Twelfth Annual NHRA California Hot Rod Reunion

POMONA, Calif. (July 15, 2003) - Continuing a long and successful relationship, The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum and the Automobile Club of Southern California announced today that the Auto Club has once again renewed its sponsorship of the annual NHRA California Hot Rod Reunion.

The 12th Annual NHRA California Hot Rod Reunion, presented by the Automobile Club of Southern California, will take place at historic Famoso Raceway near Bakersfield, Calif., on Oct. 3-5. This is the 9th year the Automobile Club of Southern California has sponsored the Reunion.

"Over the years, the Automobile Club of Southern California has become an integral part of the California Hot Rod Reunion," said Sam Jackson, executive director of the Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum. "We once again welcome their continued sponsorship and support in presenting one of the truly great hot rod gatherings. "With the Auto Club's help, the NHRA California Hot Rod Reunion has become the premier event of its type, bringing together hot rodders and racing fans for family fun and excitement."

"We're glad we can continue to lend a hand and be a part of such a great event," said Rick Lalor, motorsports and event manager for the Automobile Club of Southern California. "The California Hot Rod Reunion has evolved into an incredible experience that showcases the history of hot rodding and celebrates the accomplishments of many legends of the sport. We are extremely pleased to continue our support of the NHRA California Hot Rod Reunion. This is an event not to be missed."

Since its inception in 1992, the NHRA California Hot Rod Reunion has offered hot rodders and racers the opportunity to reunite with old friends and reminisce about "the good old days." The Reunion includes competition on the racetrack, a car show, a chance for fans to meet the legends and stars of the sport, a barbeque and the highly popular "Cacklefest."

"The Cacklefest is a major crowd favorite that thrills the throngs of fans who pack the grandstand to watch," said Jackson. "The activity involves early-days-style front-engine dragsters being push-started, then all gathered together on the drag strip starting line with engines running or 'cackling.'"

Auto Club members will receive a $2 discount on daily admission when they present their membership card at the Famoso Raceway ticket window.

Tickets for the NHRA California Hot Rod Reunion, presented by the Automobile Club of Southern California, are available by calling 800/884-6472. A full event credential is $50 for adults and only $10 for those under 16. Full event credentials include a "goody bag" that features the highly collectible Reunion Annual and a dash plaque. Camping passes are available with credential purchase at $35 and swap meet spaces are just $40 for a 20' x 20' space. Daily tickets may be purchased at the gate of Famoso Raceway, north of Bakersfield on Highway 99. For additional Reunion information, call 909/622-8562 or visit www.nhra.com.

The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum is open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., PST, with extended hours during NHRA national events. Current NHRA members are admitted free. Admission for non-members is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors 60 and older, $3 for juniors six through 15, and free for children under the age of five. The Museum is also available for private parties, meetings, corporate events, weddings and special group tours. The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum is located at Fairplex Gate 1, 1101 W. McKinley Ave. in Pomona. For further information on special exhibits, museum events or directions, call 909/622-2133 or visit www.nhra.com/museum.

The Automobile Club of Southern California, the largest affiliate of the AAA, has been serving members since 1900. Today, the Auto Club's members benefit by the organization's emergency road service, financial products, travel agency and trip planning services, highway and transportation safety programs, insurance products and services, automotive pricing, buying and financing programs, automotive testing and analysis and legislative advocacy. Information about these products and services is available on the Auto Club's web site at www.aaa-calif.com.

POMONA, Calif. (Sept. 8, 2003) - The 12th
California Hot Rod Reunion, presented by the Automobile Club of Southern California, is not just another car show. It's all about the rich history of hot rodding, and this year's edition is shaping up to be one of the best. Just check the names of the five Honorees announced today to receive the Lifetime Achievement Awards: John Bradley, Gary Cochran, Bruce Geisler, Pete Millar and Glen Stokey. All played a significant part in the early days of hot rodding and will be honored at the Reunion, Oct. 3-5, 2003, at Famoso Raceway in Bakersfield, Calif.,

"We are once again pleased to announce what we feel is a very well-rounded lineup of honorees that represent just about every facet of the vast spectrum of hot rodding," said Greg Sharp, CHRR event director and curator of the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum Curator, producers of the Reunion. "Each individual has demonstrated tremendous passion for the sport over several decades of their lives, and their contributions to the heritage of hot rodding have proven to be immeasurable."

Each of the honorees will be recognized during Friday evening's CHRR Reception at the DoubleTree Hotel and then presented again to the fans late in the afternoon on Saturday in between the qualifying sessions for Sunday's competition.

Also honored will be co-Grand Marshals Bob Muravez and Floyd J. Lippencotte Jr., as well as Mooneyes USA, recipient of the Justice Bros. Car Care Products Reunion Spotlight award.

John Bradley: Earned the title of "Mr. Flathead" through his valiant efforts to keep Ford's venerable flathead V-8 as a viable dragster powerplant through the end of the 1950s. After starting off with a '32 Ford roadster that he raced on the streets and dirt tracks of Southern California in 1946, Bradley built his first dragster from Ford Model T frame rails in 1952. By the next year, Bradley was using nitromethane to hit then unbelievable speeds of 147 mph with his flathead-powered entry. His next car, the tube-chassis Gene's Brake Shop special reached the final-round of the 1957 World Series of Drag Racing event in Cordova, Ill. Bradley's famous ride earned him more than 50 Top Eliminator titles and numerous track records in 1957 and 1958. His final flathead entry was a duel-engined version that he drove from 1958 to 1962. Following his retirement from active competition, Bradley, now nearly 78-years-old, campaigns a nine-second flathead dragster on the California nostalgia circuit that features eight spark plug, billet-aluminum cylinder heads of his own design.

Gary Cochran: Although he never won a NHRA national event, he enjoyed one of the most productive careers that any driver could hope to achieve in Top Fuel, Top Gas and AA/Comp ranks. Known throughout his racing days as "Mr. C," Cochran quickly displayed his penchant for the unusual when he began driving a Ford-powered AA/Comp roadster in 1965-67, when he competed against the likes of Larry Dixon Sr.'s Fireside Inn roadster, the late Frank Pedregon's Taco Taster, Jim Boyd's Red Turkey, Glenn Collins' Heidelberg Special and the Westenberger & Bill team. Cochran moved up to Top Gas in 1967-68 and then drove Dave McKenzie's Blue Streak Special Top Fueler in early 1969 before electing to campaign his own car later that season. He drove this vehicle, built by Speed Products Engineering, through mid-1972, when he debuted a near rear-engined entry at that year's season-ending Supernationals. He spent the rest of his career as a hired hand, driving cars owned by Lisa & Rossi in 1974, Jim Terry's Buick Funny Car in 1976, the Blanchard & Montgomery Western Raider in 1968, Jim Thomas' Genuine Suspension Special in 1981, Marc Cornelius' Team C in 1982, and his final ride with R.T. Mehlville's Mustang Funny Car in 1984.

Bruce Geisler: Earned the distinction of setting the most records at Bonneville with a grand total of 99, of which 50 were produced with his famed '53 Studebaker coupe that has operated with a variety of Chevrolet engines. He began land-speed racing in 1957 with a SR-1 factory Corvette, of which only six were built, and set a new mark of 126 mph for the B/Sports Car class for his first record. Next came his '29 roadster that he raced at the old San Gabe Drag Strip and later at El Mirage before moving on to Bonneville competition. In 1960 he transplanted the roadster's injected Chevy small-block engine into his newly acquired Studebaker body. He soon joined forces with another Studebaker campaigner, a then unknown Gale Banks, and the two shared shop space for their race cars. It was with Banks assistance that Geisler prepped a twin-turbo 304-cid engine that propelled him to a 209 mph record in 1980. Among Geisler's most productive years were 1968 and 1972, when he set four records each year at Bonneville, and at the end of the 1974 season, the Geisler name was on 11 active records. In recent years, Geisler has been extremely active in the "Save the Salt" campaign for Bonneville.

Pete Millar: Died earlier this year from heart failure, and brought an end to the career of drag racing's most popular cartoonist. "It should be pointed out that it has never been CHRR's policy to honor Lifetime Achievement Award recipients posthumously," said Sharp, "but the committee had already voted for Pete's inclusion before his passing. His skills as an artist and keen sense of humor were surpassed only by his devoted passion to hot rodding." Millar's cartoons were first published in Rod & Custom. Millar then teamed with Carl Kohler in 1959 to create the first car-themed cartoon magazine, CARtoons. Millar eventually published his own magazine, Drag Cartoons, from 1963 to 1968. Not only were these publications extremely popular with racing fans, but the competitors themselves eagerly awaited each issue to see if they would be the subject of Millar's expertly drawn caricatures. Millar continued his familiar themes and features in annual editions of newspaper-size full color Drag Comics that appeared in the early 1970s. His most recent contributions were regularly features in the California Hot Rod Reunion programs and he was also a highly visible attendee of each event.

Glen Stokey: A West Coast racer who campaign in both the Top Fuel and Top Gas as both a driver and owner. Like many future rail campaigners, Stokey started his career in doorslammers, and one of his most successful early entries was a 289-cid flathead-powered '35 Ford Coupe that was undefeated for a full year at Santa Ana and Lions during the 1950s. He later teamed with Joe Reath to run an early Chrysler Hemi-powered gas dragster that terrorized Lions Dragstrip. Stokey continued to campaign in Top Gas with a twin-blown Chevy-powered dragster, and when the nitro ban was lifted in 1964, he moved up to Top Fuel with a short wheelbase Hemi-powered rail. Perhaps his most distinctive ride was a longer wheelbase Top Fueler that he campaigned with Dee Caspary, and it was one of the first dragsters of its era to feature the then-modern scallop paint schemes. During his tenure with Caspary, he also did test driving for the sharp-looking black rail of Tarrant and Woodruff. Stokey suffered a bad accident in the mid-1960s at Lions when chute failure caused him to end up on Willow Street. He continued to drive for one more season, and then handed over the driving chores to Jeep and Ronnie Hampshire so that he could concentrate on the engine work. Stokey retired from racing for good in 1970 so that he could devote more time to his family and enjoy a river boat that he had just purchased.

Since its inception in 1992, the NHRA California Hot Rod Reunion has offered hot rodders and racers the opportunity to reunite with old friends and reminisce about "the good old days." The Reunion includes competition on the racetrack, a car show, a chance for fans to meet the legends and stars of the sport, a barbeque and the highly popular "Cacklefest," which involves early-days-style front-engine dragsters being push-started, then all gathered together on the drag strip starting line with engines running or 'cackling." Auto Club members will receive a $2 discount on daily admission when they present their membership card at the Famoso Raceway ticket window.

Tickets for the NHRA California Hot Rod Reunion, presented by the Automobile Club of Southern California, are available by calling 800/884-6472. A full event credential is $55 for adults and only $10 for those under 16. Full event credentials include a "goody bag" that features the highly collectible Reunion Annual and a dash plaque. Camping passes are available with credential purchase at $35 and swap meet spaces are just $40 for a 20' x 20' space. Daily tickets may be purchased at the gate of Famoso Raceway, north of Bakersfield on Highway 99. For additional Reunion information, call 909/622-8562 or visit www.nhra.com.

The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum is open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., PST, with extended hours during NHRA national events. Current NHRA members are admitted free. Admission for non-members is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors 60 and older, $3 for juniors six through 15, and free for children under the age of five. The Museum is also available for private parties, meetings, corporate events, weddings and special group tours. The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum is located at Fairplex Gate 1, 1101 W. McKinley Ave. in Pomona. For further information on special exhibits, museum events or directions, call 909/622-2133 or visit www.nhra.com/museum.

For the ninth consecutive year, the Automobile Club of Southern California, the largest affiliate of the AAA, is the presenting sponsor of the NHRA California Hot Rod Reunion. The Automobile Club of Southern California has been serving members since 1900. Today, the Auto Club's members benefit by the organization's emergency road service, financial products, travel agency and trip planning services, highway and transportation safety programs, insurance products and services, automotive pricing, buying and financing programs, automotive testing and analysis and legislative advocacy. Information about these products and services is available on the Auto Club's web site at www.aaa-calif.com.

POMONA, Calif. (Sept. 3, 2003) - Let there be flames! For the first time in its 12-year history, there will be 'qualifying under the stars' at the NHRA California Hot Rod Reunion, Oct. 3-5, 2003, Famoso Raceway, outside Bakersfield, Calif.

"The nighttime fuel qualifying will be spectacular," said Greg Sharp, curator of the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum and event director of the Museum-produced of the Hot Rod Reunion. "Fans will get a chance to see vintage fuel dragsters header flames during qualifying heats, then see even more during 'Cacklefest.' "

Sharp said Cacklefest, which takes place Saturday night, Oct. 4, is probably the most-anticipated events of the Hot Rod Reunion weekend. It's where historic race cars are push-started down the track like they were decades ago, making their famous exhaust-generated cackling sound and lighting up the night with the glow of burning Nitro..

According to Sharp, Saturday night's schedule also includes the Twilight Memorial at 8, where the Reunion pauses to dedicate a few moments to those racers and hot rodders who passed away during 2003. The Twilight Memorial follows the fuel qualifying, which begins at 6:30. Cacklefest is the finale and starts at 8:15.

Since its inception in 1992, the NHRA California Hot Rod Reunion has offered hot rodders and racers the opportunity to reunite with old friends and reminisce about "the good old days." The Reunion includes competition on the racetrack, a car show, a chance for fans to meet the legends and stars of the sport, a barbeque and the highly popular "Cacklefest," which involves early-days-style front-engine dragsters being push-started, then all gathered together on the drag strip starting line with engines running or 'cackling." Auto Club members will receive a $2 discount on daily admission when they present their membership card at the Famoso Raceway ticket window.

Tickets for the NHRA California Hot Rod Reunion, presented by the Automobile Club of Southern California, are available by calling 800/884-6472. A full event credential is $55 for adults and only $10 for those under 16. Full event credentials include a "goody bag" that features the highly collectible Reunion Annual and a dash plaque. Camping passes are available with credential purchase at $35 and swap meet spaces are just $40 for a 20' x 20' space. Daily tickets may be purchased at the gate of Famoso Raceway, north of Bakersfield on Highway 99. For additional Reunion information, call 909/622-8562 or visit www.nhra.com.

The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum is open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., PST, with extended hours during NHRA national events. Current NHRA members are admitted free. Admission for non-members is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors 60 and older, $3 for juniors six through 15, and free for children under the age of five. The Museum is also available for private parties, meetings, corporate events, weddings and special group tours. The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum is located at Fairplex Gate 1, 1101 W. McKinley Ave. in Pomona. For further information on special exhibits, museum events or directions, call 909/622-2133 or visit www.nhra.com/museum.

For the ninth consecutive year, the Automobile Club of Southern California, the largest affiliate of the AAA, is the presenting sponsor of the NHRA California Hot Rod Reunion. The Automobile Club of Southern California has been serving members since 1900. Today, the Auto Club's members benefit by the organization's emergency road service, financial products, travel agency and trip planning services, highway and transportation safety programs, insurance products and services, automotive pricing, buying and financing programs, automotive testing and analysis and legislative advocacy. Information about these products and services is available on the Auto Club's web site at www.aaa-calif.com.

Contact:
Sam Jackson, NHRA Motorsports Museum 909/622-2575 (sjackson@nhra.com)
Rick Lalor, Automobile Club of Southern California 714/885-2085 (lalor.rick@aaa-calif.com)
Bill Groak, Pacific Communications Group 310/224-4981 (bgroak@paccomgrp.com)