James Handy

While still in high school and working as a yearbook and sports photographer, Jim went to his first hot rod show in Phoenix, Arizona in 1960. He attended San Jose State University and got to know the street rod guys in the San Jose area; the drive-in's and the cruise spots. In 1967, he and good friend the late Tom Meyer were asked by the late Jim McLennan to be Track Photographers at Fremont Drag Strip. Every Sunday for the next three years, Jim and Tom photographed and reported the day's results to National Dragster and Drag News via overnight mail. Jim and Tom also traveled the West Coast, photographing action at various drag strips in California like Pomona, Orange County, and Bakersfield. Jim began photographing the Grand National Roadster Show (aka Oakland Roadster Show in 1962), and has photographed almost all of the shows since then. Jim was inducted into the GNRS Hall of Fame in 2003, along with another young man just starting his hot rod career, Chip Foose. Jim's photo work has appeared in magazines since 1967; Street Rod, Street Rodder, Rod & Custom, Hot Rod, Custom Cars, Rod Action, Collector Car, Truckin', Hot Rod Mechanix, et.al. Jim is retired and currently lives in Northern California with his wife Sandy. His website is also very popular with front motor dragster fans and contains many of Jim’s 25,000+ images. His garage time is spent wrenching on his ‘56 Nomad and his sons ‘57 Bel Air.