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'Cacklefest' Offers a Blast from the Past at 6th Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion, Saturday Night, June 14

Return of historic drag race cars like the Freight Train help set the stage for popular event at Beech Bend Park Raceway

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BOWLING GREEN. Ky. - (June 13, 2008) - Cacklefest is the sweetest sight and sound in the world for car folks: 30 or more vintage dragsters fire up and "cackle" 10 gallons of nitromethane fuel in less than five minutes. The sound of that exploding nitro will be music to the ears of thousands of fans at Beech Bend Park Raceway, Bowling Green, Ky. on Saturday night, June 14, as Cacklefest once again roars at the 6th annual Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion. The 3-day Reunion runs from June 13-15.

"A Cacklefest is like a barely controlled atomic bomb," said Greg Sharp, curator of the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, producers of the Reunion and the man who coined the term back in 2000. "That exploding nitro cracks like a gun shot and shoots header flames into the night sky. It's a sight to behold and people love it," said Sharp.

Among drag racing fans, Cacklefest is now a common word - there's even a www.cacklefest.com.This year, according to Sharp, more than 30 cars will push-start their early-style front-engine dragsters like they did in the 1950s and '60s, then line then up down the center of the drag strip at Beech Bend with the headers glowing and the motors running or 'cackling.'

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"Cacklefest is a proven inspiration for enthusiasts who have experienced this unique event," said Steve Gibbs, former NHRA vice president and current board member of the Parks Museum. "With each passing year we are amazed to see newly resurrected pieces of automobile history appear at the event."

The 2008 Cacklefest features revolutionary dragsters such as John Peters' Freight Train, from Lakeport, Calif. The supercharged small-block Chevrolet-engined Freight Train was driven primarily by Bob Muravez (aka Floyd Lippencott Jr). Muravez drove the Freight Train to wins at the 1963 Winternationals and 1967 and 1969 Springnationals. The car will be driven by Roy "Goob" Tuller ar this event.

Also on tap will be the vintage funny cars such as Bruce Larson's USA-1 Camaro; Roland Leong's "Hawaiian" Dodge Charger, owned by Greg Mosely and driven by Larry Reyes, Shirl Greer's "Chain Lightning" and Jack Chrisman's trend-setting Mercury Comet - now owned by Jim Barrilaro. Top Fuel Dragsters include legendary "Big Daddy" Don Garlits' Swamp Rat 8, Wale and Candies, Creitz and Donovan, Don Trasin's Jade Grenade, Croshier, Baltes & Lovato, Aggravation, Tennessee Bo-Weevil, Scorpion, King & Marshall, Gang Green, Michigander, Probe and Hilton Family.

The first Cacklefest in 2000 (at the California Hot Rod Reunion in Bakersfield, Calif.) featured only nine dragsters, but as the event's popularity rose with subsequent Reunions, so did the number of classic cars. At last year's California Reunion, more than 70 vehicles participated, and 30 dragsters cackled at the 2007 Holley National Hot Rod Reunion.

Said Gibbs, "From the very first Cacklefest, I knew we touched upon something that took many of us back to a hallowed era. It was pure magic."

The 6th annual Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion, June 13-15 at Beech Bend Park in Bowling Green, Ky., is a 3-day festival of speed, hot rods and American automotive enthusiasm. Produced by the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, presented by the Automobile Club of Southern California and located in Pomona, Calif., the Reunion is part of the museum's "living history" philosophy, which works to bring to life the sights, sounds and people who made history in the early days of drag racing, land speed racing and the golden age of American car culture. 

Unique among motorsports events, the Reunion honors some of the top names in hot rodding from the past and features a fabulous array of cool drag cars, street rods and customs of the historic and present-day hot rod eras.
 
Those purchasing their credentials at least three weeks before the event receive significant added value including a "goodie" bag, Reunion program, commemorative dash plaque and a colorful and collectible plastic souvenir credential. Three-day credentials ($55 each) are available at 800/884-NHRA or through an application on the Museum's web site at http://museum.nhra.com. Individual tickets are available day-of the event. Cost per person: Friday, $20; Saturday, $20; Sunday, $15. Children 15 and under are free when accompanied by an adult.
 
The Reunion features a wide variety of activities and events, including:
 
-   Hot Heads Eliminator NHRA vintage drag racing, featuring some the sport's most famous and historic cars and drivers, racing in such classes at Nostalgia Top Fuel, Funny Car, Altereds, Supercharged Gassers, Classic Super Stock, Hot Rods and others.
 
-   Street rod "show 'n shine," presented by SoffSeal, with thousands of gleaming pre-1972 hot rods, custom cars, classics and muscle cars. "Memory Lane" will have a display of nostalgic race cars.
 
-   Open house at Holley, Thurs., June 12, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., followed by the Heacock Classic Insurance Show 'n Shine cruise to the Holiday Inn University Plaza, the host hotel. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at 5 p.m.
 
-   National Hot Rod Reunion Reception, held at the Holiday Inn University Plaza's Sloan Convention Center ballroom on Friday evening, June 13. Open to everyone at no charge, it's a tribute to the Reunion's Grand Marshal and Honorees and a chance for fans to meet some of drag racing's heroes.
 
-   Cacklefest on Saturday evening, where nitro-burning historic, front-engine top-fuel dragsters and other classic race cars are push started just like in the "old days."
 
-   The Swap meet and Reunion Midway filled with manufacturer exhibits and demonstrations
 
-   A separate amusement park with rides and games for all ages adjacent to the park.
 
Information, including a full activities schedule, entry forms and tickets, is available through the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum at http://museum.nhra.com or by sending a post card or note to NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion, 1101 McKinley Ave., Bldg, 3A, Pomona, Calif. 91768.  Requests can be emailed to themuseum@nhra.com.
 
 Proceeds of the Holley Hot Rod Reunion benefit the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum. Celebrating its 10th anniversary and named for the founder of the National Hot Rod Association, the Parks Museum presented by the Automobile Club of Southern California houses the very roots of hot rodding. Scores of famous vehicles spanning American motorsports history are on display, including winning cars representing 50 years of drag racing, dry lakes and salt-flat racers, oval track challengers and exhibits describing their colorful backgrounds.
 
The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum is open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., PST. Current NHRA members are admitted free and Auto Club members enjoy a $2 discount. Admission for non-members is $7 for adults, $5 for seniors 60 and older, $5 for juniors six through 15, and free for children under the age of five. The Museum is also available for special group tours. The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum is located at Fairplex Gate 1, 1101 W. McKinley Ave. in Pomona. For further information on special exhibits, museum events or directions, call 909/622-2133 or visit http://museum.nhra.com

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