Introduction

It is not possible to talk about drag racing in Northern California without mentioning Jim McLennan. An inductee in the Bay Area Sports Writers’ Hall of Fame and the National Hot Rod Association Hall of Fame, Jim was selected in 2007 for the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame by none other than Don “Big Daddy” Garlits. His contribution to the sport of drag racing is immeasurable. He not only drove 180 mph slingshot dragsters, but ran a speed and machine shop (Champion Auto Parts/Sponsor), and owned and operated several race tracks, including Champion Speedway which he built from the ground up.

Early Life & Street Racing Roots

Jim’s lifelong passion for hot rods and racing started in his teens. While at San Francisco’s Balboa High School, he worked in a gas station, fixing anything—but what he loved most was making cars go fast. He was well-known out on the Great Highway near San Francisco’s Ocean Beach for his street-racing runs in a ’51 Chevy powered by a souped-up V8 Oldsmobile engine.

In the 1950s, as almost all hot-rodding and drag racing revolved around car clubs, Jim joined San Francisco’s Pacers Car Club and was instrumental in moving the racers off the streets and onto the drag strip. As early as 1955, he was racing a flathead-powered dragster at the strip, though at the time very few tracks existed.

Champion Speed Shop: The Starting Point

By the late 1950s, Jim had opened :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7} in South San Francisco—his speed shop quickly became the go-to destination for rodders seeking specialty parts, hot tune-ups, or simply a place to hang out. His shop embodied the gear-head culture of NorCal and rapidly established his name in the high-performance scene. :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}

According to sources, the original shop (opened 1957 on El Camino Real) was soon moved to 1685 Old Mission Road in 1958. :contentReference[oaicite:9]{index=9} The name “Champion” came from the prior tenant—Champion Fence Company—but Jim embraced it as fitting for his performance-minded enterprise. :contentReference[oaicite:10]{index=10}

Track Ownership & Promoting Drag Racing in Northern California

Jim was more than a racer and shop owner—he became a promoter and track owner who helped transition drag racing from the streets to legal venues. One key move: when the airstrip at Half Moon Bay Airport in California (used by local car clubs Lightning Rods and Piston Pushers) was under threat due to city demands for improvements and insurance, Jim stepped in. He negotiated a lease and transformed the 3,000′×60′ concrete strip into a drag-racing hub in the late 1950s. :contentReference[oaicite:12]{index=12}

With Half Moon Bay and Cotati Drag Strip (which Jim also owned) running on alternate weekends, Northern California drag racers finally had a legitimate option to street racing. :contentReference[oaicite:14]{index=14}

In the early 1960s, Jim built Champion Speedway in Brisbane, California (on the site of an old landfill just south of Candlestick Park). The facility included a ½-mile oval track and later added a 1/8-mile drag strip on its straightaway. This NHRA-sanctioned facility became a mainstay of the Bay Area auto-racing scene until its closure in 1979. :contentReference[oaicite:15]{index=15}

Champion Speed Shop Dragster Success

In parallel to his business and track interests, Jim drove the house-team fuel dragster for Champion Speed Shop in partnership with Ted Gotelli. At one point the “Champion Speed Shop-Gotelli” fuel dragster held the No. 2 spot on the Drag News Mr. Eliminator list. :contentReference[oaicite:17]{index=17}

By 1961 the dangers of top-fuel dragsters had escalated and Jim decided to hand over the driving duties to 19-year-old Sammy Hale. The car used a Chevy small-block (364 cid) with a 4-71 blower and Algon injectors. :contentReference[oaicite:18]{index=18}

In the famous July 22, 1962 pass at Half Moon Bay, the Champion Speed Shop car defeated Don Garlits’ 454-cid Chrysler in a David-versus-Goliath moment. :contentReference[oaicite:19]{index=19}

Later, Jim sold the dragster (end of 1962) to shift full attention to his tracks and business endeavors. :contentReference[oaicite:20]{index=20}

Legacy & Continued Influence

Though Jim McLennan died in February 2007, his legacy lives on. His sons Bobby and Mike continue to build, tune, and drive top-fuel dragsters under the Champion Speed Shop banner. :contentReference[oaicite:21]{index=21}

In 2022, an article noted that when Jim opened Champion Speed Shop in 1958, it became a place where serious rodders and drag racers came for high-performance parts and knowledge. :contentReference[oaicite:22]{index=22}

The Champion Speed Shop legacy remains a blueprint for Northern California’s hot-rod culture and drag-racing heritage, demonstrating how one individual could influence parts supply, events, track ownership, and on-track success.