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With only a couple of weeks remaining until the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season kicks off, this week’s trip into the National Dragster photo archives takes us into the files of one of the racers who won at the first Winternationals, held in 1961: Jack Chrisman. One of NHRA’s biggest stars in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Chrisman picked up two NHRA national event wins and was NHRA’s champion in 1961, putting together a dominant season in which he won nearly every event he entered. Chrisman also campaigned what is widely considered to be the first Funny Car ever, debuting his Comet in 1964. Following is a look at some of the photos from Chrisman’s files.

Chrisman was one of the winners at the inaugural Winternationals, held in 1961 in Pomona. He took home the Top Eliminator title, defeating Tom McEwen in the final.

In addition to winning the Winternationals, Chrisman scored victories at several other events during the 1961 season, tallying a near-perfect points score of 550 to earn the NHRA World Champion of Drag Racing title that year.

Chrisman picked up his second and final national event win at the 1962 Nationals in Indy. He earned the Top Eliminator trophy when he bested legend Don Garlits in the title round.

Chrisman debuted the Sachs & Sons Mercury Comet at the 1964 Nationals, where he ran it in the B/Fuel Dragster class. The sport’s first blown, injected, nitro-burning Funny Car, the Comet laid the foundation for the modern Funny Car.

After debuting that first Funny Car, Chrisman continued to experiment and push the envelope in years to come. Among the cars that he put on the track were a flip-top Comet (above) and a Comet roadster (below), with which he set several records before it blew an engine, caught fire, and burned to the ground.