Nostalgia drag racing is one of the fastest-growing sports around, and the record racing field at the 6th Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion (NHRR) proves it. According to Steve Gibbs, former NHRA vice president and current board member of the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum (producers of the Reunion), 460 nostalgia race cars are ready to rumble at Beech Bend Raceway Park, June 13-15.Showcased on the track will be Hot Heads Eliminator NHRA vintage drag racing, featuring some of the sport's most famous and historic cars and drivers, competing in such classes at Nostalgia Top Fuel, Altereds, Supercharged Gassers, Classic Super Stock, and others, plus a variety of exhibition entries. All the top names in nostalgia racing will be competing, including Brad Thompson, Adam Sorokin, Brendan Murray, Roger Lechtenberg, Howard Haight, and Troy Green. The race is affiliated with the NHRA's new Hot Rod Heritage Series and next year will be an official stop on the tour.
"Despite the slowness in the economy, guys are coming out to Bowling Green to race," said Gibbs. "This event means a lot to young and old racers. They want to compete at Beech Bend. It's a special place and special event."
Gibbs said Carl "Cannonball" Johnson, who won the '58 NHRA event in Oklahoma City, is driving down from Rockford, Illinois, to compete in his Sterling nostalgia Fuel Altered. It's Johnson's 50th year of racing, and he still has his Wally Parks-signed pit pass from the '58 race.
Speaking of the unpredictable Fuel Altereds, "Fans will be itching to see Nostalgia match races, such as the Ron Hope Rat Trap versus the Dave Hough Nanook," said Gibbs. "These are two legendary cars that really put on a show for fans. It's these types of races that make the Reunion so special."On the Top Fuel side, Thompson, who won the '07 California Hot Rod Reunion, is coming all the way from Visalia, California, for the event. It's the first time he's raced at NHRR, according to Gibbs. Also coming east again will be High Speed Motorsports of Anaheim, California, which has four consecutive victories in the Nostalgia Top Fuel category at NHRR. Troy Green, who took over from three-time champion Sean Bellemeur last year and won, will again be the driver for HSM.
Adam Sorokin, who finished as runner-up to Bellemeur in 2006, will challenge Green for the title in Brian Van Dyke's RB Entertainment Special from Tulare, California. Sorokin, who lost in the first round at the '07 Reunion, is the son of the late Mike Sorokin, who drove the legendary Surfers Top Fuel Dragster in the late 1960s.
Murray, who survived a spectacular fire at last year's Reunion, is making his sixth consecutive trip to the event and is still looking for his first title.
But, those won't be the only Nostalgia Top Fuel cars competing in the Hot Heads Eliminator drag racing at NHRR.
The Orange Crate fueler owned by Dale Suhr and Roger Lechtenberg of Waterloo, Iowa, was the winner at 2003's inaugural National Reunion. A new Orange Crate was built for the '07 event, and it'll be primed to return to victory lane.
Other Nostalgia Top Fuel Dragsters include David Pace and Brad Green's Speed Merchant from Siloam Springs, Arkansas; Ernest McClain's Tri State Racing Mill Road Boys car from Elkton, Maryland; Jeremy Hasket's Backyard Guys car from Charlotte, North Carolina; Randy Bridges of Virden, Illinois; and Julius Hughes II in the Zot 5 from Atlanta, Georgia.
In addition to the event purse, the Top Fuel Dragster drivers will be shooting for the low elapsed time qualifying position, and a special trophy and cash prize will be awarded by racing veterans Fred Frey and Jim Fox, in honor of the late Paul "Dodger" Glenn. Glenn drove Funny Cars, including the "Iceman" Vega and the Frantic Ford Mustang II. He held NHRA Top Fuel license #128 and Funny Car license #126. Glenn died in a crash of the Frantic Ford in 1978.
Qualifying on the quarter-mile dragstrip in all classes, plus exhibition runs, will be held on Friday, June 13 and Saturday, June 14, with final eliminations set for "Sunday, Sunday, Sunday," June 15, Father's Day.
For more information, including a full activities schedule, visit the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum at http://museum.nhra.com.