The three-day funfest known as the Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion returns to Beech Bend Raceway Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky, on Father's Day weekend, June 13-15. While the hot-rodding/nostalgia drag-racing spectacular offers a cornucopia of things to do, here are 10 family-fun events to consider.
1. Holley Performance Products Tour, Thursday, June 12, 10 a.m.: The 250,000-square-foot Holley plant (1801 Russellville Road) will be open to the public for a free, pre-event tour. See how Holley, in business for 105 years, makes its world-famous carburetors and other products, including Weiand intake manifolds, water pumps, and superchargers. The tour goes through the engineering vehicle and engine lab, where the company houses its chassis and engine dynos. A hot dog lunch and special drawing for Holley apparel and speed parts is also part of the tour.
2. Heacock Classic Cruise, Thursday, June 12, 2 p.m.: The Heacock Classic Cruise starts at Holley and takes the form of a scavenger hunt, organized by the American Red Cross to benefit its Vettetastic 2008 program. The scavenger hunt ends at the Holiday Inn University Plaza's Sloan Convention Center (1021 Wilkinson Trace) at 5 p.m. for the official Reunion ribbon-cutting ceremony.
3. Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion Education Day, Friday, June 13, 10 a.m.: Call it Hot Rod U. as the Holley Performance Products facility becomes a classroom for Bowling Green Technical College students, as well as the public. A tour of Holley's production facilities and an engineering workshop is followed by a trip to Beech Bend Raceway for a lesson on vintage drag racing and a Hot Rod Basics workshop led by Ron Hope, driver of the famous Rat Trap Fuel Altered race car. Participants will learn about the industry's evolution, carburetor applications, speed and driveability theories, and building horsepower, as well as evaluating fuel, ignition, and brake systems.
4. Honoree Reception, Friday, June 13, Holiday Inn University Plaza Hotel and Sloan Convention Center Ballroom, 7 p.m.: Open to the public, this free event is what the Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion is all about-honoring hot rod heroes of the past. This year's honorees are Arnie Beswick, Gabby Bleeker, Charles "Boogie" Scott, Bob Stange, and Jim Walther, along with the Justice Brothers Reunion Spotlight Award winners, the Ramchargers. The Grand Marshal of the Reunion is Dick LaHaie. The event is sponsored by the Bowling Green Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, Bowling Green Area Lodging Association, and the South Central Chapter of the Kentucky Restaurant Association.
5. Nostalgia Drag Racing, Friday-Sunday, June 13-15: This looks to be the biggest and most competitive National Hot Rod Reunion when it comes to racing. Showcased on the track will be Hot Heads Eliminator NHRA vintage drag racing, featuring some the sport's most famous and historic cars and drivers, competing in such classes at Nostalgia Top Fuel, Altereds, Supercharged Gassers, Classic Super Stock, hot rods, and others, plus a variety of exhibition entries. A record 460 cars are registered. All the top names in nostalgia racing will be competing, including Brad Thompson, Adam Sorokin, Brendan Murray, Roger Lechtenberg, Howard Haight, and Troy Green.
6. SoffSeal Show 'n Shine, Friday-Sunday, June 13-15: The weekend Reunion program also features a giant hot rod festival with more than 1,200 pre-'72 street rods, customs, classics, and musclecars competing in the SoffSeal Show 'n Shine. The top 50 winners will be announced Saturday, June 14 at 6:30 p.m., receive awards, and parade down the track. All winners and entries will be invited to the NHRA Mac Tools U.S. Nationals (August 27-September 1) at O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis. There, the vehicles will be displayed in a special area presented by Hot Hues Custom Finishes by DuPont, receive a special memento of the occasion, and vie for the inaugural Bob Daniels Award of Excellence courtesy of SoffSeal.
7. STREET RODDER Road Tour and Display: Speaking of rods, the 2008 PPG / Street Rodder Road Tour is traveling from San Antonio, Texas, to the Reunion, bringing more than 50 super-cool cars as part of the Vintage Air-sponsored tour. Street Rodder also has a display at the Reunion featuring famous hot rod cartoonist Tom Medley, who will be signing autographs and drawing pictures of his iconic 'toon character, Stroker McGurk.
8. Cacklefest, Saturday, June 12, 8:35 p.m.: This is the highlight of the Reunion. To car folks, the Cacklefest is the sweetest sight and sound in the world-30 or more vintage front-engine dragsters and Funny Cars fire up and "cackle" 10 gallons of nitromethane fuel in less than five minutes. The sound of that exploding nitro will be music to the ears of thousands of fans at Beech Bend. Among the legendary cars cackling will be John Peters' Fright Train, Larry Reyes' The Hawaiian, Bruce Larson's USA-1 Camaro, and one of "Big Daddy" Don Garlits' Swamp Rat Fuelers.
9. ZZ Top Eliminator: Straight from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, the iconic Billy F. Gibbons' ZZ Top Eliminator '33 Ford coupe will celebrate its 25th anniversary at the Reunion. Made famous during its namesake's '80s music videos, its appearance at the three-day hot rod festival also commemorates the 75th anniversary of the legendary '33 Ford, a favorite car platform for rodders. Built for ZZ Top guitarist and hot rodder Gibbons in 1983 by Don Thelan, it was featured on the cover of the group's aptly titled "Eliminator" album in the same year. The car, permanently displayed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio, became famous by appearing in three MTV award-winning rock-music videos. The car appears courtesy of Gibbons, the museum, Intercity Lines, and Hot Hues Custom Finishes by DuPont.
10. JCB GT Backhoe: Ever see a backhoe do wheelies or go 150 mph? Now you can. The JCB GT, the world's fastest backhoe loader dragster, with driver Neil Smith behind the wheel, will be speeding down the track at the Reunion. A crowd favorite, the "backhoe on steroids" is powered by a 1,300hp engine, is capable of speeds more than 150 mph, and lights up the sky with its flame-shooting exhaust.
Individual tickets are available at the gate. Cost per person: Friday, $20; Saturday, $20; Sunday, $15. Children 15 and younger are free when accompanied by an adult.
Information, including a full activities schedule, is available through the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum at http://museum.nhra.com.
Proceeds of the Holley Hot Rod Reunion benefit the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum. Celebrating its 10th anniversary and named for the founder of the National Hot Rod Association, the Parks Museum presented by the Automobile Club of Southern California houses the very roots of hot rodding. Scores of famous vehicles spanning American motorsports history are on display, including winning cars representing 50 years of drag racing, dry lakes and Salt Flat racers, oval-track challengers, and exhibits describing their colorful backgrounds.
The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum is open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., PST. Current NHRA members are admitted free and Auto Club members enjoy a $2 discount. Admission for non-members is $7 for adults, $5 for seniors 60 and older, $5 for juniors ages 6 through 15, and free for children ages 5 and younger. The museum is also available for special group tours. The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum is located at Fairplex Gate 1, 1101 W. McKinley Ave. in Pomona, California. For more information on special exhibits, museum events, or directions, call (909) 622-2133, or visit http://museum.nhra.com.