There’s a generation gap of sorts in drag racing. It’s not among the teams out there racing, but the gap is evident in the spectator seats here at the 50th Anniversary Winternationals – and it’s not a problem. Sometimes with generation gaps we’re talking about one generation’s inability to politely converse and interact with another. Put another way, it’s like when you turned 13 and realized your old man didn’t know anything, and certainly had nothing whatsoever to tell you about life, your friends, your music or the electronic wizardry that packed your bedroom. By the time you were 18 or 19 it was amazing how much the old guy had learned in those five or six years.
In this instance, however, we’re talking about how some younger drag racing fans don’t have much appreciation for the sport’s early cars and even some of its stars. That was evident this afternoon when a half dozen nostalgia Funny Cars came up to make demonstration runs. A lot of younger fans bailed out of the grandstands, while the more mature among the crowd stuck around to be once again thrilled by cars like the Candies & Hughes ‘Cuda, Twig Ziegler’s Satellite, the Pisano & Matsubara Vega and the topless Beach City Corvette.