The volk bros & elbert a/gas roadster entry hailing from bountiful, ut, sporting a 495-cube big-block chevy delivered a best time of 230 mph.
It's true, the 59th annual Bonneville Nationals was a record-setting event. By the time the official program went to press, 306 automotive pre-entries were already submitted! By the time the meet ended-seven hot days later-more than 500 car and bike entrants had paid Southern California Timing Association Treasurer Warren Bullis enough twenty-dollar bills for the privilege of making a record attempt on one of the two short/long, three-/five-mile combination courses that lead to Floating Mountain, so called because it appears to dance on the hazy horizon.
Oh yes, "attempt" is the right word. For instance, the Indy 500-mile race fields 33 mega-dollar entries on Memorial Day, but every so often one will fail to start, or at least stumble before taking off. The neophyte hot rodder, and even the well-experienced veteran, will occasionally face the same dilemma on the Bonneville Salt Flats. It's no mystery-it's called "racer's luck."
Never let it be forgotten that while we go to Bonneville "where it seems the slowest yet we go the fastest," there are plenty of hot rods to be viewed.
Ah, but the driver who successfully fires up on the starting line, or pulls away from the push vehicle a few hundred feet down course, secretly smiles, relaxes, and draws in a deep breath. He-or she-is likely to hold it in as long as the sojourn along the black, oiled line on the smooth, hard-packed straightaway lasts. This is the racer's delight!
If truth be known, most participants and spectators appreciate only the moment-whether they're racing or just watching. Of course, veterans of both genres know full well an event of this magnitude doesn't just happen on its own. Be that as it may, unless they have previously "toiled in the vineyards" themselves, they have a mind to only savor the here and now. But for those who tow the equipment out to the Flats, set up the timing and communications hardware, assemble the booths and tents, shore up the trailers, etc., it was a long week before the meet began.
On August 5, the five SCTA officers and the seven board and technical staff members gloomily gazed out over the acreage that contained the three previously surveyed courses slated for the 2007 event-and saw they were under water! That was the understated bad news. Fortunately, the equally understated good news was that the sun was shining and there were more than 100 dedicated volunteers ready, willing, and able to make the necessary moves to ensure a safe racing surface for the soon-to-appear land speed enthusiasts.
By Saturday morning, August 11, the day Speed Week was scheduled to start, the pits and alternate courses were ready, and the qualifying time trials were soon up and running. From then to the last record run on Friday, August 17, the hot rodders and bikers had every opportunity to see what they could do with their cherished, and frequently homemade, instruments of velocity. Even the professional Ford Motor Company engineers were given every chance to see what their experimental car-Hydrogen 999-could do. (They got to make six runs, with a best of 207 mph.)
I don't know if you'll someday get a chance to see a street-worthy Hydro in your local dealer's showroom, or even one of the regular ol' hot rods at a Street Rod Nationals sans Bonneville rubber. No matter, if you couldn't make it to the Salt this year, the accompanying photo display will at least give you a visual taste of the variety of top-end machines that perform every year for those stalwarts who do journey to the arid regions of western Utah and stand for hours in the blazing sun.
Oh, yes, I started this piece off mentioning "records." Well, I meant it-98 new Bonneville Nationals automotive land speed marks went into the SCTA books!
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The Ferguson Racing Team entry set a new XXO/Fuel Streamliner record at Speed Week 2007 with a two-way average of 300.943 and deposited driver Don Ferguson III of Wilmington, CA, in the ultra exclusive 300 MPH Club. | 
This year we were reminded that Bonneville really is a lake. |
Billed as the Vintage Hot Rod, Dave Davidson and John Beck's Chico, CA-housed D/Blown Street Roadster piloted by Donny Cummins of La Mirada, CA, broke the existing class record with a 208.800-mph average. | 
This stock-bodied '55 Chevy built at Hot Rods by Dean in Phoenix, AZ, and owned by Texas resident Sidney Allen, ran at 192 mph in the B/Classic Gas Coupe class. Ron McCorkle and Dean Livermore shared the driving chores. Next year, 200 mph! | 
Steve and Debbie Bell's push truck has to take the cake! The Bell Racing entry, an A/Gas Modified Roadster, sports a 499-inch Chevy big-block, and Steve turned a very respectable time of 233 mph. |
Oregon City's Steve Weber chose a 1994 183-cid Toyota to propel his 1934 Chevy F/Blown Fuel Roadster to a personal best of 180 mph on a 186-mph record. | 
The Nampa, ID, Smith Brothers (Ken does the driving and Nick and Ben do the wrenching) brought their 1926 Ford, the Hot Rod Works Special, as it ran 195 on a 206 mph C/Street Roadster record. | 
The Autopower and Bean Bandits teams out of San Diego, CA, have combined to run in the F/Gas Modified Roadster class. Julio Hernandez piloted a best time of 153 mph on a 157-mph record. |
Irene Hanchard of Yucaipa, CA, put the So What Speed Shop entry in the V-4 (208-cid 1928 Ford-powered) F/Blown Fuel Modified Roadster winner's circle with a new record of 96.942 mph. | 
Riverview, FL, resident Doug Kenny's normally aspirated 371-cid Chevy powered his '31 C/Street Runner as it ran a fastest qualifying time of 216 mph, and his backup run was a class record of 209.333. | 
The Amsoil Coddington entry turned more heads than most this year. Rookie driver Jo Coddington (Boyd's wife) competed in two classes (G/Blown Gas Modified Roadster) and F/BGMR). |
Mitch Allen, in the Hop Up Racing Team entry, took the 119.604 class record back home to San Juan Capistrano, CA, for his Vintage Four engine class with a modified Model T roadster body. | 
The Sam Samson coupe entry, owned by Jim Hanson and steered by Rod King, came all the way from Turner, ME, to compete in the C/Gas Comp Coupe class. The healthy 357-cid Ford clocked a best speed of 199 mph. | 
The Burbank Engine Service team is a longtime Bonneville participant. The company's AA/Blown Gas Roadster amply advertises its motor experience-driver Duane McKinney turned 234 mph. |
Rigby, ID, is the home base for owners and drivers of Colin and Randy Radford's '26 F/Gas Modified Roadster. A 3,000cc Ford SHO delivered a best time of 148 on a 157 record. | 
The Barbee Boys C/Gas Roadster entry is powered by a 357-cid small-block Chevy, and drivers are Alan and Gene Barbee and John Weatherwax. | 
And the winner is ... the Dripps & Gibby E/Street Roadster entry from Batesville, VA, as they squeezed their 258-cid GMC V-6-powered Deuce. |
The SCTA rules book boldly states on the opening pages, "Land Speed Racing is a dangerous sport. There is no such thing as a guaranteed safe high-speed run." |  | |