Mike Griffith: Reunion to honor drags' greatest era
| Wednesday, Oct 13 2010 07:52 PM
Last Updated Wednesday, Oct 13 2010 10:53 PM
NHRA California Hot Rod Reunion
When: Today though Sunday
Where: Auto Club Famoso Raceway
What: A combination reunion/car show/drag race/swap meet celebrating the early days of the sport. More than 300 cars will be competing in nostalgia racing classes, including Funny Car and front-motored Top Fuel Dragster.
Schedule: Friday--Funny Car; Top Fuel qualifying 1 p.m.; Saturday--Top Fuel, Funny Car qualifying noon; Top Fuel, Funny Car round 1 eliminations 3:30; Sunday; Top Fuel, Funny Car round 2 eliminations 11 a.m., subsequent rounds to follow. Gates open 8 a.m. daily.
Tickets: $20 Friday, $25 Saturday, $20 Sunday. Children 16 and under are free when accompanied by an adult.
Images
Alex Horvath / The Californian Cruz Pedregon poses with Donnie Couch, who recreated Joe Pisano's 1977 Funny Car that Cruz will drive this weekend.
Watching a video honoring the late Jungle Jim Liberman and Jungle Pam Hardy made me realize how much I enjoyed drag racing back in the '70s as a participant, fan and young sportswriter.
The era of racing -- from the 1960s on through the 1970s -- had everything going for it. There were the cars, distinctly different from one another (not like today's cookie-cutter creations), the drivers who all seemed to have their unique personalities, and the show in general -- including people such as Jungle Pam Hardy, probably the most photographed back-up girl to ever grace a drag strip.
It was certainly a different era, and one that is kept alive every October with the running of the NHRA California Hot Rod Reunion.
The 19th annual edition of the event takes place Friday through Sunday at Auto Club Famoso Raceway and it looks to be bigger than ever.
The reunion honors the people and machines of the early days of drag racing while mixing in a healthy dose of nostalgia racing, including front-motored Top Fuel Dragsters and 1970s and early 1980s-styled Funny Cars.
A record 40 Funny Cars are expected to be in the pits on Friday, which is what led me to the video honoring Jungle Pam, who will be among those on hand at this year's reunion.
Jungle Pam isn't an official honoree, those are Bill Bagshaw, Don Long, Al "Mousie" Marcellus, Tom Prufer, and the Steinegger and Eshenbaugh Team along with Grand Marshal Tom Hanna. All will be recognized during a free reception Friday at 7 p.m. at the DoubleTree Hotel.
But the NHRA Motorsports Museum, which staged the reunion, is promoting the appearance of Jungle Pam and rightfully so. She is part of the Justice Brothers Spotlight focusing on the Jungle Jim Funny Car team.
Pam Hardy and others involved in the peripheral of the sport were integral to what made drag racing drag racing in that era and it's nice to see the reunion folks giving a nod to those who made it a unique period.
As for the racing part, the appearance of Jungle Pam fits in perfectly with the huge interest in the nostalgia Funny Car ranks. It took just a few years for that interest to turn into a tsunami. And a woman is at the forefront of the movement. Leah Pruett-LeDuc won the March Meet and leads the NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series points heading into the final race.
If one goes for the racing, it should be mighty good.
But there are many other reasons to attend such as the cacklefest, which is now two cacklefests. A push-start dragster extravaganza will be held on Saturday evening and a static-start up will take place on on Sunday.
Or the Street Rods. The AMSOIL Street Rodder Road Tour is making its final stop of the year at the reunion and the cars will be parked in the Grove area behind the grandstands.
Or all of the restored or recreated drag cars that will be on display. It will be liking walking into a time warp.
Conceived as a one-time event, the reunion has taken on a life of it's own and is thriving.
For that, we are grateful.
Quick shifts
There wil be doubleheader action Saturday at All-American Raceway in Roseville as the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West and the Spears SRL Southwest Series will be in action. Eric Holmes has a 141-point lead over Bakersfield's David Mayhew in his quest for a third championship in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West with just two events left. The SRL Southwest Series is also heading into its penultimate event with Jonathon Gomez 71points up on Jim Pettit II and 83 in front of Derek Thorn.
Buddy Shepherd of Bakersfield ended his restricted 600 Sprint Car season on a high note, racing to victory last Friday night at Plaza Raceway Park in Visalia.
Bakersfield Speedway winds up its 2010 season next weekend with the Dirt Track Shootout/George Steitz Memorial race for Modifieds, Street Stocks, Hobby Stocks, American Stocks and Mini Stocks.
