I recently attended my first show of the '08 season "The March Meet" its 50th Anniversay at Famoso Raceway which is about 25 miles north of Bakersfield, Califronia just east of old highway 99. The drag strip is one of the oldest existing 1320 (quarter mile) facilities on the planet.
As a kid during the '60's lived in Modesto and later Huntington Beach, California during my high school years were I still call home today. Those years were spent being a jock, (football and baseball) surfin' and cruisin with an occational street race. I had a '64 Chevy II Nova rollin' on a set of chrome 15-inch Cragar SS wheels wraped with Uniroyal Tiger Paw rubber. A potent little 283 ci V8 with an Edelbrock high rise and Holley 650 carb, Doug Thorley Tri-Y headers with Trush mufflers, a gear grabbin Muncie 4-speed and posi rear end that little duece coupe made for a lot of goodtimes.
How many of you can remember those teenage years.
What made this years March Meet special was an old high school buddy Garth Wise and myself cruise over to Famoso Raceway in his cool '31 Ford 5-window coupe powered by a built Buick V6 that made a mole hill out of the Grapevine.
The weekend was full of nostalgia drag racin' that attracted some 500 competitors. NHRA's new Vintage Drag Racing Series was debuted during the March Meet with 28 AA fuel front engine dragsters, 34 funny cars, A and B gassers.
The show 'n shine was packed with row after row of early American iron all three days of the event.
It was a weekend to be remembered. The highlight of the weekend was that my buddy Garth took home "Best Of The '30's" award, very cool.
Bob Ryder
Remember Old Guys Rule!