Who was the first editor of Hot Rod magazine?

Wally Parks was the first editor of Hot Rod magazine.

Hot Rod began publication in January 1948 and became the oldest magazine devoted specifically to hot rodding. Parks served as its first editor and used the publication to promote performance culture, organized competition and safer forms of racing.

His influence extended well beyond magazine publishing. In 1951, Parks founded the National Hot Rod Association, which helped establish drag racing as a formally organized motorsport. He also organized Safety Safaris that taught racers and track operators how to move racing away from public streets and onto controlled facilities.

Robert E. Petersen founded the magazine, so he is sometimes confused with its first editor. Tom Medley was a celebrated cartoonist and contributor, while David Freiburger became a much later editor. Parks’s dual role in early Hot Rod and the NHRA makes him a central figure in American hot-rodding history.