Jim Warren is an American Top Fuel Dragster driver. He won two National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and two American Hot Rod Association (AHRA) national events.7 Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 21 November 2018)
Top Fuel career 1960s Warren's first Top Fuel eventUltimateracinghistory (retrieved 21 November 2018) was at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, California, at the NHRA Winternats in February 1964. In a field including "Big Daddy") Don Garlits and Chris "The Greek" Karamesines, Warren was eliminated in round one by "TV Tommy" Ivo. Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 21 November 2018) At Beeline Dragway for the 1965 AHRA Winter Nationals in Scottsdale, Arizona in January 1965, Warren faced a field including Karamesines, Conrad "Connie" Kalitta, Tom Hoover, and Danny Ongais; Warren was eliminated by Hoover in Round Two. Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 21 November 2018)
Warren went to the 1965 NHRA Winternationals, along with Garlits, Tom "Mongoo$e" Mcewen, Ongais, Kalitta, and Art Malone; Warren again fell out in Round Two, losing to eventual event winner Don "The Snake" Prudhomme. Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 21 November 2018) Later that year, he faced Prudhomme and McEwen (the Hot Wheels-sponsored team) at the Hot Rod Magazine Championship Drag Races, held at Riverside Raceway, "one of the most significant drag racing events"Taylor, Thom. Untitled item in Hot Rod Magazine, February 2017, p.11. of that era; the Top Fuel Eliminator (TFE) trophy that year went to Warren.Taylor, p.11. (He would also appear in a film centering on the year's racing, produced by Hot Rod, "The Hot Rod Story—Drag Racing", narrated by Dick Enberg.Taylor, p.11. In September, at the AHRA World Championship, held at Lions Drag Strip in Wilmington, California, Warren lost a Round One matchup to Harry Payne. Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 21 November 2018)
The 1966 Winternationals were better for Warren: he defeated Nando Haase in Round One, Mike Sorokin in Round Two, and Funny Car pioneer Jimmy Nix in Round Three, to reach the semi-final, before losing to eventual winner Mike Snively. Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 21 November 2018) At an AHRA match race in August, with no less than 58 entrants (including Garlits, McEwen, Karamesines, and Frank Pedregon), Warren made the field and survived to reach the semi-final, before being eliminated by eventual winner John Edmunds. Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 21 November 2018)
At the 1967 NHRA U.S. Nationals, held at Indianapolis Raceway Park, Warren turned in another fine performance. In a field including Snively and McEwen, he reached the final against Garlits, but lost there. Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 21 November 2018)
The 1968 Winternationals was Warren's best event yet. He took home a US$12,500 prize after defeating Dwight Salisbury in the final. Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 21 November 2018) In March at a PDA invitational at OCIR in Irvine, California, also attended by Garlits, "Sneaky Pete" Robinson, Snively, Prudhomme, McEwen, Kalitta, and Larry Dixon Sr., Warren went out in Round One. Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 21 November 2018) In November, the Race of Champions Invitational (also organized by PDA, held at Lions) saw appearances by NHRA's top drivers: Garlits, Prudhommme, John Mulligan, McEwen, Steve Carbone, Ruth, and Karamesines; after three rounds of eliminations, Warren was ranked third, behind Garlits and "King" Ruth. Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 21 November 2018) The next day, at a second Race of Champions Invitational (again organized by PDA, this time held at Carlsbad Raceway in Carlsbad, California), the same slate of drivers put Warren sixth after three rounds. Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 22 November 2018) One week after that, at a third PDA Race of Champions Invitational, held at Sacramento, California's Sacramento Raceway, Warren came out on top, ahead of Garlits. Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 22 November 2018)
Warren started the 1969 season at the AHRA Winter Nationals at Beeline by qualifying #15 in a 32-car field, which included Leroy "The Israeli Rocket" Goldstein, Karamesines, Robinson, Carbone, Cliff Zink, "King" Ruth, Hoover, and Prudhomme, among others. Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 22 November 2018) He followed in February with the Winter Nationals, qualifying #21 in a field for which Garlits, McEwen, Snively, and Ivo, among others, failed to make. Warren would be eliminated in Round Two by eventual winner John Mulligan. Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 22 November 2018)
1970s The next year at Pomona, Warren made a 32-car field, which included Kelly Brown, Jim Dunn, and Tony Nancy, qualifying #11; he was eliminated in Round Two by Larry Dixon, who went on to take the event win. Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 22 November 2018) In November, at the NHRA Supernationals at Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, California, Warren again qualified for a 32-car field, which included Snively, Salisbury, Carbone, an up-and-coming Dick LaHaie, Garlits, Ruth, and others. Warren's #18 slot put him up against #2 qualifier Ongais in Round One, and Warren lost. Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 22 November 2018)
At an NHRA Division 7 Top Fuel event at OCIR in January 1971, with a field of just eight, Warren fell to event winner Gary Cochran (in a Carl Casper owned digger); Warren took home US$150 for his effort. Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 22 November 2018) The 32-car field for NHRA Winternationals included many stars, including Dunn, Carl Olson, McEwen, Prudhomme, Karamesines, and Ruth (and for which Dixon failed to qualify). It proved a tragic event, when "Sneaky Pete" Robinson was killed in qualifying. Warren qualified #18, and, once again, lost in Round One, to #2 qualifier John Nichols (in the Jerry Dee Hagood slingshot).Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 22 November 2018) At the Supernationals at Ontario in November, the 32-car field included Prudhomme, Dixon, Nancy, and Olson, among others; Warren qualified #20, and was eliminated by #4 qualifier Larry Dixon in Round One. Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 22 November 2018)
At the first Grand Premiere, an NHRA Division 7 Top Fuel event at Lions in January 1972, the 8-car field included Prudhomme, Olson, Nancy. and Jim Paoli; Warren's #16 qualifying e.t. was insufficient to make it. Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 22 November 2018) Warren went to the Winternationals, along with Olson, Cochran, Prudhomme, Garlits, Nancy, Dixon, and Ongais, among others; he qualified #17, eliminating low e.t. qualifier Garlits in Round One before losing to #25 qualifier Dwight Salisbury in Round Two. Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 22 November 2018) At Tulsa Raceway Park in Tulsa, Oklahoma in September, Warren entered the AHRA National Challenge, along with Dixon, LaHaie, Ronnie Martin, and others; Warren qualified #17, and lost in Round One to low e.t. qualifier Garlits, taking a prize of US$500. Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 22 November 2018)
The 1973 Winternationals saw Warren qualify #27. Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 22 November 2018) In March, he attended AHRA's Northern Nationals, at Fremont Drag Strip in Fremont, California; he reached the final round before being eliminated by #10 qualifier Garlits (in Swamp Rat XIX). Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 22 November 2018) In October, he returned to Fremont for AHRA's World Finals, in a John Wiebe-owned car. Qualifying #2, Warren eliminated Jack Martin and Chris Karamesines on his way to a final round showdown with Garlits; Swamp Rat XIX won again. Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 22 November 2018) Warren attended the Supernationals at Ontario in November, but failed to qualify. Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 22 November 2018)
Among the 71 entries, Warren turned in low e.t. to qualify for the 1974 Winternationals field, which included Garlits, Ivo, Ruth, and Gary Beck. It enabled Warren to eliminate #9 qualifier Jim Murphy in Round One, but was not enough to get by #13 qualifier Ruth in Round Two. Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 22 November 2018) In March, Warren qualified #3 for the Northern Nationals; he fell out in Round One to Dennis Baca. Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 22 November 2018) At an AHRA event at OCIR in April, also attended by Salisbury and Dixon, Warren went to a final round with Garlits, but lost (again to Swamp Rat XIX). Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 22 November 2018) In October, Warren was top qualifier for the Supernationals at Ontario, also attended by Olson, Garlits, Dixon, Gaines Markley]], Ruth, and Beck, among others; Warren lost to #9 qualifier Jake Johnston in Round One. Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 22 November 2018)
The AHRA Winter Nationals at Beeline in January 1975 was attended by (among others) Garlits, Beck, and Top Fuel newcomer Shirley Muldowney (who qualified #3); Muldowney lost to Warren in Round Two, while Warren was eliminated in the final by #4 qualifier Marvin Graham. Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 22 November 2018) At OCIR in March, Warren recorded an AHRA event win, defeating Bob Noice in the final. Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 22 November 2018) For the U.S. Nationals in September, Warren qualified #6, but was eliminated in Round One by #22 qualifier Graham. Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 22 November 2018) Later that month, at the NHRA Fallnationals, held at Pacific Raceways in Kent, Washington, Warren qualified #3, but proved unable to capitalize on it. Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 22 November 2018) At Ontario in October, the NHRA World Finals were attended also by Beck, Ivo, Richard Tharp, and Garlits, among others. Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 22 November 2018) Warren qualified #6, and eliminated Garth Widdison (qualified #14) in Round One, but was defeated by #2-qualified Beck in Round Two. Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 22 November 2018)