Orphaned Timing Tags

Last week, we delved into the sacred realm of Fran Hernandez – a name etched not just in the annals of hot rodding but woven intricately into the tapestry of American car culture. Fran’s significance, a testament molded by his fervor, reverberates to this day because of his passion. And when passion courses through your veins that reverently, you tend to collect fragments of time and experiences like a mad alchemist. Fran left behind a trove of relics.

This weekend, I found myself immersed in dialogue with Randy Hernandez, the torchbearer of Fran’s legacy. Turns out, Randy’s got a cache of timing tags, fragments of history meticulously hoarded by the old man. Now, to the uninitiated, these tags may seem nothing more than slivers of aluminum adorned with stamped numerals and names. But to a true disciple of the hot rod gospel, these artifacts transcend mere metal – they are a communion with the gods of speed and a pilgrimage through the speed competitions of history.

Randy, custodian of these metallic time capsules, is wrestling with a conundrum. On one hand, they stand as an awe-inspiring chronicle of Fran’s life, a scrapbook of times past and the friendships forged through years of competition. On the other hand, with a humility as vast as the open road, Randy contemplates the idea that these tokens might mean even more to the families of those who earned them.

So, here’s the call to arms: if your bloodline mingles with the Butkie, Barker, Ferrara, Yerger, Pierson, Ranstrom, Sproull, Waite, or Willingham clans, slide into my DMs. I’ll get you in contact with Randy.

Let’s reunite these tags with the families they rightfully belong to…