Event Coverage Southeast Gassers Season Opener photos...

Saturday (4/14/18) was the season opening event for the SEGA. ShadySide Dragway in Shelby, NC was absolutely packed with fans and 64 cars were registered. Lots of good, close racing in historically accurate traditional cars. Enjoy the pics. As usual the full gallery is here:
https://tombo.smugmug.com/2018-SEGA-Seson-Opening-Event/
























The rest (couple hundred) are HERE: https://tombo.smugmug.com/2018-SEGA-Seson-Opening-Event/

 

Man,I thought it was this coming weekend. HRP

 

GREAT coverage as usual. Thanks for taking the time to post them

 

Tom, Thanks for all the Great shots!

 

Love that Dixie Twister,what a unique piece. HRP

 

Awesome! Thanks for sharing!

 

Thanks for the photos. Snowman

 

Great pictures. Thanks for sharing.


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Had a great time. If you were not there ,you missed some great racing.

 

Thx Tom, for posting.

 

looks like they had a big crowd. thanks for posting. great pics.

 

Gotta get down there someday, thanks for the coverage!

 

Nice photos Tom , love gassers . You didn,t have to travel far from home to the strip ...

 

Great pics, thanks for posting. The stands were packed, rare sight nowadays.

 

Hey Maurice, hope all is well down in the land of Oz. Good to hear from you. When you coming back to the states?

 

Gassers????????????????

Let's look real hard...............'58 Chevy? '61 Chevy? (a straight axle doesn't make it a gasser). Morris Minor? VW? Wheelbase? Dixie Twister? A/FX as I recall..................
Looks like a bunch of exhibition cars to me. Back Up Girls? NOT in the gasser classes as I recall from the 60's True, and I'll grant you, pretty good spectator gate........lots of asses in the seats/dogs/drinks/t-shirts..........but "real gassers?" NOT. I guess the track operator/owner is happy, but to pass off this group
as "gassers" let's look again. Don Nowell where are you when we need you.......................

In looking at the "big picture".....................LOTS of bodies in the seats, participation/involvement of folks, and live bodies interacting (vs) texting/smart phones/facebook et all, is a positive. But, please, lets be a bit more discerning.

 

Don Nowell passed away.

 

I hope @Quain Stott gets a chance to reply.

 

boogeracng,
You might want to check out this build thread that Quain did on Mr. Gene Cromer and his Moonlighter Willys, you just will not get anymore real than this, read that whole thread then check back with us.
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/gene-moonlighter-cromers-a-g-willys-resurrection.730747/

 

Hey booger, you might want to look at the SEG rules Quain has established for these guys and their builds before you chime in. js

 

Booger, I remember racing against a 58 Chevy from Key West that used to flat tow all the way to Miami- Hollywood in 67 to get to race and flat tow back home. He ran in the Gas class with a 6 carb 348 and a tilt front end. I wish he could see you tell him to his face his car was not a legit gasser.
Not all Gassers were Willys coupes and 55 Chevies. I seem to remember a certain Packard that did well in the Gas class.

You raced what gave you the best chance at winning or what you could afford to build. Lighten up and just be thankful there was a man with enough vision to start the most successful Gasser organization to come along in years.
Every one is not rich like you are and can afford to go buy a former race car 33- 41 Willys from the 60's.
As far as the backup girls, they are on the most part wives or girl friends of the drivers who support their other half to be able to do what they love and are an integral part of the show.
The Dixie Twister is an A/FX car and does not run with the Gassers.

 

I'll bet everyone had to pay more than .28 cents a gallon for gas to get there also.

 

Wow. They look like gassers to me. Awesome pics. Love the girls(in red). Looks like a great turnout and some sweet rides for sure. Thanks for th pics!

 

Thanks for sharing. I would love to see a race or two i n the future

 

Great pictures. Thank you!

 

Booger racing for the sake of argument let me take a different position. I understand that as an owner of an early “gasser” yourself you may want to preserve the true essence of the period. I agree wholeheartedly and I cringe when I see some of the so called “gassers” being built today. Don’s 37 was a great example for sure but as you know there were several eras from the 50s thru the mid 70s let’s say for “gassers”. Someone that ran in the 50s may raise an eyebrow as to Don Newell’s car as would someone that ran in 65 would question what ran in 69 and on and on. I ran with two brothers that ran B/G with a 57 Vette in 68 and 69 (and they also ran a F/S 61 Vette at the same time). I got hooked on both and have been lost in that era ever since. I am a complete nut on this stuff. I have drug home my avatar car that ran in several class Stock to MSP and MP in New Mexico from 64 to 78. I own a 61 Vette built in the 60s by Larry Teter to run gas, although it ran altered more than gas. I went to Alabama a few years ago and bought the remains of an old 60 Corvette than ran gas (and MP) in the 60s and 70s from the owner that built the car (Rickie Moore). If my pockets were deeper I would own a bunch more of old “gasser types” from the era-just looking at them takes me back.

As to your statement that a straight axle does not make a gasser I kind of get your drift but the reality is that a straight axle on occasion left the tech guys no choice back in the 60s to place the car in gas. As you know MP did not really allow changes in the overall geometry of the front suspension and stock certainly did not allow it. I remember an occasional car running gas that we would notice as possible competition and kind of say WTF. That owner may have not wanted to run gas but the rules dictated it and he got dumped there.

The body style often did not dictate the class but it was other changes from stock that dictated class. My avatar car has a BBC and if it was to travel back in time to let’s say 68 or 69 it would be placed in B/G. It is really a street car with a single carburetor and would end up on a trailer in short order but there would not be any other class to run (let’s say NHRA). I worked with a guy that ran a 61 Chevy convertible that he was always making changes with and I believe they put him in gas once or twice at Detroit Dragway (probably AHRA at the time).

The Inch Pincher VW was one of the strongest running H/G cars in the country and won class at Indy in 1967. The 1958 Chevy Daddy’s Thing was a strong runner back in the day (although I did not see it firsthand) and runs in a gasser group today. I believe it ran gas back in the day. If it did show up at the local NHRA class back in the let’s say 68 with the BBC I believe it may run gas, irrespective of the body style.

I have watched Quain’s group run and I think they are right up there with the most representative cars of the era. Can I find some things that are not true gasser rules of the 60s of course. I would prefer it they all ran stack injection but not everyone have endless depths to their pockets and as you know not all ran injection. The back up girls are not period correct but they do get the wives and girl friends involved and the crowds love them. Not a big deal IMO. I want cars pulling the wheels running door handle to door handle at the stripe and they do that consistently.

I went to a Nostalgia race last summer and watched the “stockers” run box or no-box and watched wing cars with gas insignias on the side. I cringe but bite my tongue. It is better than flat sided billboards that are the present NHRA. The SEG and the Meltdown are two of the best acts around-not perfect but pretty damn good IMO- I do not cringe or bite my tongue with either group-good stuff IMO.

I have attended the last 5 Meltdown drags and it is my highlight of the summer since it takes me back to the 60s. I watched Quain run there in 2013 and 2014 and I became a fan-no question. When I watched his cars run and other “gassers” at the Meltdown they do a damn good job of taking me back. I could nit-pick them here and there but what’s the point. We can’t go back to 100% reality but some of the gasser and early drag cars do an admirable job of recreating the era IMO.

What is a gasser is easily defined if you pick an era and read the rulebook. Many of the recreaters do not sadly. I have had so many “experts” tell me Corvettes did not run gas. I just shake my head and list the events that they won in the late 60s-it all depends on the era in many cases.

I think Quain has done more than an admirable job with the rules and results. If you believe there is a group that does a better job I would really like to inspect their cars and their rules. There is not a group that is 100% representative of the era but I still believe Quain is the best. Just my .02 cents.

Great pictures by the way-can’t wait for the recap on Youtube or whatever with Mitch doing the play by play- I hope.

Daddy's Thing at Oswego back in a bygone era-not sure of the year.


Today

Inch Pincher at Indy in67.

Another pic of Inch Pincher

 

Well said JimDillon, booger is Fulla shit

 

Thanks Jim Dillon. I was hoping somebody would step up and you nailed it.

Hey Dave, tell us how you really feel. (insert smiley face here)

 

Tom, that's the only advantage to being 80, you can say what you feel