Whit Bazemore making his first test laps in a Top Fuel dragster following a decorated Funny Car career that included 20 wins and 29 poles was one of the hot stories entering the annual three-day preseason test session at Firebird International Raceway. And while the fastest accelerating vehicles in the world prepared for a 23-race NHRA battle that begins next week at Pomona, Calif., a stir was created not on the quarter mile, but rather in the David Powers Motorsports pit area.

The Matco Tools Iron Eagle Club, located between the Powers-owned dragsters of Bazemore and Rod Fuller, sparked a buzz amongst attendees from race fans to Matco Tools distributors and fellow NHRA competitors. It is the largest portable hospitality area in NHRA drag racing, and rivals the popular Nitro Mall in appearance.

“Our Matco Tools distributors will be treated to a new and unmatched hospitality experience,” John Torok, Matco Tools Motorsports Marketing Manager said. “This Powers hospitality area offers no segregation between race teams. Our guests can see both race crews work on the dragsters simultaneously. I really believe this will start a new wave of hospitality areas in NHRA drag racing.”

Whit Bazemore making his first test laps in a Top Fuel dragster following a decorated Funny Car career that included 20 wins and 29 poles was one of the hot stories entering the annual three-day preseason test session at Firebird International Raceway. And while the fastest accelerating vehicles in the world prepared for a 23-race NHRA battle that begins next week at Pomona, Calif., a stir was created not on the quarter mile, but rather in the David Powers Motorsports pit area.

The Matco Tools Iron Eagle Club, located between the Powers-owned dragsters of Bazemore and Rod Fuller, sparked a buzz amongst attendees from race fans to Matco Tools distributors and fellow NHRA competitors. It is the largest portable hospitality area in NHRA drag racing, and rivals the popular Nitro Mall in appearance.

“Our Matco Tools distributors will be treated to a new and unmatched hospitality experience,” John Torok, Matco Tools Motorsports Marketing Manager said. “This Powers hospitality area offers no segregation between race teams. Our guests can see both race crews work on the dragsters simultaneously. I really believe this will start a new wave of hospitality areas in NHRA drag racing.”

The Iron Eagle Club was the brainwork of team owner Powers, who worked closely with Jimmy Barton and Ken Evans of Henderson, Texas-based Competition Trailers. The Powers camp utilizes four Competition-built transporters to house the race and hospitality operation. Having already been referred to as the “castle” or “Taj Mahal,” the modern structure features an open 3,900 square-feet area and reaches 16-feet at its highest point.

“David (Powers) approached us about building this new hospitality area at the Dallas race in Ennis (Texas) last fall,” Barton said. “He provided us with artwork and we pretty much got started immediately after the Ennis race. There was a lot of R&D that went into this project. We had never built anything like it. It’s definitely a new presence in the pits.”

The construction of the Iron Eagle Club took more than 1,000 hours and nearly 2 ½ months to complete. It took two full weeks for James Stallings and Xtreme Graphics to construct the three-piece awning. The Powers hospitality area will host Matco Tools distributors, employees, vocational students and guests at each NHRA event. It weighs more than 3,600 pounds.

“David Powers truly made a commitment to Matco Tools,” Bazemore said. “This will take corporate hospitality at NHRA events to a new level. It will really allow the team and its sponsors to serves its business needs, and these are the types of things we must do to increase the involvement of corporate America in NHRA drag racing.”

“From the picture and original artwork, I knew it was going to be impressive,” Matco Tools Pacific States Regional Manager Allen Plunk added. “After seeing it in person, words can’t begin to describe how amazing this structure really is. The accessibility for our distributors, guests and vocational students is second-to-none. It’s definitely going to create a buzz at the drag strip.”

Bazemore and Fuller created news on track. The former flopper pilot by cross grading his NHRA competition license for Top Fuel eligibility with two quarter mile bursts of 4.54 seconds, and Fuller by driving the latest monostrut-equipped dragster to a performance of 4.530 seconds. But, off the track, the Iron Eagle Club is what really had people talking during the National Time Trials.