06/27/2026
Hi Ed,
Thanks for all that you did for me and my business. Your voice in the community was priceless. Sure miss seeing and talking with you. Blessings over you and your family!
Ed McCulloch is a true survivor in drag racing, with a career spanning more than four decades filled with both triumphs and setbacks.
Growing up in Central California, he often watched midget races with his father. Although he might have pursued a path toward IndyCar racing, his direction changed in 1957 when he built his first dragster by installing his father’s boat engine into a chassis borrowed from neighbors H.L. and Shirley Shahan. That moment marked the beginning of his drag racing career.
Over the years, McCulloch went on to win 22 NHRA national events, including six U.S. Nationals titles. After relocating to Oregon, he partnered with Jim Albrich in the early 1960s on the “Northwind” fuel dragster. During this period, a win over Jerry “The King” Ruth earned him the nickname “Ace McCulloch.”
In 1969, he made a reluctant transition to Funny Car racing, teaming with Art Whipple. Despite being relatively unknown at the time, the partnership quickly proved competitive. In May 1970, the team set both ends of the national record with a 7.19-second elapsed time and a speed of 211.76 mph.
McCulloch earned his first national event victory at the 1971 U.S. Nationals. The following year, driving the “Revolution” Duster, he captured three national event wins, including another U.S. Nationals title, and earned Car Craft All-Star honors.
In 1980, he returned to prominence with the Super Shops Funny Car, winning his third U.S. Nationals. Two years later, he joined Larry Minor’s team, and in 1984 he drove the Miller Oldsmobile Funny Car to a benchmark performance of 5.13 seconds, setting a new standard in the class.
One of the highlights of his career came in 1988 when he won an IHRA championship, earning a prize of more than $100,000. His final career victory came in 1992 at the U.S. Nationals, where he won in a dragster, making him one of the few racers to win at Indianapolis in both Top Fuel and Funny Car categories.
McCulloch’s career is remembered for its longevity, versatility, and consistent competitiveness across multiple eras of drag racing.
