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Drag Racing Legend and E.C. Sigmon Owner Still on the Fast Track After 50 Years

Season Just Heating Up for This San Fernando Valley Winner

Some only dream of going from 0 to 155 miles per hour in 8.45 seconds. But 67-year-old entrepreneur and drag racing enthusiast Ed Sigmon lives it. And as this year's racing season continues to heat up, Ed is only getting started.

Since childhood, Ed has been fascinated with classic cars and the labor that goes into making the ultimate racing vehicles. His father owned several Model-T Fords that Ed later helped re-fashion. Cars quickly won his heart.

In 1960, Ed entered his first race at the former San Fernando Valley Raceway and realized that it was his calling. Since that fateful day, he has never missed a drag racing season. Ed has competed in hundreds of races across the nation and has loved every moment of it.

"The past 50 years have been a wild ride," says Ed. With six different cars and endless hours of labor put into each, Ed has no intentions of ending his racing career anytime soon. "No one else has ever raced as long as I have or driven all consecutive 50 years," he says. "There really is no stopping me."

In the past 50 years, Ed has owned a '49 Chevy Business Coupe, a '53 MG, a '70 Camaro, a '27 Ford Roadster and a '34 Chevy Roadster, all complete with new engines. "Most people race European cars these days," he says. "I prefer to stick to the American classics."

Ed's advice to the younger drag racing community? Never race on the streets and learn from those who have come before you. "Safety is a priority in racing," he says. "Kids race on the street and don't realize that they could hurt someone or themselves."

Ed is still going strong in his 50th season and has big plans for this current season that began on February 15th.

Ed's Fast Facts:

• Won the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) National Event title for the first time in the 1969 Winter Nationals
• Won the Sports Nationals in April of 2009 and plans to win again this year.
• Won more than 300 different races in his career both (big and small)
• Won three national races
• One of few drag racers today who had raced on the San Fernando Valley Raceway, better known as "the Pond," before it closed in 1969
• His cars can hit 3-g's off the starting line
• Has been racing longer than anyone involved in the sport today

About Ed Sigmon:

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Ed has always had a passion for racing classic cars. He and his son currently own and manage several properties in the San Fernando Valley as well as own their own air conditioning company, called E.C. Sigmon. He currently resides in Chatsworth, California, where he has lived for the past 55 years.