Mickey Thompson with the Panorama City Special dragster in which he competed at the 1955 Nationals in Great Bend, Kan

Fritz Burns, a real-estate magnate in Southern California’s San Fernando Valley who also owned San Fernando Drag Strip and much of Panorama City, sponsored the car on its trip. This car is also memorable in that it’s believed to be the first successful slingshot-style chassis, with the driver sitting out behind the rear end.

http://www.nhra.com/blog/dragster-insider/2012/04/10/streamliners-of-the-50s-and-60s/