In 1969, Leong switched from racing "rails" (cars that consisted of a bare frame, wheels and an engine — and cockpit for the driver) to "funny cars" (cars with a light weight shell vaguely similar to ...

The history of funny cars dates back to the 1960s, and while it's not possible to pinpoint exactly who coined the phrase and why, many experts in the drag racing field agree the name originates from ...