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size and stature to become one of the east coast’s premier attractions for the performance enthusiast. It’s a three day gathering that will draw an estimated 1,700 entries, some for Show & Shine and others from drag racings Golden Years, the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s. It turns the main avenue and surrounding side streets of downtown Henderson into a giant pedestrian mall as one vehicle after another stands proud for all to see.
Several cars will be returning from years past including the Pacers, S & S Team, King Kong Anglia, Jerry Baltes AA/FD, Bob Glidden’s ‘78 Ford (undefeated car), and the Tin Indian just to name a few. But that’s not all. Appearing for the first time will be Bill Jenkins Monza, Billy Lynch’s new AA/Fuel dragster, Dave Koffel’s ‘68 AXS Barracuda (won US Nationals ) as well as his 1948 Packard gasser, Johnny Rocca’s “Iron Horse” Mercury, Fermier Brothers record holding ‘62 Ford Galaxie (original restored) , Kenny Warren’s ’70 Challenger funny car along with driver Tom “Smoker” Smith, Bob Thomas’s “Strip Teaser” Ford Fairlane (fully restored), and K.S. Pitman’s 1933 AA/GS Willy’s (recreated by Rocky Pirrone, it has doors and other parts from the original car built in 1966).
In addition, the East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame pays tribute to those pioneers who helped make drag racing the great form of motorsports it is today. This years inductees include Dan Weis, Dave Koffel, David Frye, Ewing Brothers (Ken, Gary, Wayne), Harry Coombs, Herman Lewis, Joe Gerdleman, Johnny Rocca, Mark Pressley, Pacers Team (George Snizek, Charlie “Dodge” Hagenmeyer, Otto Qualliotine, Ken “KB” Braun), Tommy Grove, Wally Bell, Distinguished Achievement Award in Drag Racing: Arnie Beswick, Posthumous Awards: Ron Lyles and Dick Swecker, Ronnie Sox Memorial Award: Herb McCandless, Thomas Woody Andrews Memorial Award: Bobby Starr, Wally Parks Motorsports Statesman Memorial Award: Robert “Bones” Balogh and Ed Iskenderian.
It’s a busy three days with opportunity to meet legendary drag racers like Hubert Platt, Phil Bonner, Pee Wee Wallace, Tommy Grove, Bunky Bobo, Tom Raley, Jim & Allison Lee, Sam Carroll, and other quarter-mile veterans who will be attending and check out the Show & Shine entries to see what has made their street rods, muscle cars, and restored antiques unique.
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