The far end of the Famoso...
The far end of the Famoso Raceway grandstands is a great place to watch the racing or see some homebuilt rides, like this pair.
If you want to see old farm trucks, go to an old farm town. Bakersfield, at the southern end of California's San Joaquin Valley, is our personal favorite. Not just for the trucks, but for the vintage drag racing at Famoso Raceway, 20 miles north of town.
The March Meet has been an annual tradition here since 1959 when it was called the U.S. Fuel and Gas Championships. The biggest names in the sport all raced here in drag racing's golden days of the '60s. Ten years into the 21st century, this new-historic event and less-than-state-of-the-art strip still have the feel of the old days, especially when front-engined Top Fuel dragsters, Gassers, Altereds, and nostalgia Funny Cars pull up to the starting line.
The "Grove" is the shady area...
The "Grove" is the shady area behind the grandstands where the show vehicles meet. This scalloped ground-scraper '53 Chevy 1/2-ton is owned by Jack Rudy, and runs a 261ci six-cylinder engine and a five-speed.
In addition to the racing, the March Meet always features a low-key car show in the Grove area located behind the grandstands. Beyond that is the swap meet. If it's new stuff you're after, the huge vendors midway has it all-from parts and apparel to automobilia. And the pits and staging lanes is where you'll find the between-rounds action. We hit it all, on the lookout for custom classic trucks. And we found lots of 'em: great drag trucks, cool push trucks and tow vehicles, a couple of interesting haulers, and a bunch of local homebuilt street trucks, including some old farm trucks. Take a look.
When this was the Crazy Hawk,...
When this was the Crazy Hawk, it was an A/Gas record holder. Now Duwayne Neuman bracket races the '41 Willys pickup, powered by an alcohol-injected Chevy big-block. It's channeled over a stretched frame, and runs in the low 9s. Duwayne pulled the trailer all the way from British Columbia with a custom '47 Chevy Loadmaster. Originally a Coca-Cola truck, it's built on an '86 Chevy 1-ton chassis, and is further modified with a mid-engine 5.9-liter Cummins engine and a '69 Kenworth sleeper.
The coolest push truck of...
The coolest push truck of the March Meet was Bobby Tocco's channeled '35 Ford. We never actually saw it pushing the nostalgia Funny Car they were running, but we like the drilled split wishbones and Super Bell I-beam axle, exhaust system, and Mexican blanket interior. The Chevy 350 runs a CSR electric water pump.
Don Dohlen's '48 Studebaker...
Don Dohlen's '48 Studebaker pickup is all home-fabricated, the window sticker promises. Get a load of those massive Mickey Thompson meats; a single wheeltub extends the width of the bed.
The coolest tow vehicle of...
The coolest tow vehicle of the March Meet was Robert Brkich's radically reduced '48 F-5, pulling the Blair's Speed Shop '48 Anglia Gasser. Robert's dad had owned the Ford, which was originally a dumptruck. Now it's got a chopped top and sits on a custom frame, with a quarter-elliptic suicide frontend. The 354 FirePower Hemi is adapted to a 700-R4 trans.
Floyd Staggs came to this...
Floyd Staggs came to this strip with his dad in the '50s. He started racing in 1958, quit in 1965, and came back in 1995 with this '68 GMC 1/2-ton shortbed, racing in D/Gas. The 540 is built with a Merlin block and manifold, single Holley 1150, and Dart heads, and runs on 91-octane pump gas. On Friday the street-legal '68 ran a 10.66/122, its best elapsed time to date.
The body for Rich Roberts'...
The body for Rich Roberts' '48 GMC hauler was bought right here in Bakersfield six years ago, and now carries Rich's '34 Willys Gasser and tows his Airstream. The truck was built, pretty much from scratch, on a motorhome frame with a fabricated carrier bed.
Here are a few more from the...
Here are a few more from the Grove. This 351W-powered '52 Ford is Chris Young's daily driver work truck, The suede red is the latest of many colors the old farm truck has worn over the years. Chris added a '51 front end and is waiting for a dropped axle and springs. The dash has been autographed by George Barris, Gene Winfield, Mike Ness, and Lee Rocker.