Draggin' Out of the Past

Readers of STREET RODDER are unyielding in their dedication to the street rod hobby and to the variety of events--rod runs and shows--specifically designed to satisfy the preferences of the street rod crowd. And rightly so. However, nearly all can also admit to a lot, or at least a little bit, of passion for hot rodding's cousin, drag racing. You see, it's in the quarter-mile sport that many of us have our roots, our avid interest in hot rodding stemming in large part from that. Perhaps that explains why the first-ever Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion, presented by DuPont, in Bowling Green, Kentucky, was such an overwhelming success--the event was a blend of all that's wonderful in the world of hot rodding. Editor Brennan got it right when he succinctly observed, "Maybe that's why they named it the Hot Rod Reunion." (Editor's Note: This year marks the 100th anniversary of Holley, and the company celebrated with an open house for reunion attendees.)

There is no denying the success of "Bowling Green," as the reunion has come to be known. Way more cars than planned for were on both sides of the invisible fence (street rods "over here" on the grass and in the shade of dense trees, and drag racing entrants "over there" in the extensive pit area) and throngs of spectators filled Beech Bend Park to capacity. Said David Garvin, whose father built the Beech Bend complex, "Hands down, this is without doubt the largest event that's ever been staged at this facility."

More to the point regarding the success of the reunion was a remark made by the legendary Don Garlits, who got muscle cramps in his arms and hands from signing autographs for the entire weekend. Talking about how pleased he was with the success of the NHRA reunion, Garlits said: "What you've done here is hit on the perfect balance. It's a true reunion of our sport and hobby. We've got just the right mix of drag cars, street rods, and customs--there's something for everyone to see and enjoy and plenty of it." Garlits was honored during what will become the traditional get-together on Friday night, when "heroes" are acknowledged; he was the recipient of the prestigious Justice Brothers Spotlight Award, which was presented by Ed Justice, Jr.

(Don had on display at the track the only Chevy-powered "Swamp Rat" he ever built. It was driven by his brother, Ed. Don fired it up a couple of times to be sure everyone understood it's a working car.)

Up for special honors was a roster of honorees during the on-stage ceremonies Friday night. Kenny Hirata said the respect given him on that night was the "highlight of his life." Bob Glidden, who served as the grand marshal of the reunion, later admitted to spending a couple of hours as a spectator in the covered stands at Beech Bend during Saturday's races. Glidden is remembered for his stellar performances driving Fords in NHRA competition, a career that spanned many years. He won ten NHRA Pro Stock championships and racked up 85 National victories.

Other honorees included Angelo Giampetroni, who has been with Ford Racing for more than 20 years; Robert Frakes and Dale Funk, of the Frakes & Funk team; Raymond Godman, that likeable guy from Tennessee with his "Bo Weevil"; and Jack Chisenhall, an enthusiastic drag racer and the man known for driving his Studebaker over 200 mph with the air conditioning on at Bonneville, but one who also achieved success in street rodding as the owner of Vintage Air.

The NHRA crew did a fantastic job producing the first-ever reunion. The event was a roaring success thanks to the dedication of many people: Sam Jackson, head of the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum and benefactor of the reunion (all proceeds are directed to the support of the nonprofit museum); Bob & Eileen Daniels, the most valued organizers in the rodding sport; Steve Gibbs, who produced a drag race that'll stick in everyone's memory for a long time to come; Greg Sharp; Jason Haubruge and Ryan Ono of NHRA; and many others. "Roaring" is right on: it was a spine-tingling experience to hear vintage engines fired up and ready to go.

The drag races were in and of themselves a true trip down "memory lane." "I get goose bumps just hearing the engines and being among these veterans of drag racing--seeing them drive their nostalgia cars again was a once-in-a-lifetime experience," said one spectator. Well spoken, because it was a rare opportunity to be among the "bigs" of drag racing's illustrious past. Imagine being close up and shaking hands with the likes of Arnie "The Farmer" Beswick, as he stood next to his tiger-striped Pontiac; "Ohio George" Montgomery and Junior Thompson, both of gasser fame; Joe Jocono; "Mousey" Marcellus with his "Winged Express"; Pat Foster; and so many more that space won't permit a review of all.

You had to "listen up," too. A couple of prominent names were on the microphones in the tower, again remindful of the past. Mike Lewis, once the operator of Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pennsylvania, and now on the team of Tony Schmacher's U.S. Army dragster in the NHRA POWERade series, called many of the races and did interviews, as did Dave McClelland, who is a familiar voice in drag racing and on television and who also owns and drives his own nostalgia gasser. (Editor's Note: Dave will always be a favorite as he and Editor Brennan go back to their days as members in the L.A. Roadsters.) Now focus in on a few of the racing "names." Arnie Beswick has been a driver in drag racing for some 50 years. He proudly reminded us all that he raced at Beech Bend when it first opened. Since then, he's driven Pontiacs of all varieties, A/FX and Super Stock among them. "Mousey" Marcellus had on display his famous "Winged Express," a Hemi-powered T-bucket that driver Mike Boyd took down the Beech Bend track for a reunion run that netted 200 mph. (The engine went south the weekend before, but Mousey and crew put it back together for Bowling Green.)

Talking with Greg Sharp of the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, who is a "walking computer" when it comes to statistics and names in the sport of hot rodding, one learned quickly about reunion highlights. Greg reported that more than 200 nostalgia race cars competed while nearly 1,000 street rods basked in the sunlight. We all agree with his observation that you had to be there to appreciate the quality of cars and the performances. The "Winged Express" running 200 mph is a memorable example, but there were countless others to remember as well. As Sharp observed, the winner of the "Quick 64" was Mike Peskar in "It!" out of Astabula, Ohio. A '34 Dodge four-door with an injected Chevy, It! won the category with an impressive 10.59 at 122.62 mph. Greg is but one of the many enthusiasts who admired and enjoyed the performances of the "Geezer Gassers," a troupe of competition cars made up of mostly Willys coupes but with an occasional Henry J. And there was a flock of Super Stocks, favorites from the Midwest, and an impressive collection of cars and drivers. "Variety is a key word here," Sharp said of the experience.

And speaking of variety, consider the opportunity to meet Pat Foster. Pat has owned and driven more than 50 Top Fuel and Funny Cars in NHRA drag racing. He summed up the reunion with a remark that will remain a long-standing gem in the world of nostalgia drag racing: "Getting into one of these old cars is like putting on a pair of your favorite old slippers," Well said.

Foster recently restored the "Jade Grenade" fuel dragster and is currently in the throes of restoring Tom "Mongoose" McEwen's '78 Corvette Funny Car. There's probably a good chance the Corvette will be at next year's reunion.

The announcers had Joe Jocono on the microphone for some pearls of wisdom. Joe is an early-days racer out of the Philadelphia and Delaware area who recalled some of his experiences, then topped off the interview with a pledge that he intends to drive again!

"Cute" is how some of the cars were described, shades of the past, a bygone era. For example, there's only one way to describe Bill Bush's Rambler American out of Floyds Knobs, Indiana: it's cute. Bill took the Rambler to a 9.16 e.t. at 143 mph to win Nostalgia Gas class.

For all-out nostalgia drag racing there was no one wanting for more cars. The fields were full in Top Fuel (front-engine dragsters, mostly with hemi engines, but some with Chevys and one with a Ford cammer); Open Fuel (a "catch-all" category of unusual dragster designs, but all qualified through NHRA tech); and Junior Fuel (small-block powered, 410 ci, automatic transmissions, and running on alcohol).

For the record: Roger Lechtenberg of Cedar Falls, Iowa, won Top Fuel with a 6.226 e.t. at 189.90 mph; Open Fuel fell to Bob Beedy Jr., of Hometown, Illinois, with a 6.861 at 205.51; Pat Malloy of Buchanan, Virginia, took Junior Fuel with a 7.32 at 180.02 mph; Nostalgia Comp fell to Don Nave of New Smyrna Beach, Florida, with an 8.695 at 136.37 mph. (Race results and a complete entry list are on the NHRA Web site, www.nhra.com, under the NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion logo.)

If one were to summarize, there is no denying the success of the first-ever Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion, presented by DuPont. Evidence of the popularity of the get-together was obvious at every turn. Helping to make the event great were hundreds of cars in the show 'n' shine, an impressive swap meet, Saturday night "Cacklefest," and twilight qualifying--spectators were many rows deep along both sides of Beech Bend Park's dragstrip, having just come from a very entertaining stage show and barbeque.

Wearing my official NHRA Reunion shirt while watching the drags, I felt a tap on the shoulder and looked over to see an inquiring teenager. He asked, "You gonna do this again, Mister?" I told him I was pretty sure we'd be back next year, but probably with a lot more cars to see and watch race. He smiled.