Doug Thorley


Doug Thorley is an American Funny Car drag racer, hot rodder and businessman. In 1967, he won the NHRA Nationals' first Funny Car Eliminator title, and was given Car Crafts All-Star Drag Racing Team Funny Car Driver of the Year Award in 1968. Hot Rod magazine describes him as "one of drag racing's most famous early era drivers."

Racing career

Thorley won many drag races at the Santa Ana strip in the 1950s in a 1938 Century coupe. 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. In 1964, Thorley match raced an altered-wheelbase injected big-block 1964 Chevy II he called Chevy Too Much.
Thorley's Doug's Headers Corvair was the first seven-second Funny Car, and it was in this car he won the NHRA supercharged A Funny Car class at Indianapolis Raceway Park in 1967, defeating Joe Lunati's The Dixie Devil Camaro. It was the first time Funny Car Eliminator was held at Indy. Indy would also prove to be Thorley's only NHRA national event win in Funny Car.
That year 1967, he would also record the first funny car pass in his Corvair, at Lions Drag Strip.
In 1968, Thorley bought a rear-engined AMC 401-powered Javelin TF/FC from Woody Gilmore. The same year, he was given Car Crafts All-Star Drag Racing Team Funny Car Driver of the Year Award in 1968.

Doug Thorley Headers

Thorley founded his header company in 1958. Among Thorley's better-known customers were Carol Cox. Thorley headers would go on to be a favorite among drag racers.
Thorley Headers is a leading producer of headers and exhaust systems, favored by many rodders and racers.

Biography

Thorley is the subject of the book Doug Thorley: Headers by Doug written by Don Pennington.