2013 Holley National Hot Rod Reunion Grand Marshal Preston Davis |
Three pioneer drag racers, a beloved track official and famed track announcer are among those named Honorees for the 11th annualHolley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion presented by AAA Insurance, Father’s Day weekend, June 13-15, at the glorious Beech Bend Raceway Park in Bowling Green, Ky.
This year’s honorees are Alan Bockla, Lynwood Dupuy, Melvin Heath, Jon Lundberg, and Tom Prock. The Grand Marshal will be Preston Davis, the popular Tennessee Bo Weevil driver. The Reunion Spotlight will shine on Lynwood Welding’s Pat Bilbow, the renowned drag racing fabricator that ruled in the early drag racing days and continues today. They will be feted on Fri., June 14 at a reception in the Holiday Inn and Convention Center, host hotel for the event.
Grand Marshal Preston Davis is considered one of the Southeast’s best fuel racers from the 1960’s and ‘70s. When Raymond Godman switched to Top Fuel racing he hired Davis to drive his Tennessee Bo Weevil. When Funny Cars took over match race bookings they built a Bo Weevil Funny Car as well. He won two Division Top Fuel Championships, a Division Funny Car Championship and is a member of the Division 2 Hall of Fame.
Alan Bockla was drag racing’s original king of the Rockies. In 1961 he began Top Fuel racing. A switch to a Woody Gilmore chassis and Chrysler power put him on the drag racing map with back-to-back West Central Division Top Fuel titles. He was first of the so-called mile-high drivers to run 170, 180, 190 and 200 mph.
Lynwood Dupuy is one of those rare officials beloved by drag racers coast to coast. Long before computers took their place in the tower, Lynwood’s attention to detail found him keeping records and figuring handicaps by hand. He’s one of those rare people that can perform nearly any function at a dragstrip from starter to race director and earned the reputation as being firm but fair.
Melvin Heath built his fuel dragster in a shed on his Oklahoma watermelon farm. In 1956 he was first to win two NHRA Regional championships in a single season. At the second NHRA Nationals in Kansas City, Heath narrowly defeated Californian Bob Alsenz to win the dragster class and then took Top Eliminator honors over 351 other entries.
At 16 Jon Lundberg stood on an oil drum and announced his first drag race using a megaphone. By 1962 he was announcing at three Michigan tracks. He expanded to national events in 1963 including the legendary March Meet in Bakersfield. Nicknamed the “Voice of Drag Racing” and “Thunderlungs”, he appeared at more than 120 different drag strips between 1964 and 1978. Whenever “Attention in the pits!” is heard, drag race veterans think of Jon Lundberg.
Tom Prock has been involved in drag racing since the early ‘60s. He began with gassers and in the early ‘70s switched to Funny Cars. He raced the Warhorse Mustang, and partnered with Al Bergler on the Motown Shaker Vega. In late 1972 Tom joined Fred Castronovo and drove the successful Custom Body Challenger for the next five years. He retired from the wheel in 1979 to became crew chief for Tom “the Mongoose” McEwen. After six years he left the road to work for Venolia Pistons.
GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY AND SAVE!
This Father’s Day weekend, join us for three full days of nostalgia drag racing and fun under the sun. Tickets are available by calling: 800-884-6472, outside the U.S. call: 626-250-2497. Tickets are also available online at www.NHRATIX.com.
Three-day credentials are just $65 when purchased in advance. Purchase includes a goody bag filled with a commemorative dash plaque and reunion program. Single Day tickets are $25 per day. Children 15 and under free accompanied by paid adult. Auto Club Members save even more!
For more information about registration for the Hot Rod Reunion, please visit www.nhramuseum.org/reunions or contact us at (909) 622-8562. Entry forms also available for vendor/commercial space and swap meet.
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]