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Chris "The Greek" Karamesines


Chris


Chris


Chris


Chris


Chris


Chris


Chris


Chris


Chris


Chris in a wheelchair


Chris in the shop


Chris during his birthday party


Chris working on the blower


Chris Working on the car


Chris getting photographed


Chris getting in his racecar


Chris when he was in the army


Chris


Chris


Chris and Luigi


Chris with a pretty lady


Chris and the blond


Chris and the blond


Chris at the races


Chris in the pits


Chris and another blond


Chris and Ron Capps


Chris on the NHRA podium


Chris and his "Personal" bartender


Chris and a friend


Chris with Krista Baldwin


chris with Krista Baldwin


Chris with Krista Baldwin


Chris a chassis and a friend


Chris and Steve Torrance, one of todays top fuel drivers


Chris with Steve Torrance


Chris at the track


Chris doing an autograph


Chris with some servicemen


Chris with Don Prudomme


Chris suited up


Chris posing at the track with his crew


Chris and Big Daddy


Chris and Fred Miller


Chris interviewed


Chris interviewed


Chris with a friend


Chris with Big Willie the one time Drag strip operator in the Long Beach, Ca area


Chris with Linda Vaughn


Chris getting a drawing of an early Chizler


Chris at an awards banquet


Chris with Broadway Bob


Chris interviewed


Chris


Chris looking at a motor


Chris fueling the car


Chrs


Chris with a new driver? Hardly!


Chris working on his car


Chris still working


Chris working


Chris and crew with his Rod Stuckey built car. Note the key style push bar that was on all Stuckey cars


Chris with the same car


Chris and an older Chizler and the crew


Chris with his car in a museum


Chris with his Chizler


Chris with his car


Chris still adjusting his Chizler


Chris posing with his Stuckey car


Chris with an early Chizler


Chris with one of his prettiest swoopy bodied front motor cars


Chris with that pretty car


Chris with his car


Chris and some kids with his Chizler


Chris and his car


Chris working on the car


Chris and crew working


Chris and another Chizler


Chris and another Chizler


Chris still working on his car


Chris working on a rear engined Chizler


Chris with his 2 motored car, very few pics of this car


Chris and his latest car


Chris with his ride


Chris and his car


Chris working on the car


Chris and the car


Chris and more work


Chris and a crewman


Chris visiting with fans


Chris celebrating


Chris still celebrating


Chris working


Chris with the crew


Chris with the crew


Chris getting ready to go


Chris with Kenny Hirata and Larry Jones


Chris with Art Malone


Chris and his crew


Chris and his crew


Chris and the crew


Chris and a few others


Chris in the seat


Chris getting ready


Chris buckling up


Chris smiling


Chris fired up


Chris in the seat


Chris in the car


Chris getting in the car


Chris getting ready


Chris


Chris in the seat


Chris getting a push


Chris at a cacklefest


Chris in the car


Chris


Chris


Chris


Chris


Chris


Chris


Chris in a slick Chizler


Chris in early carburated on nitromethane Chizler


Another shot of the car, his first dragster


Chris with Don Maynard


Chris at Fremont in 1971


Chris moving to the line


Chris in his car


Chris turning around


Chris getting pushed


Chris at Lions a long time ago


Chris getting pushed off


Chris ready to rock


Chris getting pushed back after a burnout


Chris on the line


Chris pulls a wheelie


Chris and his car


Chris on a run


Chris


Chris in a go cart


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler in 1960


Chizler


Chizler at Alton, Ill 1959


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler next to his 2 motor model


Chizler


Chizler getting lined up


Chizler


The Chizler in line to run exibition at Barona, Ca


Chizler getting prepared


Chizler parked and ready


Chizler looking cool at Green Valley, Tx


Chizler with other antique race cars


Chizler ready to push off


Chizler


Chizler ready for the cacklefest


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler in line


Chizler


Chizler relaxing between rounds


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler at Lions


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler doing 204 at Alton. ILL. NHRA didn't sanction that track, but Chris was the first over 200


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chizler


Chris against Jack Williams


Chris uses his hand to put his car in the lights


Chris against the Frantic Four


Chris out even


Chris a little late out of the gate


Chris out on Don Prudomme


Chris against the Young American fueler


Chris smokin' it


Chris going after the Frantic 4


Chris even on the start


Chris in a cloud of smoke


Chris with wheels up against Vance Hunt and Don Garlits the starter


Chris and Vance Hunt go at it again


Chris in another race


Chris off the line


Chris getting ready

Named 50 Greatest NHRA Drivers in 2001 2006 Motorsports Hall of Fame of America Inductee Chris Karamesines is an American drag racer and one of NHRA's early pioneers and nicknamed "The Golden Greek". In 2009, he became the first driver in NHRA history to compete and become the fastest driver at over 78 years old at the final event of the 2009 season at Pomona driving in the Top Fuel category. But he would lose in the first round against Brandon Bernstein. The following year, he made an attempt at Firebird International Raceway in Arizona and made the field, but again lost in the first round. On June 19, 2011, Karamesines defeated Doug Kalitta in the first round of final eliminations at the NHRA event at Thunder Valley. It was Karamesines' first round win since 1990. Chris has never won an NHRA National Event but has come close several times. His last final round appearance came in 1990 in Seattle, Washington. Karamesines also reached the final round at Le Grandnational Molson in Quebec Canada that same year. On June 15, 2014 at Bristol, Karamesines the #16 qualifier knocked out #1 qualifier Brittany Force in the first round and then lost to Antron Brown in the second round. At the same event two years later, Force defeated Karamesines in the first round. At the 2016 Charlotte 4-wide nationals, Karamesines' granddaughter, Krista Baldwin, was entered alongside her grandpa. Karamesines scored a round win at Gainsville in 2016, deafeating number one qualifier Richie Crampton. The Greek would run 5 times in 2017. Before the 2018 season, Karamesines had to have his hip replaced, and would miss the opening of the season. He would return for the Route 66 Nationals in Chicago, his home race.

Created 07/05/18

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