I am not sure who would be called the best/greatest. Everyone has there favorite racer depending on where you live. There are many great racers from that era. West coast, east coast or from the cantral states, each had there heros. There is a book out that was published in 2012 by Doug Boyce about this era. It is called "Junior Stock - Drag Racing the Family Sedan." It is a 176 paged book filled with pictures, facts and names. As with any book, I am sure people can find irregularities in the pages. I personally think Doug did a great job documenting this era. There is probably enough info out there to do a second book?? For those of you that haven't read this book - get a copy and enjoy. I know I did and many of my friends have also.
The cover has a familiar 57 Chev out of California - Marv Ripes.