Tommy Ivo was an actor and drag racing car driver, born April 18, 1936 in Denver, Colorado, USA. In the late 1950's Ivo raced a twin (side by side) Buick engined dragster. It was unique in appearance and won numerous races. Later he designed a four-engine dragster, but the National Hot Rod Association ruled it the first "exhibition" dragster, so he couldn't race it.
Ivo was in a striped jacket, bow tie, and straw hat.
In 1964, Ivo came home with the biggest prize from the historic tour of the United Drag Racing Team in England when he defeated Garlits for overall honors and was crowned the International Drag Racer of the Year in England by NHRA and the British Hot Rod Association.
Ivo campaigned a half dozen front-engine cars, including the ones with which he drove to runner-up honors at the 1964 Winternationals and 1965 Nationals, before switching to the rear-engine format in 1972.
Ivo was the first to go 8 seconds on gas, the first to go 180 on gas, the first to go 7 on fuel, the first to run 190 on fuel.
TommyIvo brought excitement into drag racing with movie stars visiting the races, his notorious glass sided trailors adorning the pits and rodeways, and the screaming rumble from one of his fine motored creations.
TommyIvo is quite possibly the most important contributors to drag racing that it has ever seen, turning what was once a race here and there sport, to the touring roadshow NHRA has become today.
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