The name “Drag” originated from drivers racing from one traffic light to the next, using hand signals at intersections to indicate whether it would be a first-gear or second-gear race. Many who Dragged 10th did not experience the more intense drag racing that took place on deserted straightaways at the edge of town. The practice grew after World War II, when the end of gas, rubber, and metal rationing allowed people to drive for pleasure, helping give rise to “dragging,” later called cruising. California played an important role in the emergence of a national car culture after the war as GIs moved west, suburban housing expanded, freeway construction increased mobility, and by 1970 the state had more registered car owners than any other. Deserts and flatlands gave people places to show off modified Model Ts and Model As, and by mid-century powerful, flashy cars had become central to a regional youth culture centered on being “cool.” Teenagers in California had disposable income, leisure time, and cars, so they cruised. In Central Valley towns such as Bakersfield and Modesto, streets became gathering places for nightly drag racing, cruising, and socializing. In Modesto, by 1962, people could fill up with 22-cent gasoline and Drag 10th, drawing boys and girls from Oakdale, Turlock, Hilmar, and elsewhere in the region to 10th and 11th Streets downtown to see and be seen. People also enjoyed the Drag by parking and walking around, moving from car to car, listening to the same radio station, and sharing a common soundtrack later associated with American Graffiti. Drivers were sometimes challenged to impromptu races on remote roads such as Paradise, Blue Gum, and Rumble, and some of those dangerous races ended fatally. As the night wound down, many cruisers gathered in places such as the Lucky Market parking lot on 11th Street to watch the passing cars. Cruising remained popular through the early ’90s, preserving the ritual of slowly driving the avenue in bumper-to-bumper traffic, trading cars, sharing food and drinks, and playing harmless pranks.