"First you got to get there before you can race," is an old saying that certainly makes sense when you take into consideration exactly how much equipment you must have to participate in a nostalgia drag racing event. The Automobile Club of Southern California-sponsored and Wally Parks-NHRA Motor Sports Museum-staged "California Hot Rod Reunion" was during the first weekend in October at Kern County's Famoso Raceway, located on the outskirts of Bakersfield.
Well now, you've got the actual race car, the trailer, undoubtedly at least one spare engine, a spare transmission or rearend, a couple of sets of drag slicks, a toolbox, a floor jack, a cooler, and more than likely, two to three eager crew members. Yeah, you need a truck alright!
Of course, today's modern, well-equipped professional race teams competing for points on the NHRA Powerade Championship Drag Racing Series travel to national events in rolling "race shops" (that's 18-wheelers to you neophytes), but at events such as the 13th Annual California Hot Rod Reunion (or the "Gathering of the Geezers," affectionately referred to by insiders), we're reminded of precisely where we came from and how we got here. Typically it was by truck, and we're talking 'bout your basic pickup trucks, folks.
One of the things we really enjoy about the CHRR events is the wide diversity of trucks, which racers use as hot rod haulers. All you need to do is take a stroll through the pits to see what we're talking about. There are vintage trucks of all years, types, and sizes powered by just about every type of engine imaginable, and every once in a while you may even see a truck actually competing on the racetrack.
Of course, there's nothing more inspiring than the awesome spectacle of a Top Fuel dragster being pushed by one of these vintage haulers down Famoso Raceway's famed fire up road in front of thousands of cheering fans. This ritual, known as the "Cacklefest," takes place on Saturday night and is a must see.
Of course, we could go on talking about the vintage haulers at California Hot Rod Reunion XIII, but we think it would be more fun to show them to you. Enjoy!
This is precisely how they did it in the old days! Southern California car collector and vintage racer Lynn Park is seen hauling his Don Long-chassis "Samurai" AA Fuel Dragster to Famoso over California I-5's infamous "Grapevine" with his nailhead Buick-powered '56 Ford F-100 Custom Cab. |
We're talking rolling nostalgia here, folks! |
The event sponsor, the Automobile Club of Southern California, annually rolls out their '35 Ford 2-ton wrecker for fans to admire. The fully functional "hooker" is powered by a late-model Ford big-block. |
Throughout the mid '60s, the Southern California-based Top Fuel team of (Kenny) Safford, (Don) Guade, and (Don) Ratican used this candy blue, '59 Chevrolet El Camino to push their Oldsmobile-powered "Sour Sisters" AA/FD. |
The El Camino race car and team were re-united at CHRR XIII... |
...and were bestowed the Heritage Award by Sam Jackson and Greg Sharp from the Wally Parks-NHRA Motor Sport Museum. |
Ron Reinero's (Austin AA/GS nostalgia racer) late-model Chevy Blazer is an example of the kind that custom hauler racers use to tow their cars up to the Famoso's famed starting line. |
Here's Gary McWilliams' E-Ticket Ride. This '57 Chevrolet Cameo wheelie truck is sponsored by Pick Your Part. |
Gary stood the big-block Chevrolet-powered Cameo up on its tailgate for the fans, producing full quarter-mile wheelies both Saturday and Sunday. |
Here's the $64,000 question. Did this B/FX competitor drive or tow this big-block-powered '64 Ford F-100 to Famoso? Who cares! He got there and put on a pretty darned good show! |
"Beebe & Mulligan AA/FD" replica owner Dave West also owns this green '67 Chevy stepside, which is also a dead-nuts replica of the Chevy truck Tim "Chops" Beebe used to push-start the late John Mulligan at Bakersfield with. |
From the "Okay, What Is It?" department, this Rock View Farms-sponsored DIVCO milk truck sits on a GM truck chassis and was used to tow one of the cars competing in Nostalgia Dragster. Pretty slick, huh? |
Famed Top Fuel racer and nostalgia race-engine builder Mike Kuhl (Kuhl Ent.) still uses his original '66 Ford F-100 pickup to tow the Kuhl & Olsen Chrysler AA/FD to nostalgia meets... |
...like CHRR XIII where (with original-driver "California Carl" Olsen behind the wheel) he competes in the "Cacklefest-ivities." |
A popular entry at the CHRR events is Radoumis & Moore "Energizer" chop-topped and blown Chevrolet big-block-powered '41 Willys pickup, which is about the closest thing you can come to a street-legal AA/Gasser! |
Californian Bob Brkich owns this awesome red JM Designs-constructed LT1-Chevrolet-powered '56 Ford F-100 Custom Cab. Bob's from Monrovia, and it's one of the nicest vintage Effies we've seen. |
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This early-'60s Chevrolet Apache pickup gets ready to push-start this vintage Chrysler-powered and injected A/Dragster. Hey, even the crew looks "vintage!" |
This is one our perennial favorites, a '32 lowboy pickup that's owned by a Kern County local named "Tag." Yup, that's it, just TAG! |
And if you liked vintage first-year custom Rancheros ('57), this red and silver beauty was right up your alley. |
Theme trucks appeared to be all the rage at old Famoso, like this "Gilmore Gasoline" '51 Ford F-1; |
the Albany, Oregon-based "B&B Speed Shop" '46 Plymouth; |
the Cadillac-powered "Eddie's Speed Shop" '32 Ford; |
and this "Helms Bakery" Dodge. |
This beautiful yellow and white Effie was another outstanding vintage hauler at CHRR XIII. |
And if you like classic '60s El Caminos, |
this blown red big-block usually makes the CHRR roll call. |