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Celebrating the “Golden Age” – the Hot Rod Reunion
Story
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The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports
Museum brings drag racing’s past alive again
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By Brian Wood Photos by Brian Wood, James Drew and the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum |
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There’s a well-worn saying that declares “time flies when you’re having fun,” and in spite of the fact that the expression achieved cliché status long ago, when applied to the celebrated past of organized drag racing it hits the nail squarely on the head. From its earliest days of running on post-WWII airstrips and later the first purpose-built drag strips, the two-lane acceleration game came out of Southern California with a vengeance in the early 1950s, quickly spreading from coast to coast, thanks to National Hot Rod Association founder Wally Parks and enthusiastic hot-rodders around the country.
As it grew and expanded, many now-legendary tracks were built to host the legions of pioneering racers and their wonderful one-of-a-kind, garage-built cars designed to do nothing but go fast and beat the guy in the other lane. It was a time of experimentation and unbridled creativity, and the people who built the first pure drag cars were often as colorful and unpredictable as the machines they hauled to the ‘strip in those halcyon first years of “run whatcha brung” competition.
Through the 60s and 70s, drag racing as a major motor sport continued to evolve as the original front-engine Top Fuel cars were replaced by rear-engine versions, and the once dominant Super Stock class spawned both Pro Stock and Funny Car. This growth, and the resulting escalation of performance, led to more restrictive rules, as well as the standardization of classes, cars and equipment. Perhaps most regrettably, many of the original small, friendly local tracks were slowly pushed out of existence as newer, larger venues took their place. Of course, all of these inevitable changes were necessary to insure the safety of the racers and fans, level the playing field among the competitors, and cater to the larger crowds now clamoring to see the fastest cars on the planet do battle on the quarter-mile. As the years passed, the close-knit fraternity of people and cars that made drag racing the success it is today began to fade from the scene, slowly but surely replaced by new names and faces and their high-tech hot rods. Needless to say, there’s a whole new generation of racers and fans out there now, enthusiastically participating in today’s well-orchestrated, corporate-driven world of drag racing. To showcase their modern, made-for-TV persona, a number of “super strips” have been built across the country, offering vast acres of attractions for today’s fans, but little in the way of the kind of atmosphere that drew them in during the early days.
Mind you, this is the way it has to be nowadays, as there is extraordinary competition among the various motorsports factions for fans, sponsors and prime time television coverage. Large, accessible venues with room for tens of thousands of spectators and parking for dozens of 18-wheel race rigs are a must if a sanctioning body is to stay viable, and there’s no getting around that. In spite of today’s glitz and glamour, however, the desire to go back to the “good old days,” at least for a little while, seems to lie just beneath the surface in the hearts and minds of many people, particularly those of the post-WWII “baby boom” generation who have seen so much change in the last several decades.
Fortunately, those in charge of the NHRA had never lost sight of their roots, and in the early 1990’s some of those with long tenure began to realize that as custodians of drag racing’s rich history of people, places and events it was their responsibility to not only preserve the past but also to bring a living piece of it back so a new generation could see how the whole thing got started. After a lot of discussion, it was decided to hold a one-time-only event that would serve as a reunion for many racers and fans from the “golden age,” where they could renew old acquaintances and relive past glories in a friendly and familiar atmosphere. The reunion would also feature many historic original and replica race cars, both on display and in action on the track.
Where else would you want to hold such a tribute to the past then at one of the tracks that put organized drag racing on the map in the first place, Famosa Raceway in Bakersfield, California. In October of 1992, the first California Hot Rod Reunion was held, and the rest, in every sense of the word, is history. The stars, the cars and the undeniable collective feeling of being somewhere very special for a brief moment in time made the event an instant success, and for the next eleven years the “one-time-only” CHRR just continued to get better and better.
Over the years, the competition on the racetrack, car show and chance for fans to meet the legends and stars of the sport was expanded to include a big barbeque and the now highly-popular "Cacklefest," where front-engine dragsters from days gone by are push-started, then gathered together on the starting line to create a living diorama of header flames and cackling fuel-burning engines. During this time, in April of 1998, the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, long a dream of the NHRA founder, opened to the public after years of planning and months of hard work. Housed in a 28,500-square-foot building on the edge of the historic Los Angeles County Fairplex, the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum echoes NHRA's mission statement to preserve, protect, and perpetuate the sport of drag racing.
The CHRR soon became the living history arm of the new museum, further bolstering its status and assuring its continued existence. This bright outlook for the Reunion received yet another boost when, in December of 2002, the NHRA announced that they had signed a 20-year lease agreement with Famoso that would keep it as the home of the California Hot Rod Reunion. "The rich drag racing history associated with Famoso Raceway is the reason the site was originally chosen 12 years ago for the Reunion," said Museum Executive Director Sam Jackson at the time. "The Reunion wouldn't be the same without historic Famoso Raceway," added Greg Sharp, NHRA Motorsports Museum curator, who also serves as director of the Hot Rod Reunion. "It's a special place for drag racers and I'm glad we're staying...for a long time."
With the future of the Hot Rod Reunion in California assured, it was only a natural next step to look at bringing the Reunion experience and the sights and sounds of the “Golden Age” to the East Coast, where the largest concentration of racers and fans in the country live. The trick was to get folks there the first time, however, and therein lay the challenge of staging an event east of the Mississippi. Could the success of the CHRR be replicated far from California, and how essential was the historic Fomosa ambience? In the long run, concerns over duplicating the formula that had been so successful in California proved to be a non-issue. The NHRA’s decisions to hold the inaugural National Hot Rod Reunion at Beech Bend Raceway Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky and to restructure the racing classes to accommodate a “run whatcha brung” mix based on the types of cars found in the East proved to be right on the money, and the event in June of 2003 was a monster hit.
Without a doubt the key to the success of the event was the selection of Beech Bend as its home. This grand old facility is steeped in drag racing history and overflowing with charm and atmosphere. Set smack in the middle of 1,800 rolling, heavily-treed acres of beautiful Kentucky farmland, the track with its amusement park rides and unique covered grandstands was the perfect counterpart for Famoso. The park-like surroundings, tin-roofed stands, campfires, nostalgic music, great cars and wild racing action all meshed seamlessly to evoke a true sense of what drag racing was like back “in the day.” Adding to the sense of Déjà vu that pervaded the event, Bob Glidden was the Grand Marshall, Don “Big Daddy” Garlits was on hand to receive the Spotlight Award, and Jack Chisenhall, Robert Frakes, Dale Funk, Angelo Giampetroni, Raymond Godman and Ken Hirata were special honorees. It was a magical weekend, and all those in attendance knew they were part of something special. The Hot Rod Reunion had come east, and it was here to stay. This year, the 2nd Annual Holley National Hot Rod Reunion returned to Bowling Green, and in spite of predictions that the success of the inaugural event would be very tough to top, the numbers speak for themselves. More cars, more fans and, well, more of everything, unbelievably made the event bigger and better than its predecessor.
Building upon the success of the first National Hot Rod Reunion, the crowds and cars poured into Beech Bend Raceway Park. According to Event Director Bob Daniels, more than 1,050 street rods, hot rods, muscle cars and classics were entered in the SoffSeal Show 'n Shine contest. On the drag racing side, 300 were expected and about 400 showed up. The excitement from the track spilled out to the local convention center on Friday evening as hundreds of people came to hear 2004's Heritage Award Honorees: Al Bergler, Bob Larivee Sr., Jim and Alison Lee, Art Malone and Bill Smith, plus Linda Vaughn, the Justice Brothers Spotlight Award winner. As usual, Dave McClelland was the MC, and as usual he was the master storyteller. "This is a remarkable place and a remarkable time," he said. "This is one of my favorite events."
Those sentiments were echoed time and again during the course of the weekend, and these comments from Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum Executive Director Sam Jackson told the story. “We’ve grown in every single way over last year. On this Father’s Day 2004 weekend, we had more street rods, more hot rods, more racers, more spectators, and more sales of products that benefited the Museum. We’re thrilled by the response to this event and we’ll be back for more.” Thanks to the hard-working folks at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, and everyone else who helped make the Hot Rod Reunions, both California and National, the overwhelming success they are, generations of drag racers and fans are now able to step back in time to see just how things looked and sounded back in the “good old days.” This is a huge responsibility, and one these fine folks take very seriously; the sport of drag racing is greatly enriched by their outstanding efforts.
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