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itsworn · 6 years

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2018 NSRA Street Rod Nationals … Bigger & Better

The first weekend in August has long been the time we set aside to go to the NSRA Street Rod Nationals in Louisville, Kentucky. If we can’t make the drive there is always following it online or go old-school and begin to count down the days until it appears in our favorite magazine (STREET RODDER, of course!).

And why should this year be any different as the 49th annual get-together was served up at the Kentucky Exposition Center where it has been since 1997 … I believe. (A little background on the KEC: It’s a large multiuse facility originally built in 1956. It’s the sixth largest facility of its type in the country with 1.3 million square feet of indoor space. It also houses two arenas, Broadbent Arena and Freedom Hall, where the Sunday award-winning vehicles are shown, almost 700,000 square feet of Class A exhibit space (of which there were 273 exhibitors), nearly 500 acres of outdoor planning space (on grass and concrete). A majority of the 1.3 million square feet is contiguous. (So finding a place to park shouldn’t be an issue.)

And for those of you who enjoy celebrating anniversaries be prepared for next summer when the 50th comes around. We haven’t been made aware of what the NSRA might have in store but being the 50th I’m guessing we will see lots of cars and street rodder types we possibly haven’t seen in some time.

Aside from the weather being outstanding (which is saying something for Louisville in August!) you could feel the added excitement in the air … for whatever the reason. We could tell the spectator crowd was big, 62,201 people walked in, and this was especially noticeable on Friday and Saturday. As for the car count we did see window stickers at 10,190, making this one of the largest in years … another sign that all is right in the world of street rodding. To this we noted cars parked in areas we hadn’t seen street rods in for some time. There was no denying this was a good year.

When you say an event had “… everything from soup to nuts …” that’s generally interpreted as a good thing, meaning there were all sorts of goodies going on to keep your interest. The 49th NSRA Nats had it all from the world of entertainment with the likes of Sawyer Brown to the Endless Summer Band … and who hasn’t heard Wings Kallahan and his daily sunrise to sunset playing of the oldies but goodies from his remote station located outside the center doors of the main exhibit building.

If wandering the acres of grounds looking at every manner of hot rod doesn’t wear you out then make sure to wander the nearly endless aisles of exhibitors inside. To this you should have seen the Builders’ Showcase in the main hall inside the exhibit building where for the past 12 years (since 2006) you can see about 30 of the best examples from a myriad of builders our industry has to offer.

There is also the NSRA Super Prize Program and this year (the 31st year) the Nats package was worth $66,867 (featuring 44 companies—meaning over $28 million in prizes has been given away to rodders over the past decades). That’s an achievement. However, the prize everyone has their eye on is the NSRA Giveaway Car (featuring 50-plus companies). This year Waycool Customs in Pittsfield, Illinois, built the Brockmeyer Designs 1932 Ford Victoria. In order to win you must be a registered participant with your car on the grounds of the Expo Center at the time of the drawing. You must be present at the drawing, and if your lucky entry number is drawn you must verify ownership in your name of the registered vehicle. Taking home the Deuce was Charles Senn of Louisville (short drive home!). His ride to the Nats was a 1968 Firebird; now he has an early and late hot rod; can life get any better?

There are fan favorites, such as Pro’s Pick sponsored by Classic Instruments, where a dozen outstanding rodding examples are selected by an industry judging panel, 29 Below (for younger builders the program is now in its 32nd year) sponsored by Vintage Air, Mopar Country (in its 43rd year), new products section (this is a must for all hot rodders in attendance), and a really good program the Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRIA) Education Days. These hourlong seminars are designed with you, the homebuilder in mind, to help you with virtually every aspect of car building in an effort to make you better at your hobby. Time well spent. Other favorites are the Safety Inspections, Powermaster Testing, Commercial Way (sponsored by UPS), and my personal favorite … Michigan Hot Rod Association Rod Repair Shop. For many, many years they have come to the rescue of countless street rodders who have found themselves behind the proverbial “eight ball” when things go wrong at the Nats. A special thanks to these guys helping all those in mechanical need.

On the subject of New Products this year’s winning companies were JJ’s Rods for their firewall boots ($0-$200 category), Classic Instruments for their 1964-1966 Chevrolet pickup direct replacement instrument cluster ($201-$1,000 category), CarCapsule for their indoor car capsule ($1,001-$5,000 category), Fatman Fabrication for their 1963-1966 Chevrolet pickup complete chassis ($5,001 and up category), and Watson StreetWorks for their backup camera console monitor (Safety Related category).

As for the more physical among us there was the Streetkhana (autocross NSRA style) that was aptly handled by the American Streetcar Promotions and ran Thursday through Saturday. There were awards handed out for three classes that were broken into Pre-1949, Post-1948, and a Vendor Class (guys who know how to drive and have the horsepower to make it happen).

And to wrap things up there was the Circle of Winners held at noon on Sunday and it is here the 48 outstanding vehicles from the show are honored in the arena for all to see. And what a way to wrap things up; it’s one of the last four-day shows in the country and it still provides plenty of excitement to keep rodders interested. We are always amazed at how many rodders arrive early in the week and are all set up and ready to go by Tuesday and the show doesn’t start until Thursday. Like we mentioned earlier you could feel the added excitement this year and the number of entrants and spectator crowd coupled with the great weather made this a special year. And writing about special, all of us should be excited to see one another next year at the 50th … now that’s saying something.

Painless Performance Products Top 100 (Indoors)

Jon Hall | Saginaw, MI | 1927 Ford Starting with a body and chassis from Shadow Rods, students from Washtenaw Community College’s Custom Cars and Concepts Program created this elegant roadster. Complete with a nailed-to-the-ground stance, Holley Sniper-equipped 355ci Chevy mill, and decadent PPG Deep Maroon Gloss, it rolls on bronze wheels from The Wheelsmith topped with Diamond Back rubber.

Sonny & Debby Freeman | Lafayette, LA | 1957 Chevy Rolling on an Art Morrison GT Sport chassis, the team at Mike Goldman Customs added a 900hp Whipple-supercharged LS7 V-8 from Mast Motorsports to lay down the power to a set of custom wheels from Curtis Speed wearing Pirelli tires. The body features a coating of Axalta Butter Yellow vibe while inside a custom interior by Paul Atkins adds comfort with cool from Vintage Air.

Bruce & Judy Ricks | Sapulpa, OK | 1963-1/2 Ford Bruce’s Galaxie 500 is the ultimate sleeper. Built by Steve Cook Creations it features a ground-grazing stance, subtle coating of Axalta deep green, and rolls on steel wheels with caps and red line tires. Punch comes from an all-aluminum 496ci Ford FE with 622 hp from Craft Performance with comfort courtesy of Sculpt Garage and chrome from Jon Wright’s Custom Chrome Plating.

Seth Wagner | McHenry, IL | 1950 Ford There’s just something cool about a classic mild custom. A perfectly shaved body glows in PPG burgundy while a 312ci Ford Y-block V-8 wearing an Autotrend Tri-power EFI adds plenty of go. Inside a classic bench seat adds comfort with Vintage Air setting the temps and a Ford Crestliner wheel navigating the course.

Mike & Glenna Young | Derby, KS | 1949 Buick With over 120 custom body modifications by Chris Carlson Hot Rods, this Buick Sedanette is all class featuring a mild chop, 1956 Buick headlights, peaked and extended quarter-panels, and Martin Senour graphite color. A 383ci Chevy mill with EFI from Imagine Injection Systems adds power linked to a 700-R4 trans while inside vintage T-bird bucket seats are covered in fawn leather.

Tom Simpson | Knoxville, TN | 1925 Ford Packing 239 ci of Flathead power breathing through a two-pot intake while singing through a set of lake pipes is totally wicked. Rolling on a set of bigs ’n’ littles with red wires and a polished black suede body completes the look. Inside, plenty of custom aluminum sets the pace, complete with gauges from Speedway Motors monitoring the vitals and a tall Lokar shifter pulling gears.

Suzy Bauter | Thompsons Station, TN | 1963 AMC Rambler Built at home in a two-car garage, including all custom fabrication, this wagon sees plenty of autocross action. Coated in PPG Washington Blue with a custom-sewn interior by Suzy, it’s all business in the engine bay thanks to 5.3L Chevy V-8 for go-power while Baer brakes add plenty of stopping power. The package rolls on 18-inch US Mags shod with BFGoodrich Rival S tires.

Curtis Hofstetter | Mechanicsville, VA | 1933 Willys Gassers are guaranteed to raise your adrenalin level thanks to their mile-high stance and endless attitude. For plenty of impact a 355ci Chevy V-8 wears a 6-71 supercharger topped by a pair of 750-cfm Holley carbs dumping gases through custom headers. A razor-sharp body wears PPG custom blue metallic gloss while classic Halibrand-style wheels sport Mickey Thompson tires.

Robert Anderson, Savannah, GA / 1936 Pontiac A custom chassis from Roadster Shop with an IRS from Kugel Komponents adds a perfect stance, especially when combined with one-off wheels from EVOD Industries. Built by Legens Hot Rod Shop the body features an endless array of custom updates and is covered is custom-blended white pearl from Axalta. A Chevrolet Performance supercharged LT4 brings the go with 650 hp.

Dale Carpenter | Birmingham, AL | 1930 Ford coupe Another awesome homebuilt hot rod was this cool Model A sporting a perfectly balanced chop, Deuce grille, tombstone taillights, and two-tone paint scheme. A Ford modular V-8 adds plenty of visual impact and sets the pace topped with an Autotrend EFI dumping spent gases through homespun headers. Inside it’s a cool tiki theme with Classic Instruments monitoring the vitals.

Painless Performance Products Top 100 (Outdoors)

Ronald James | Paducah, KY | 1933 Ford coupe Pure tradition never goes out of style. This Falkstone Gray Desert Tan 1933 coupe retains a basically stock body but a proper stance, yellow steelies, and a well-dressed flathead motor leave no doubt that this coupe is pure hot rod. Inside you’ll find tan leather and a shifter leading to an early Ford tranny.

Bob Oney | Lebanon, OH | 1932 Ford roadster Bob Oney’s latest hot rod carries a heavy Lobeck look with a blood-red body, subtle louvers, and traditional big ’n’ little stance. Pete and Jakes front and rear suspension along with American Rebel wheels provide the proper stance. Power comes from a 383 stroker topped with a FiTech injection system. Inside a simple leather seat, Classic Gauges, and a Bell-style wheel complete the package.

Gary Gregory & Fred Graffe | Stewartstown, PA | 1962 Ford Galaxie convertible The superclean lines of the 1962 Ford convertible make a perfect platform for hot rodding. The team at Lucky 7 rod shop stuffed a dual-turbo Ford Coyote underhood and filled the interior with deep burgundy leather, making for a 600-plus horsepower, comfortable top-down cruiser.

Jim Talaga | Plainfield, IL | 1947 Ford Sportsman The Ford Sportsman is seldom seen in hot rod circles. This burgundy beauty has a 4.6 Lincoln motor underhood and rides on a Heidts IFS. Tan leather, Vintage Air, and Autometer gauges update the interior while Coker wide whites on 16-inch Vintique steelies complete the look.

Bruce & Judy Ricks | Sapulpa, OK | 1956 Ford Victoria Most people don’t notice this Ford has been wedge-sectioned 4-3/4 inches beginning from the front fender and tapered back to the quarter-panel. A 427 Ford Racing motor is fed by eight-stack EFI and a TREMEC six-speed mixes the gears. Inside two-tone brown leather covers the bucket seats, Classic Instruments monitors the motor and Vintage Air keeps it all cool.

Bill Wynne | Royal Palm Beach, FL | 1932 Ford Victoria Black Deuce Victorias always catch our eye and if they happen to be powered by a 246-inch Flatmotor that’s even better. Vintage Air, Classic Instruments, and several red cows cover the inside of the car. Pete and Jakes parts and Wheelsmith wheels combine to create the proper rake.

Bob Bosse | Nicholasville, KY | 1936 Ford Cabriolet Cabriolets bring the best of both worlds: open air motoring and roll-up windows. This superclean 1936 relies on traditional mods like red steelies, wide whites, and black and white rolled and pleated seats behind a 1940 dash. Haneline instruments, Vintage Air, and a Lokar shifter complete the package.

Bill Cheek | Lancaster, PA | 1940 Ford Tudor We just don’t see enough 1940 Tudors finished to this high standard. Under the flawless black body you’ll find TCI suspension and a 401 Nailhead Buick nestled between the rails. Inside black rolls ’n’ pleats combine with Vintage Air, Classic Instruments, and a Lokar shifter connected to the 200-R4 tranny. It is simply a perfect package.

Gregory F. Denk Jr. | Overland Park, KS | 1932 Ford three-window coupe Hot rodding is all about attitude and this coupe has plenty of it. From the 402 big-block Chevy with over-the-frame headers, to the Wheelsmith wire wheels wrapped with Coker Excelsior tires, this is one bad coupe. A B&M shifter grabs gears and VDO provides the vital signs.

Tim A. Kinslow | Wanamaker, IN | 1951 Plymouth Suburban Post World War II America took to the open road traveling in station wagons. Today hot rodders are doing the same thing, often in the same cars. Of course modifications like a modern Mopar 360 EFI crate motor hooked to a TC518 tranny beats that old flathead-six. A Mustang II suspension provides stance, handling, and ride. Inside red and white upholstery matches the Cherry Red PPG paint.

Best Ford in a Ford Terry Gervasi’s Model A Coupe Written and Photographed by Gerry Burger

Hot rods and mathematics go hand in hand, and yet somehow when I was taking geometry my high school teacher forgot to mention the relationship. You see, geometry is a branch of mathematics concerned with questions of shape, size, relative position of figures, and the properties of space. While my teacher may have failed to connect these angles to important things like chopped tops, over the years I have found cars that work as great geometry textbooks. The car on these pages would be considered an advanced geometry textbook, so let’s take a quick lesson.

Terry Gervasi had owned a Model A coupe for a long time. He had always dreamed of finishing the car and having a traditional chopped coupe. As the years went by he decided it might be best to bring the old coupe to a professional shop. After doing some research and seeing several Hot Rod Garage cars, he contacted Ray Bartlett in Denton, Maryland, to do the build.

When the car rolled off the trailer and into The Hot Rod Garage the team discovered a poorly chopped 1931 Ford coupe. As a matter of fact the top had been cut so poorly it was beyond help and it was quickly determined a new top would be required for a proper top chop. A search for a new Model A top showed that most good tops were attached to good bodies. Not wanting to cut up a good car just for the top, Ray looked for other options. It was time for some basic math. Since there was a Deuce five-window in the shop a quick study with a tape measure indicated a 1932 Ford coupe roof could be made to fit.

Now every hot rodder knows 1932 parts cost more than Model A parts but this time that theorem proved wrong. Thanks to United Pacific you can now buy a brand-new stamped steel Deuce five-window coupe. A quick call to United Pacific and all the required panels were on their way to The Hot Rod Garage. A complete roof and the cowl top panels were all they needed.

Now comes the geometry lesson as The Hot Rod Garage set about doing some incredible geometry work, and after spending well over an hour looking at this car we can tell every angle, shape, and relative position is spot-on. As a matter of fact, the contours, angles, and shapes are so perfect many rodders have no idea the number of modifications on the car. The top of the doors are a combination of 1931 and 1932 parts, the rear Deuce window remains unchopped while the windshield frame has been cut and laid back on the perfect angle. The Deuce cowl has been meticulously blended with the Model A cowl. The fenders are 1932, the grille shell is a 1932, and mixing and matching continues throughout the car. When the car was finally back together again the laser-straight panels were covered with PPG black urethane.

Inside the car a 1932 dash is filled with Classic Instruments and Vintage Air. A Lokar shifter finds the gears and black leather fills the cabin. Yet another critical angle is proper hot rod rake. This is accomplished by the use of a Super Bell dropped axle with Pete and Jakes hairpins and shocks. Of course the American Rebel wheels are the proper diameter, with 16×8 rear wheels and 16×4 fronts. Take a quick look through those wheel windows and you’ll find Wilwood brakes on all four corners.

When it came time to power the coupe, Terry knew he wanted a traditional Blue Oval motor under the hood. To that end a 302 small-block Ford motor now displaces 347 ci. An Edelbrock carb feeds the Ford motor and a C4 Ford transmission passes the power back to 9-inch Ford rear, completing the all-Ford driveline.

In the end it was the incredible packaging, subtle yet major modifications, and the overall attention to detail that drew us closer to the car, but when we saw the great Ford driveline we knew this car was the perfect candidate for our Best Ford in Ford Award at the 2018 NSRA Street Rod Nationals.

The post 2018 NSRA Street Rod Nationals … Bigger & Better appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

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jonathanbelloblog · 6 years

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A Dozen Delightful Classics from the Concours d’Elegance of America

PLYMOUTH, Michigan – This year’s Concours d’Elegance of America held Sunday, July 29, like the 39 before it, was about style and design. Car owners don’t lift the hood for judges unless they so desire, which means that theoretically half the cars on the Inn at St. John’s lawn could have LS3s lurking under the hoods.

Fortunately, many of the owners do lift their cars’ hoods, and everything seems to be pretty original, from Brass Era four- and six-cylinder engines to a 1974 NSU Ro80’s Wankel rotary engine to the nine Nixon- and Ford-era funny cars to the General Motors Firebirds I, II, and III’s turbines.

Unfortunately, your humble reporter didn’t have the time or cloud capacity or even smartphone battery to cover all of these. In fact, the battery died before there was the chance to shoot even half the wonderfully over-chromed American cars from the Jet Age Fabulous ‘58s class.

But there was time and battery to shoot a dozen standouts, including selections from a special display of Porsche factory racecars celebrating the marque’s 70 years of building sports cars. These 11 Porsche Werkes Race Cars are said to be worth more than $60 million, total.

1. 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder by Reutter [Owner is the Brumos Collection, Jacksonville, Florida] “The beauty of the 550 is that it can be driven to the track, raced, and then driven home,” the notecard reads. Porsche hand-built three 550 Spyder prototypes in 1953, and updated the model in 1956 with a new space-frame chassis.

2. 1959 Porsche RSK 718 [Rick Grant, Moraine, Ohio] Like the modern Porsche 718 Cayman and Boxster, this short-wheelbase version of the 550A successor has a rear-midengine layout. Its 1.5-liter quad-cam engine makes 142 horsepower, a good number for the day especially when you consider the car weighs just 1,260 pounds. A fine example of pure sports car minimalism.

3. 1971 Porsche 917 KH Short Tail [Porsche Museum] Gijs van Lennep and Helmut Marko drove this car to victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, setting two track records that stood until 2010: Average speed of 222.3 kp/h (138 mph), and distance covered of 5,335.16 kilometers (3,315 miles).

4. 1959 Chevrolet CERV 1 Open Wheel Single Seat [Mark Reuss, Concours Enthusiast of the Year] Future chief engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov, with engineers Harold Krieger and Walt Zetye designed the first Chevrolet Experimental Racing Vehicle with a tube frame, independent rear suspension and rear engine configuration two years before Jack Brabham introduced his rear-engine Cooper Climax at the Indianapolis 500. CERV 1 was built to Indy car dimensions, but with an all-aluminum 353-hp 283 cubic-inch V-8, later replaced with a Hilborn fuel-injected 377 cubic-inch V-8, with which it set a 206.1 mph speed record at the Milford Proving Grounds’ five-mile oval in 1964.

5. 1959 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray Racer [GM] Designed by Peter Brock, Bill Mitchell and Larry Shinoda shortly after the Automobile Manufacturers Association banned manufacturer-sponsored racing, this car previewed the stunning C2 Corvette of 1963. It weighed about 2,200 pounds, nearly half a ton less than production Corvettes of the late ‘50s, and its 283 cubic-inch fuel-injected small block made 315 hp at 6,200 rpm.

6. 1929 Duesenberg J150 Roadster/Convertible by Derham [Veit Automotive Foundation, Monticello, Minnesota] This car, powered by a 265-hp 420 cubic-inch I-8, gives a rare view of a running chassis in the midst of restoration. The original Derham body was replaced in 1977 with a Derham body from a 1931 Lincoln, and the current owner is restoring it to original spec. The cost of this running chassis when it was built was $8,500.

7. 1939 Packard Super 8 Convertible Victoria by Darrin [Leon Flagg and Curtis Lamon, Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin] This is the second of six Super 8s with coachwork by Howard “Dutch” Darrin’s Sunset Boulevard studio. Most of these custom bodied cars rode on the less-expensive Packard 120 platform. Painted in Packard’s Havana beige paint color, this car has been restored with a Tenite “mica”-infused dash, faithfully recreating the original material, and with “genuine saddle-quality” leather.

8. 1971 Plymouth Satellite Sebring Plus [David Huffman, Hadley, Pennsylvania] This was part of an “Alternative Muscle” display that included a factory supercharged 1964 Studebaker Lark Daytona hardtop, a 1964 Chevy Impala 409/four-speed station wagon, a low-spec Hemi-powered 1966 Dodge Coronet Sedan and a 1967 Buick Skylark GS 340 two-door hardtop. Though less popular, to these eyes the ’71 Satellite/Road Runner/GTX always looked better, more interesting with their voluptuous “fuselage” styling than their boxy predecessors. This one is powered by the big-block 383 cubic-inch V-8, with pistol-grip shifter four-speed manual, and painted In-Violet.

9. 1967 Gyro-X 2 Door by Troutman and Barnes [Lane Motor Museum, Nashville, Tennessee] A musical group named Barnes & Barnes once produced a pop single called “Fishheads.” This Gyro-X designed by Alex Tremulis of Tucker 48 fame, and gyroscope expert Thomas Summers is at least as wacky as that song. Tremulis and Summers felt this two-wheeler, using gyros for stability, would be more efficient than a traditional four-wheeled car. It is powered by an 80-hp Mini Cooper S four, and reportedly reached 125 mph in tests. The designers planned using stored kinetic energy to provide additional power for future models.

10. 1925 Bugatti Type 35A [David Duthu, Seabrook, Texas] A small, lightweight antidote to modern Bugattis, this T35 is an “A” denoting the detuned version of the Type 35’s 90-100 hp (at up to 6,000 rpm!) three-valve, 2.0-liter inline eight.

11. 1958 Rambler Ambassador 4 Door Hardtop Station Wagon [Peter H. Phillips, Leonard, Texas] Buick and Oldsmobile pioneered four-door hardtops in the 1955 model year, but Rambler was first with a four-door hardtop station wagon, beginning in 1956, long before rollover crush concerns. Engine is a 270-hp 327 cubic-inch OHV V-8. Just 294 of these were built for the ’58 model year, and Rambler’s four-door hardtop wagon was dropped after 1960.

12. 1963 Porsche 901 Prototype Coupe [Don and Diane Meluzio, York, Pennsylvania] We began with racing Porsches for the 70th anniversary, so why not finish with a production prototype? Said to be the only survivor among 13 Porsche 901 prototypes, this car has a number of features that were changed for production. The manual sunroof slides forward to open, while production models featured electrically operated, rearward sliding roof panels, and the instruments are in two dashboard pods, instead of the large central tachometer with four smaller pods flanking it. Counterbalance torsion springs hold up the front trunk lid and coil springs hold up the rear engine lid, instead of the production model’s gas struts, and the interior window sill moldings are made of balsa wood. This car was used to experiment with various heating/ventilating systems, which were sealed after testing with small aluminum plates.

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eddiejpoplar · 6 years

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A Dozen Delightful Classics from the Concours d’Elegance of America

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jesusvasser · 6 years

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A Dozen Delightful Classics from the Concours d’Elegance of America

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itsworn · 6 years

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Racing—and Hot Rodding—was Hot at the 2018 NHRA Hot Rod Reunion

Sweet 16 is a special year, generally accompanied by a special party. This year was the 16th Annual Holley National Hot Rod Reunion presented by AAA Insurance, and the weekend proved to be one wild Sweet 16 party. For the first time in several years the entire weekend remained dry; nary a drop of rain would fall. That’s the good news; however, temperatures soared into the mid-’90s with humidity to match, providing track temps approaching 150 degrees. The track was hot and so was the drag racing, ranging from AA/FD (aka Nostalgia Top Fuel) and AA/FC Funny Cars to super stocks, gassers, 409s, and jet dragsters. This Father’s Day weekend is truly a celebration of speed and innovation.

Fry-N-High: High Speed Motorsports and Mendy Fry began the weekend as number-one qualifier and never looked back. Fry posted low e.t. in every round of Top Fuel while systematically knocking off the competition, but that makes it sound easy. The HRR win involved flawless car prep, including going to a back-up motor. In the final round Fry staged next to Jim Young in the Young Guns rail. In an amazing drag race, Fry edged past Young with a 5.720/252.05 to his 5.841/256.26. High Speed Motorsports rolled out of town toting the weekend gold and the 2018 points lead.

The “nostalgia drag racing” term is difficult to define, particularly in the fuel classes. Nostalgia may be the emotion that initially sparked the movement more than 30 years ago, but the cars, teams, and drivers are doing much more than stirring memories. While the cars resemble the cars of the 1960s, they are in fact faster and safer than true vintage dragsters. Perhaps AA/FD continuation cars would better describe these incredible racecars. But call them what you like, for 2018 the racers put on one heck of a show, with intense competition right to the final rounds.

It was Great in ’68: Joe & Bob Walden built this super-sano ’48 Fiat and campaigned it in 1967-1968. The car was parked after blowing the motor in 1968 and remained in the Walden Brothers welding shop until 1997. The new owner updated the car with a 427 Chevy and raced it several times before selling the car. The car is remarkable because the paint, lettering, and decals were all applied in 1967-1968, making this one pristine survivor. Today Bill Lininger of St. Marys, Ohio, owns the car.

Likewise the gassers, super stockers, and altereds provided monster wheel stands and blinding burnouts, much to the joy of fans seated in the vintage covered stands of Beech Bend Raceway. The fact that drag races have been held here, uninterrupted, for more than 60 years only adds to the ambience.

Righteous Rambler: AMC introduced the new two-door 770 hardtop in 1964, and while most of us have long forgotten these cars (they only sold 20,868 of them), seeing one today is a reminder of the clean and simple styling that defined all cars in 1964. Under the hood a 287ci V8 that cranks out 198 hp, but there was an optional 327-4bbl/270hp motor. This 18,000-original-mile, Frost White example looks great with a set of Cragars and a simple silver stripe, making this AMC Classic 770 cooler than a Kelvinator.

But there is so much more going on at the Reunion, as this truly is a gathering of the faithful, the hardcore racers and longtime hot rodders. The Reunion brings us back to a time when drag racers and hot rodders were closer neighbors in the hot rod community. The Reunion is a place to meet legends, old friends, and make new ones.

Bad Bird: Two Pontiac guys, Eric Larson (driver) and Mike Garblik (engine builder), campaign this re-creation of Farmer Arnie Beswick’s 1971 Pontiac Trans Am Funny Car. The body was cast from the original molds, while under the hood the blown alcohol/nitro-drinking Pontiac motor is good for time slips in the low 6s.

It helps that Bowling Green, Kentucky, is a serious car town. The Corvette factory is based there, and alongside the assembly line you’ll find the National Corvette Museum. This year the Honoree Reception was held there. A collection of hot rods and Cackle cars was on hand to spice things up, and attendees could also tour the Museum, a tour worth taking. Famed drag racer Larry Lombardo served as the Grand Marshall for 2018 and attended the banquet to help usher in the 2018 Honorees, Jay Howell, Bo Laws, Ed Miller, Joe Williamson, and Greg Xakellis.

Simply Cool: While it is fun to pretend that back in the day everyone was driving a radical hot rod, the truth of the matter is there were a whole lot more mild customs with warmed-over motors parked at the local service station. This timeless ’50 Ford sports a bull-nosed and louvered hood while rolling on red steelies and wide whites. Add a picture-perfect stance and this proves you don’t have to work hard to be really cool.

As the sun dropped in the sky, the racing came to an end, and the final two Hot Rod Reunion traditions would bring the event to a close. First, long time NHRA drag race announcer Bob Frey stood at the starting line for the annual and somewhat sobering reading of hot rodders and racers who have left us in the past year. Unfortunately, that list seems to get longer with each passing year. But the spirit of the Hot Rod Reunion is to remember the past and the present, and after the reading the track was once again filled with nitromethane fire and fumes with the Cacklefest bringing another Reunion to a close.

Blue Suede Pickup: Now this is our kind of hot rod hauler. A bed full of tires, a windshield full of “kill stickers” from drag races past, and great door art. It appears the Model A pickup is a support vehicle for the large contingency of Geezer Gassers on hand for the weekend, but the tech stickers in the windshield tell us this hauler sees some track action, too.

For West Coast hot rodders Father’s Day weekend has long been about a gathering of the roadsters. For many back-east hot rodders, Father’s Day weekend means a special gathering at Beech Bend Raceway Park for the NHRA Hot Rod Reunion. We’ll see you there next year.

Austin Action: Clyde Moore’s Insta-Gator ’48 Austin is always a crowd pleaser, launching hard with wheels in the air. The Mobile, Alabama-based gasser relies on 422 ci of small-block Chevy to provide sub-6-second eighth-mile passes.

Bucket Blender: Hot rods by definition are a combination of parts old and new. Jeff Crouch did a great job mixing parts on his ’23 T-bucket. The paint scheme is somewhat contemporary, but that flathead is definitely a mix of old and new. Edelbrock heads are traditional, while the EFI induction is totally modern, and that Chevrolet water pump is a mix of old and older. The end result is an outrageously cool T-bucket.

Super Sled: Nick White’s timeless ’50 Mercury stopped us in our tracks. Don’t let that perfect profile distract your eye. Sure, the top chop is obvious, but how about the frenched headlights, rounded hood corners, rounded door corners, shaved door handles, Appleton spots, and the shortened trim? They all combine for a timeless lead-sled look, and then, just when we thought we had found all the custom touches, we noticed the reworked front-wheel openings.

The Jet Set: This Florida Institute of Technology-sponsored jet dragster is piloted by Elaine Larsen and is just one of several jet dragsters in the Larsen Motorsports stable. Weighing in at just 1,145 pounds (the car, not Elaine) helps explain why jet cars often exceed 300 mph in the quarter-mile. This dragster has FIT students working as interns, and as promised, the program will really “get them into racing.”

Young Guns: Jim Young and the Young Guns dragster qualified second and found their way into the final round to take on number-one qualifier Mendy Fry in the High Speed Motorsports car. It would prove to be one fantastic race. Young left first, but near mid-track the car began to skate toward the wall. Young kept the car in his lane, never lifting and managed an event top speed of 256.26 mph on the way to runner-up for the event. This is exactly the kind of drag race that keeps us coming back to the Hot Rod Reunion every year.

Brilliant Bird: By the mid-1960s color was king. After a simple de-chroming you could create a great custom with masking tape, multiple colors, and custom effects. This thought was not lost on Eddie and Sara Rochelle. Their Portland, Tennessee-based ’62 T-bird is beautifully painted in Watson style using metalflake, candy, pearl, scallops, and flawless design. A pearl white interior and proper stance complete this time warp.

Rat Infested: Mike Kalinowski drives the Unfinished Business Austin, and he drives it hard. “One Angry Austin” is part of the Scots Hot Rods gasser group, so you know each pass begins with a monster burnout provided by a monster big-block Chevy under the hood.

Ramblin’ Rebel Reaper: OK, back in the day there weren’t a whole lot of American Motors-powered gassers. That said, it would appear a 401ci AMC mill can provide more than enough power to plant Don Moyers ’40 Willys coupe on the back bumper. The Mentor, Ohio-based gasser is famed for hangin’ them high.

Grand Marshall: Larry Lombardo was the 2018 HRR Grand Marshall, and this ’61 Corvette is the car that started it all. Lombardo was drag racing this car before he had a legal driver license. In 1968, at just 19 years old, he went to the Nationals and became F/S National Champ, and went on to win National Stock Eliminator, beating out Dave Duell and the famed Drag-N-Wagon in the final round. The car was built in his dad’s Amoco Service Station, Joe’s Amoco, with the engine by Roger Sinistri and tuning by Joe Lombardo. Larry’s colorful racing career includes driving for Bill Jenkins and opening his own race engine shop, to mention a just a few.

A Finer Starliner: The early 1960s brought the most beautiful hardtops ever produced. All of the Big Three automakers featured thin C-pillar cars, and this 1961 Ford Starliner is a fine example of the breed. The car is period-perfect due in large part to the elevated stance that was so popular in the 1960s. A big 390 provides the power.

Group W: The 348-409 class was back for 2018. Comprised mostly of 1958-1964 Chevrolets, the class is actually open to any car powered by a W-motor. This good-looking ’62 Chevy wagon launches hard on the way to a low 12-second pass.

Phenomenal: Street or Strip: Ed Kasicki’s Phenomenon ’33 Willys is powered by a 400-inch Chevy small-block fed by dual 750 Holley carbs atop a 6-71 blower. The car runs high 8s in the quarter-mile and is a beautifully prepared racecar. Not wanting to limit his hot rodding to just racing, Kasicki keeps the coupe registered and insured, and has been known to drive into an occasional cruise night around his home town of Aurora, Ohio. That must turn a few heads.

Pusher Man: Bob Lathery has had a string of traditional hot rods over the years and rolled into Bowling Green this year behind the wheel of this traditional ’62 Chevrolet stepside hauler. Moons and wide whites set the mood; the truck was later used to push one of the vintage Cackle cars.

Custard Stand: The original Mr. Custard A/G Anglia was destroyed in 1965 at Ohio Valley Raceway, another victim of the gasser wars of the 1960s. Butch’s Rod Shop recreated the car as seen here in 2003 with a 413ci Chevy hooked to a Powerglide transmission. Irvin and Gina Johns are the current owners.

Never Throw in the Towel: Did we mention it was hot all weekend long? But the good news is we had no rain. However, when temps soared into the mid and upper 90s, drivers found shade any way possible.

Straight-Axle Altitude: Gassers vary in many ways, including ride height, as illustrated by this trio of street-going gassers. Bruce Bursten’s Hilborn injected ’57 Corvette rides at 1960s gasser height, while Kevin Doolittle raised his 427/Hilborn injected ’55 T-bird a little more. Finally, Ray Thenot topped them all in his big-block-powered, nose-high ’55 210. All three cars have chrome tube axles and wheelwell headers.

Straight A: If you’ve been studying hot rods for a long time you recognize “the right stuff” as it passes by. Gary Brock’s Model A coupe combines proper parts with righteous proportions. From the bias-ply tires to the Deuce frame and Y-block power plant the car is mechanically dialed-in. The appearance package involves a Deuce grille, a subtle single row of louvers on the one-piece hood, a hammered lid, and mile-deep paint. We’d give this hot rod coupe straight As.

Recycling Facilities: The swap meet at Beech Bend is always worth the walk. It’s consistently filled with real hot rod goodies, racer stuff, and even the occasional complete vintage race car. A good part of the swap meet is in the shade, making this a very cool place to look for cool parts.

Gas Glasser: Steve Norton’s ’56 Corvette is the latest gasser to roll out of Randy Riall’s shop, Rods by Rowdy in Floyd Knobs, Indiana. The dual Edelbrock carbs feed a hungry rat motor with spent gasses exiting in the wheelwells. While this copper smoothie is a street-going gasser, rumor has it there will be some dragstrip action in the near future.

This One’s for Dad: The drag racing community lost a long time T/F driver and builder Dan “Digger Dan” Horan Sr. in 2016. However Dan Horan Jr. had been piloting the family T/F rail for years, along with some great Nostalgia Funny Cars. This year Dan Jr. rolled into Bowling Green with a brand new fuel Funny and took it to the winner’s circle on its first outing. Lettering on the car includes, “A Tribute to Digger Dan Horan.” Dan Jr. later commented, “This is a pretty emotional win on Father’s Day weekend.”

Simply Sanitary: The 1941 Willys coupe is arguably the best looking Willys ever built (although the ’40 split-grille car sure is pretty, too). They were basic econo-cars when built in 1941, and today simply giving the car a clean shave and a proper stance results in one wicked hot rod. We offer Jake Richey’s O.D. coupe as graphic proof.

Cackle Pusher: The Cacklefest, which is simply a festival of nitromethane, is big at Bowling Green. What makes it extra cool is that one side of the track is lined with crank-start cars, while the other lane is filled with push-start dragsters. Often the push vehicles are as interesting as the dragster it aims to start. Here the Hundley & Boggs dragster is pushed by a very cool hot rod truck.

Ceremony: As the sun dropped, the Cackle cars were rolled into place. After a very hot weekend of great racing, it was time for the annual closing ceremony under cooling evening skies.

Big Daddy: The Holley NHRA Hot Rod Reunion has developed traditions within the salute to traditional drag racing. One of the best traditions is having Big Daddy Don Garlits push started from the big end and stop at the tree to provide the final cackle of the weekend. It is a fitting end to a great event and one we look forward to every year. Big Daddy is still the King of AA/FD.

Closer: As the weekend draws to a close Saturday, hot rods of every description head toward the gates. This ’55 Chevrolet is a fine representation of the real hot rods that come to watch real drag racing. If you have never experienced the Hot Rod Reunion, mark your calendar now, Father’s Day Weekend 2019. As they used to scream out on the local AM radio stations, “Beeee Theeerrrreeee!”

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itsworn · 7 years

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Muscle Car History Revisited at 2017 York US30 Reunion & Nostalgia Nationals

It is hard to believe that this noteworthy annual event has been part of MUSCLE CAR REVIEW almost from its beginning. Cam Benty was the editor when the event was first covered, during its third occurrence in 2004. A lot has changed in the ensuing years. Promotor Darwin Doll has moved it out to the Eastern Museum of Motor Racing, a wonderful rural facility located northeast of Gettysburg. Moreover, he has said final goodbyes to friends and racers he has known since the 1950s, as have all of us. Jenkins, Sox, Durham, Vanke, Strickler—the growing list is longer than any of us would like. So today, many of the faithful gather here each year to laugh and recall, and the show proves that this legacy is not forgotten.

The museum features a sizeable display area focused on drag racing, filled with authentic mementos and history, and the parklike setting on the Latimer Valley Fairgrounds helps create a feeling of the past. Darwin and wife Pat have a truly dedicated crew of volunteers that help to make it all work, this year also hosting a film crew from France and local television personalities. The events on Friday and Saturday were almost nonstop, with scheduled times for honoring the past. Ford racer Al Joniec held an engine clinic, the entire Dave Strickler family was able to hear stories about his history, World Champs Ed Miller and George Curetan were recognized, and invited and show cars filled out the areas around the circle track, culminating in a raucous Cackling Thunder session on Saturday afternoon. Admissions help the funding of the museum. Dozens of attendees from the yearly convention of the Ford Fairlane Club of America paid a visit Friday, and some 100 more cars came in on Saturday for Allstate-hosted Glory Days Cruise-In.

What struck us this year were some of the cruisers to that gathering who could recall “the circuit” on legendary Route 30. Their cars went to the old speed shops and custom car businesses, the drive-ins and food joints, and the midnight jousts that Mr. Doll and others at NHRA worked so hard to discourage back in the day. The vehicles displayed here ranged from fully restored and street modified to underway projects, but everything was enjoyable and the weather cooperated, with many people having driven in.

Sunday the action comes to life 90 miles to the north at Beaver Springs Dragway, where Bob and Donna Marie McCardle pull out the welcome mat for anything dated before 1972 each year for the York US30 Nostalgia Nationals. In addition to no less than 46 vintage Super Stockers, muscle cars turned out in the A/MP and B/MP modified bracket classes, as part of the North East Timing Association (NETO), in the Junior Stock class, and more. Of course, there were gassers and rails, a pair of nostalgia fuel Funny Cars, a car show, and the Pure Vintage Racing guys, whose prewar steel machines are not really muscle, but they are cool. The McCardles also honor the Legends of Drag Racing during a special interview presentation done just before the national anthem begins eliminations.

We noted a couple of years ago when the show portion left the York Fairgrounds that we didn’t know what the future would hold. After two years at the museum, with visitors attending from points nationwide and solid car counts, we will tell you that it is indeed bright. We look forward to more in 2018. Find out how to attend next year’s Nostalgia Weekend by visiting yorknostalgia.com for the York Reunion, and beaversprings.com for the BSD Nostalgia Nationals.

Things were again hot and heavy in 2017 as fans and racers celebrated history during the annual York US30 Reunion, Glory Days Cruise-in show cruise event, and Annual York US30 Nostalgia Nationals race in central Pennsylvania. Wheels-up on every run, Tom Youtzy’s Falcon is one of the regular attendees at the drag racing event and typifies what makes this event so fun.

Beaver Bob McCardle (left) and Darwin Doll are the men most responsible for the longevity of the program. Doll was the noted Division 1 NHRA director for many years. He and his wife Pat have been involved in drag racing management literally his entire career. McCardle and his father opened the Beaver Springs track in 1971, which he and his wife Donna Marie operate today.

Among the activities at the Eastern Museum of Motor Racing and the overall York US 30 Reunion was a tribute to FX/Super Stock and Pro Stock pioneer Dave Strickler, whose wife Susie, children, and grandchildren gathered to hear remembrances of their late father by fellow racers and fans. The family joked about how many trophies the late racer had presented to local scouts at Pinewood Derby events back in the 1960s.

The EMMR museum features a large exhibit hall devoted to drag racing and engine technology. One item is the special original dealership poster that 1968 Super Stock World Champion Strickler used to do clinic displays regarding Chevrolet performance.

Nothing production-bodied after 1972 is allowed in the B/Modified Production classes during the Nostalgia Nationals. Seeing this SC/Rambler-style AMC American coupe in action was part of the excitement, though the car did not get past the first round call.

If you needed something faster, there was also a pair of passes by the match-race nostalgia funny cars from the Rocky Pirrone stables, the Frantic Ford Mustang and Super Camaro. Running on nitromethane, the duo did smoky burnouts and made fans. Their pit area was located adjacent to the main concession stand, so people could watch them work between rounds and tune the cars up.

The Fairlane Club of America made a stop at the EMMR grounds on Friday afternoon, parking in the infield of the historic Latimer Valley Fairgrounds circle track. Right at home in that environment was the rare 1968 Torino pace car convertible of Marley Gross II from Spring Grove, Pennsylvania; very few owners appear to have ever installed the decals available for the honor.

While many great cars from the Fairlane Club were stock, we enjoyed Matt Cox’s wonderfully modified 1964 model, which had a modern 4.6L Coyote engine under the hood. Several others were built with the factory small-block V-8 design, including a station wagon. Cox and his family came all the way from Moore, South Carolina, to enjoy the weekend.

Another hot Fairlane was this 1970 429 Torino Cobra with N-code 429ci Thunderjet FE power and one-of-one optioning. Owner Logan Bollinger was a young man when he ordered this car new in 1969, not knowing at the time that he was the only person who asked for code 3198A Light Gold paint coupled to the engine, four-speed transmission, and bench seat interior. It was restored in 2015.

On the track Sunday, the altered-wheelbase cars in Nostalgia Super Stock were a big hit once again, among them the just-painted Damn Whippersnapper of Chris Mills. The street tags are legit on this Chrysler wedge-powered machine, but he is stepping up the program to go faster.

John Gildea’s Nova looks the part of vintage Pro Stock with it clean paint and huge “Grump lump” hoodscoop. The tower on steel stilts at the BSD starting line and wide grassy track aprons add to the sense of turning back the clock, if only for one day a year.

The GTO of Jim Holland seen on a pass. There was a solid blend of classic muscle car body designs, vintage competition cars, and exhibition machines to make the trip up to Beaver Springs a great finale to the three-day weekend.

1967 NHRA World Champions Ed Miller (shown here with former York announcer and once-a-year flag starter George Nye) and George Curetan were both given special accolades at York, doing interviews in the meeting hall of the museum. The two men had won Super Stock and Junior Stock respectively that season. The York event also hosted its annual Legion of Honor, respecting the heroes from racing’s past during Friday evening.

The Glory Days Cruise-In event is a Saturday tradition at the York US30 Reunion. Cars filled up the infield parking area at the museum’s authentic dirt speedway. Among the highlights were several Chevrolets from York’s noteworthy Ammon R. Smith franchise, who sponsored Dave Strickler and tuner Bill Jenkins during the heyday of FX, SS, and Pro Stock.

It is always neat to read the fine print. Overlooked by some attendees for sure, this is a real SS427 Impala from 1969, the final year it was offered. It shows unrestored detail and a low 44,200 miles on its L72 425hp engine. And it’s a convertible! Les McNally of nearby Gettysburg is the car’s owner.

The engine from the McNally Impala. Big cars rarely survived with these better high-compression engines intact, so this is a pretty special machine.

One final look at a display car summarized the car show’s stock-bodied focus. This 1968 Hemi Barracuda was purchased new by the late Ken Montgomery. He raced it in Super Stock and converted it to Pro Stock in 1970, winning a Division 1 racing circuit run by Frank and Steve Lesueur that season. When Pro Stock went crazy with the rules, Montgomery raced it down in A/Modified Production for a number seasons until NHRA cancelled the entire eliminator. So he simply parked it, creating a time-capsule machine and what may be the best surviving example of early Pro Stock technology still existent today. His family displayed it in his honor, and they were also given the special 2017 Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins Award of Excellence for their preservation efforts.

Part of Sunday’s tradition is George Nye’s flag-starting efforts in Nostalgia Super Stock; he waves green for Go! as Rob Schatz and the injected Performance King Plymouth get underway for another hot lap.

Al Loy and his 1962 Impala have been regulars to the event for several years. He was invited to display the gorgeous 409ci machine under the large tent for the EMMR reunion, then showed up and went a couple of rounds on Sunday.

Fords were on hand on Saturday even if the Fairlane Club was gone; this was First Place winner Glenn Kriner of Grantville, Pennsylvania, and his modified 1969 Mustang packing Boss 429 heat.

Another weekend of enjoyment over, it was time to head home. Doing so top-down like this 1968 GTX is the classiest way to enjoy the Pennsylvania countryside and think about the glory days of both cruising the drive-in circuit in muscle cars and drag racing at the long-gone York US30 racetrack. Next year, be there!

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itsworn · 7 years

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Car Craft’s Top 20 Picks from the NHRA Hot Rod Reunion

Beech Bend Raceway, on the outskirts of Bowling Green, Kentucky, is without equal in many ways. Located literally within a 180-degree bend of the Barren River, this is a combination dragstrip and oval facility with adjacent camping and amusement park, yet within easy driving distance from I-65. It is much more rural than a lot of the ‘big show’ racing facilities, with wide grassy areas in place of acres of asphalt. With a rich regional heritage of automotive history (including the legendary GM Corvette plant and manufacturer Holley’s headquarters), the track has been a popular destination of racers and car enthusiasts for many years, and hosts a number of large specialized shows each year. For number of them, that has included NHRA’s yearly Hot Rod Reunion, a Father’s Day tradition for over a decade. Scheduled for Thursday, Friday and Saturday of this big weekend, the rewind is a mix of historic drag racing, vintage car show, swap meet and general get-together. Here are our top 20 highlights from 2017, and a gallery of action to boot…

here are our top 20 highlights from 2017, and a gallery of action to boot…

NHRA Motorsports Museum & NHRA Hot Rod Reunion : www.nhramuseum.org Bowling Green Raceway : www.beechbend.com

Wheelstanding station wagons. This is Doug Duell, who won the popular Nostalgia Super Stock program in this 1964 Plymouth wagon while doing wheelstands like this one. Doug’s late father Dave was a noted racer in the ‘60s, and the winning ways of this machine is carrying on the family tradition. It leads us off in honor of the late Arlen Vanke…

Push-starts. Back in the day, real men got a shove from behind, got up to speed, and clutch-started the engine. That tradition lives on as cars get ready for the grand finale ‘cacklefest’ as well as at select times during the event. This short-wheelbase machine looks the part of 1960…

Real road signs. Thanks to guys like American Pickers, real roadside signs are hot. While some guys are ok with new repops or even minty NOS versions, we think they look coolest in as-found condition. Here were a couple for sale in the swap meet. A little dent or rust adds character, and, hey, if you had bullet wounds, you’d show ‘em off, too.

Vintage funny cars. In keeping with the note above, the Hot Rod Reunions often shows the ‘barn finds’ of nitro history. Here is the old Super ‘Stang Mustang of east coast racer Paul Stafanski. Brian Hutton brought this car to the show. It has been painted by his father back in the day.

10-Second Hudsons. You never know what will show up in the race program at this event. After his pass, we found Jody Blalock in the pits, whose 1949 Hudson runs with a big Mopar wedge engine in it. 1948 was the first year of that drop-down body styling, and its cool look made history in NASCAR and the Carz cartoon movies. Not fast enough? His son, Jody Jr. had a ’47 model here as well, running in the nines!

Vintage NASCAR iron. How about a 1964 Chevelle in period paint? Seen in the car show, our buddy Jason Matthews picked it out for us and got a couple shots. The car had been raced at Beech Bend with dominating success for many years, and is now owned by Chris Deweese. We agree, its groovy, and don’t do a thing to it!

Racing heroes in action. Roland Leong and Top Fuel winner Jim Murphy show off the spoils of victory during the winner’s circle images. Murphy ran through the eight-car field with convincing purpose, and the owner of the legendary Hawaiian racecars of the Sixties and Seventies was on board helping the team out.

Nitro Carnage. A walk through the pits between qualifying rounds on Friday revealed a lot of thrashing going on. Here is a dead engine out of Murphy’s first run that day. How did that happen? Nitro, baby. Go fast or go home.

Swap meet tuner parts. You never know what may turn up at the swap meet, and for those playing with LS and Ford equipment engine swaps, here was a nice group of induction equipment for those late model powerplants. Oh, you could still find the Strombergs and early Hemi stuff as well, but this was a nice display of Car Craft-approved power possibilities.

Historic Funny Cars. In the area behind the grandstands gathered a number of restored funny cars (all of them can be seen singly in the photo gallery). On Saturday morning, ex-Petersen editor Jim McCraw, photographer Dave Kommel and enthusiast David Paine helped get them in order for this group shot.

Funny car burnouts. Top honors for this could have gone to one of the nitro cars, but Ron Heugli and the Tiki Warrior Monza were consistent in laying down the clouds all the way to half track. He also took the alcohol-fueled flopper to the semi-final round of the heads-up 7.0 bracket as well.

Historic Paint Jobs. Top of the list would have been this rendering on the Great Expections machine once raced by Jim and Allison Lee. Brian Beattie had the original car on display in the cackle area, while Tyler Hilton put the recreation into the 8-car program with a 6.10 run.

That wooden roller coaster and more. As seen here, the entrance to Beech Bend’s amusement park is right near the entrance to the racing arenas. There is also a water park and camping here. While we doubt you’ll have time for all of it, you never know when you may decide to take an extra vacation day with the family and do it all.

Wheels-up run. While there were a number of cars that pulled the front ends up off the ground, this Corvette with its straight front axle and early gasser look did not leave attendees disappointed. The car carried on and up this way on each pass, which did not help it go rounds on raceday but made a lot of fans.

An S/C Rambler drag car. We know the car is a tribute. That wasn’t that important considering how few AMCs you see at the track, and the fact that this one looked the part of street outlaw with its through-the-hood engine stacks. The owner is Michael Rados, and the beast runs in the 11-second zone.

A Camaro, of course. Our detractors used to accuse us of being Camaro Craft. We took it all in stride, but for you Camaro guys, Bill Porterfield chose this event to debut his just-completed, original (not recreated) 1970 Dick Harrell Camaro funny car, displayed on a ramp truck of like vintage. Porterfield, a former Oldmobile Engineering guy best known for figuring out the mystery of the 1969 ZL1s, also had the original-paint ’68 Harrell/Jim Kirby car on hand for the Cacklefest.

Beating the odds: Greg Jacobmeyer is a long-time campaigner of historic-looking funny cars, and his 1970 Challenger keeps the old-school look with its flat grille and slightly rescaled body. For us, watching his victory here over some of the more streamlined entries in Nostalgia Funny Car was a nice deal.

Awful Awful Fuel Altereds: Considered perhaps the most violent cars drag racing ever spawned, what could go wrong with a big nitro engine, a shortwheel base and fearless driving? AA/FA car owner Dave Hough, who drove these things himself, gives the ‘let’s go!’ sign to driver Vince Generalao as Nanook gets ready for another skate at 200 mph.

Six Packs in the campground: How could you not appreciate camping next to folks who had a Six Pack? No, this kind, a real V-code 1970 Super Bee, in Plum Crazy no less. Adding camping may not be for everyone, but if you dig it, you can come here and live for a few days, in your van down by the river.

HOT ROD Power Tour. Yes, if you had been here this year and still had not gotten your fill by Friday afternoon, the Hot Rod Power Tour landed in Bowling Green for the evening. Here we see a Falcon with some history proudly parked out front of Montana’s, a popular upscale dining locale in Bowling Green itself. Within the track and out of the town, what a weekend! AND ONE MORE…

Cacklefest. Saturday’s finale is sort of a gearhead’s fireworks show. Seen in front is the original version of the Lee’s Great Expections AAFD, rolling toward the final spot in the line-up. With fumes hanging in the air, the 2017 Hot Rod Reunion concluded with a ban and a pop. See you next year.

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