.com/ca/nhra/news/u-s-nationals-memorable-moments-don-garlits/1165526/ Motorsport.com] (retrieved 2 December 2018)</ref> and was given ''Car Craft''{{'}}s All-Star Drag Racing Team Funny Car Driver of the Year Award in 1968.<ref>McClurg, Bob. ''The History of AMC Motorsports'' (CarTech, Inc, 2016), p.8.</ref> Hot Rod magazine describes him as "one of drag racing's most famous early era drivers."<ref name="Re-creations">{{cite web |last1=Biegler |first1=Bruce |title=Re-creations of Doug Thorley's Historical Funny Cars |url=https://www.hotrod.com/articles/re-creations-of-doug-thorleys-historical-funny-cars/ |website=Hot Rod Network |accessdate=December 22, 2018 |date=27 October 2017}}</ref>
== Racing career == Thorley won many drag races at the Santa Ana (California) strip in the 1950s in a 1938 Century coupe.<ref name="HistoryOfAMC">{{cite book |last1=McClurg |first1=Bob |title=The History of AMC Motorsports: Trans-Am, Drag, NASCAR, Land Speed and Off-Road Racing |date=2016 |publisher=CarTech Inc |isbn=9781613251775 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Chd-CwAAQBAJ&dq=doug+thorley&pg=PA113 |language=en}}</ref> In the 1960s, he was the first in class to break 200 miles per hour at the Bonneville Salt Flats in a C/Modified Sports Corvette.<ref name="HistoryOfAMC" /> In 1964, Thorley match raced an altered-wheelbase (pre-Funny Car) {{convert|396|cid|cc|abbr=on}} injected big-block 1964 Chevy II he called ''Chevy Too Much''.<ref>[http://landspeedracing.com/2013/newsletter290/ Land Speed Racing newsletter] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181104105129/http://landspeedracing.com/2013/newsletter290/ |date=2018-11-04 }} (retrieved 2 December 2018); Statham, Steve. ''Nova SS'' (Osceola, WI: MBI Publishing, 1997), p.107.</ref>
Thorley's ''Doug's Headers'' Corvair was the first seven-second Funny Car,<ref>[https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/534450680750234187/ Pinterest] (retrieved 2 December 2018)</ref> and it was in this car he won the NHRA supercharged A Funny Car (AA/FC) class at Indianapolis Raceway Park in 1967,<ref>[http://www.superchevy.com/features/1710-re-creations-of-doug-thorleys-historical-funny-cars/ ''Super Chevy'' online] (retrieved 4 December 2018); [http://landspeedracing.com/2013/newsletter290/ Land Speed Racing newsletter] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181104105129/http://landspeedracing.com/2013/newsletter290/ |date=2018-11-04 }} (retrieved 2 December 2018); [http://www.nhra.net/50th/resultslist.html NHRA.net 1967] (retrieved 5 December 2018); [https://www.motorsport.com/ca/nhra/news/u-s-nationals-memorable-moments-don-garlits/1165526/ Motorsport.com] (retrieved 2 December 2018)</ref> defeating Joe Lunati's ''The Dixie Devil'' Camaro.<ref>[https://www.powerperformancenews.com/features/lunati-power-the-racer-friendly-cam-company-returns/ ''Power Performance News'' online] (retrieved 4 December 2018); [http://www.ultimateracinghistory.com/racelist2.php?uniqid=46614 Ultimateracinghistory] (retrieved 2 December 2018)</ref> It was the first time Funny Car Eliminator was held at Indy.<ref>[http://landspeedracing.com/2013/newsletter290/ Land Speed Racing newsletter] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181104105129/http://landspeedracing.com/2013/newsletter290/ |date=2018-11-04 }} (retrieved 2 December 2018)</ref> Indy would also prove to be Thorley's only NHRA national event win in Funny Car.<ref>[https://www.nhra.com/news/2009/funny-car-s-one-hit-wonders NHRA.com] (retrieved 4 December 2018)</ref>
That year 1967, Thorley would also record the first (unofficial) {{convert|200|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} funny car pass in his Corvair, at Lions Drag Strip.<ref>McClurg, p.39 caption.</ref>
In 1968, Thorley bought a rear-engined AMC 401-powered Javelin TF/FC (one of just a handful of similar funny cars ever built, including Dave Bowman's ''California Stud''<ref>"Gallery: The Best of 1970s Drag Racing", written by Dave Kommel on April 25, 2017, at [http://www.hotrod.com/articles/gallery-best-1970s-drag-racing/ ''Hot Rod'' online] (retrieved 22 May 2017)</ref>) from Woody Gilmore.<ref>McClurg, Bob. "50 Years of Funny Cars: Part 2" in ''Drag Racer'', November 2016, p.40 caption.</ref> (The {{convert|401|cid|cc|abbr=on}} would later be replaced by a {{convert|392|cid|cc|abbr=on}} hemi prepared by John Hoven and Glenn Okazaki.<ref>McClurg, p.40 caption.</ref>) The same year, he was given ''Car Craft''{{'}}s All-Star Drag Racing Team Funny Car Driver of the Year Award in 1968.<ref>McClurg, Bob. ''The History of AMC Motorsports'' (CarTech, Inc, 2016), p.8.</ref>
== Doug Thorley Headers == Thorley founded his header company in 1958.<ref>[http://www.dougthorleyheaders.com/about-us-10 Doug Thorley Headers Company] (retrieved 2 December 2018)</ref> Among Thorley's better-known customers were Carol Cox (through her husband, who Thorley was friends with).<ref>Burgess, Phil, ''National Dragster'' editor. "Carol Cox: NHRA's first class winner", written 4 May 2018, at [https://www.nhra.com/news/2018/carol-cox-nhra-s-first-class-winner NHRA.com] (retrieved 16 September 2018)</ref> Thorley headers would go on to be a favorite among drag racers.<ref>[http://landspeedracing.com/2013/newsletter290/ Land Speed Racing newsletter] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181104105129/http://landspeedracing.com/2013/newsletter290/ |date=2018-11-04 }} (retrieved 2 December 2018)</ref>
Thorley Headers is a leading producer of headers and exhaust systems,<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=lqMpAQAAIAAJ&q=doug+thorley ''Business Week''] (retrieved 22 December 2018); [https://books.google.com/books?id=HeYdAQAAMAAJ&q=doug+thorley California Manufacturers Register]</ref> favored by many rodders and racers.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=LS01AAAAMAAJ&q=doug+thorley ''Hot Rod''] (retrieved 22 December 2018)</ref>
==Biography== Thorley is the subject of the book ''Doug Thorley: Headers by Doug'' written by Don Pennington.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Pennington |first1=Don |title=Doug Thorley: Headers by Doug |date=2013 |publisher=CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform |isbn=9781480214217 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ulwFnAEACAAJ&q=doug+thorley |language=en}}</ref>
Thorley died March 10, 2021, at his home in New Harmony, Utah at age 92.<ref name="stgeorgenews">{{cite news |last1=Richards |first1=Jeff |title=Cedar City native Doug Thorley, drag racing pioneer and header manufacturer, leaves storied legacy |url=https://www.stgeorgeutah.com/news/archive/2021/03/29/jmr-cedar-city-native-doug-thorley-drag-racing-pioneer-and-header-manufacturer-leaves-storied-legacy/#.YGKgRK9KiUk |access-date=30 March 2021 |work=St. George News |date=March 29, 2021}}</ref>
== Notes == {{reflist}}
==Sources==
*McClurg, Bob. "50 Years of Funny Cars: Part 2" in ''Drag Racer'', November 2016, pp. 35–50. *McClurg, Bob. ''The History of AMC Motorsports''. Forest Lake, Minnesota: CarTech, Inc, 2016 *Taylor, Thom. "Beauty Beyond the Twilight Zone" in ''Hot Rod'', April 2017, pp. 30–43.
== Further reading == *Boyce, Doug. [https://books.google.com/books?id=S3aoCgAAQBAJ&q=doug+thorley ''1001 Drag RAcing FActs''] at Google Books. *Boyce, Doug. [https://books.google.com/books?id=VvEoDwAAQBAJ&dq=doug+thorley&pg=PA84 ''Match Race Mayhem''] at Google Books. *Engel, Lyle. ''The Complete Book of Fuel and Gas Dragsters''. Four Winds Press, 1968.<!--Are these the guys who publishes ''Scout''?!--> *Pennington, Don. ''Doug Thorley: Headers by Doug''. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, Apr. 23, 2013.
== External links == *[https://www.hotrodders.com/forum/will-real-doug-thorley-please-stand-up-318898.html Hot Rodders.com] *[https://www.hagerty.com/articles-videos/articles/2018/08/03/funny-cars-stole-the-show-at-concours-of-america Hagerty] *[https://www.hotrod.com/articles/vintage-funny-car-cacklefest-2016-u-s-nationals/ ''Hot Rod'']
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thorley, Doug}} Category:1920s births Category:2021 deaths Category:Dragster drivers
Category:20th-century American businesspeople Category:21st-century American businesspeople
{{authority control}} Category:Racing drivers from Utah Category:Sportspeople from Washington County, Utah Category:Year of birth missing