These are rollers....the way most drag strips of the 60's-70's started the hot cars. Hot cars were started by pushing, no self starters....they would be pushed down a road that usually parallel the strip and turn around 180 degrees near the start line. No burn outs, just dry hops.
These rollers allowed the hot cars to be started in the pits to warm up and/or tune and some strips had them near the start so they didn't have to push start the cars.... OCIR, and Beech Bend Raceway in are good examples of that.
When the rollers were spinning the tires of the hot cars the cars would skate from side to side a little before they would fire up....that's why the guy is holding on to the cage to keep the car in one place! The rollers were usually powered by a SBC and it was a joke that it took a Chevy to start a Hemi....fun times. AND....notice the size of the fire extinguisher....and it's CO2....!
This is about in the middle of the hot pits....this dance was kinda intense....the push truck had to keep the race car from moving back, the crew member had to keep it in the center....the throttle man on the roller engine had to engage/disengage just at the right moment, and be ready to sprint to the race car with the gigantic fire bottle if the race car sneezed and caught fire.....
Found on https://www.facebook.com/groups/331539540273153/
