Father’s Day: The Big Weekend
Nostalgia drag racing and hot rodding followers know that June, particularly Father’s Day weekend, means Bowling Green, Ky.
The vintage Beech Bend Raceway Park dragstrip, with some of the oldest and coolest covered wooden grandstands, plays host every year to the Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion presented by AAA. This year’s 10th reunion celebration will take place Thursday through Saturday, June 14-16, with nostalgia drag racing and 2,000 street rods, customs, classics, and trucks, and no doubt a few “farm rods” with the obligatory tractor seats and outhouses — it’s all part of the fun.
There’s something about heading to Bowling Green for the annual Holley NHRA Reunion that really makes you feel good. Each year, old acquaintances are renewed and new friendships are formed. That’s what makes it so much fun — that and the pure party atmosphere of vintage drag racing a quarter-mile at a time.
There’s still plenty of time to book hotels and get your tickets. Make your daddy proud, and treat him to three fun days of nostalgia drag racing and hot rodding this summer. For more information, log on to Museum.NHRA.com; for tickets, log on to NHRATix.com or call 800-884-6472. Three-day credentials are just $65 (advance sales only) and include a goody bag with a commemorative dash plaque and reunion program.
Thursday
All Show ’N’ Shine participants arrive bright and early to cover the grassy hillsides and make for a spectacular sight. Judging begins for SoffSeal’s top honors and a chance to display at this year’s Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis. Once again, the Vintage Air Street Rodder Tour will make a stop in Bowling Green, adding to the beautiful display of cars. Hot Heads Nostalgia Drag Racing qualifying will be held all day, including exhibition runs.
Returning for another spectacular nose-high racing attraction will be the mighty Geezer Gassers. Nearly 20 refreshed and newly built traditional gassers will be making the voyage and bringing plenty of nostalgia, memories, and tire-smoking action. We’ll be reliving the Gasser Wars of the fabulous ’60s and celebrating legends “Ohio George” Montgomery, Barbara Hamilton, and the S&S Racing team, mong others.
Match racing is alive and well. The showstopping fuel altereds that will attend are the Winged Express, Ron Hope’s Rat Trap, Dave Hough’s Nanook, Dave Benjamin’s The Nasty Benjamin, Rich Guasco’s Pure Hell, and Randy Bradford’s Bradford’s Fiat. The fun will continue at the Holiday Inn University Plaza-Bowling Green and the Sloan Convention Center parking lot for the Heacock Classic Insurance kick-off party and ribbon-cutting ceremony, which will feature special guests, music, prizes, and beautiful rods.
The fun will continue at the Holiday Inn University Plaza-Bowling Green and the Sloan Convention Center parking lot for the Heacock Classic Insurance kick-off party and ribbon-cutting ceremony, which will feature special guests, music, prizes, and beautiful rods.
Friday
It’s back to the track for Hot Heads racing and SoffSeal Show ’N’ Shine judging, but keep an eye out for the Street Rodder magazine judging staff to find its Top 10 of the meet.
You can also join grand marshal Tom Hoover and the 2012 honorees at two sessions in the Dynamat Dynamic Legends tent.
We will wind down the day of activity and head back to our host hotel for the honoree reception. Everyone’s welcome, and it’s free. This is the place to party and celebrate the history and legends of the sport. This year, we’ll be honoring Hoover and event honorees Jack Ditmars, Jack Moss, Bennie “the Wizard” Osborn, Jere Stahl, and Bill Stebbins. The parking lot will be full of hot rods and vintage dragsters, some of which will be fired up for a mini-Cacklefest following the reception.
Saturday
Nonstop action all day, including the Hot Heads finals, special awards and honoree presentation, and the SoffSeal and Street Rodder parade of champions. It is the grand finale with the 2012 champions crowned and the famous Cacklefest featuring nitrofueled vintage dragsters push-started just like they used to be.
The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, presented by the Automobile Club of Southern California, long a dream of NHRA founder Wally Parks, opened to the public April 4, 1998, after years of planning and months of hard work cataloging and arranging the exhibit. Housed in a 28,500-square-foot building on the edge of the historic Los Angeles County Fairplex, the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum's mission is to celebrate the impact of motorsports on our culture. We collect, preserve, exhibit and interpret the vehicles, stories, and artifacts that represent our affection for, and the influence of, automotive speed and style in all its forms. We are the place to view and learn about hot rods, customs, racecars and speed records, and the West Coast's role as the historic center for their past and present development.
The Museum features an impressive array of vintage and historical racing vehicles –- nearly 50 at the Grand Opening -- along with photographs, trophies, helmets and driving uniforms, artifacts, paintings, and other memorabilia chronicling more than 50 years of American motorsports. A gift shop offers a wide variety of souvenir items. The Museum is open during the annual Los Angeles County Fair. Please check the Fairplex website for hours of operation and admission prices (www.fairplex.com). Museum admission is just $1 with regular paid Fair admission ticket.
HOURS: Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Extended hours during the NHRA Winternationals and NHRA Finals. Also, hours change during the annual Los Angeles County Fair.
HOLIDAYS WE ARE CLOSED: Easter, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
ADMISSION PRICES: Current NHRA members are admitted free. Admission for non-members is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors 60 and older, $6 for juniors 6 through 15, and free for children under the age of 5. AAA discount available.
HOW TO GET HERE: From the 10 fwy east, exit White Avenue, proceed North, turn left on McKinley Avenue, enter Fairplex Gate 1. From the 210 fwy, exit Fruit Avenue, proceed South, turn right on McKinley Avenue. The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum is located at Fairplex Gate 1, 1101 W. McKinley Avenue in Pomona. Call us at (909) 622-2133.
Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum
1101 W. McKinley Ave.
Building 3A
Pomona CA, 91768
Museum Main Number: 909-622-2133
Museum Fax Number: 909-622-1206
Reunion Hotline: 909-622-8562
[email protected]