The first Cacklefest occurred in 2000 and if you were there, the emotional level was off the scale. 2010 will be the 10th Anniversary of this great happening thanks to NHRAs Greg Sharp, Steve Gibbs and all those who have helped kept this rolling. The first 9 Dragsters that kicked this off will be back. Each year the Cacklefest Car count has grown and the roar of these Dinosaurs will take over the night. Will there be the MAGIC 100 Cackle Cars this year filling the Famoso air with Nitro ? It is possible. BE THERE !
this a must to go to... havent missed a chrr in 7 years now..... 19th annual California Hot Rod Reunion presented by Automobile Club of Southern California Tickets on sale now! Oct. 15-17, 2010 at Auto Club Famoso Raceway, Bakersfield, Calif.: 19th Annual California Hot Rod Reunion presented by Automobile Club of Southern California, features hundreds of street rods, customs, and muscle cars as well as the California Hot Rod Reunion Swap Meet, Manufacturers Midway, and lots of celebrities. On Friday night, the California Hot Rod Reunion Reception will be held in the DoubleTree Hotel ballroom, and Saturday features qualifying for the drag racers. Plus the sensational Cacklefest will fill the grandstands as historic race cars push-start and then line up side by side where they all "cackle" simultaneously, lighting up the night, too! Experience the California Hot Rod Reunion's nostalgic drag racing from the best seat at the Auto Club Famoso Raceway. Buy your Quarter-Mile Courtyard seat here. Or, call 800/884-NHRA (6472). Stay tuned for more information regarding this special spectator package that includes 3-day admission and so much more! Three-day credentials ($65 each) are available at 800/884-NHRA or online. Individual tickets are available day-of the event. Cost per person: Friday, $20; Saturday, $25; Sunday, $20. Children 16 and under are free when accompanied by an adult. For California Hot Rod Reunion information, please contact the Museum's Hot Rod Reunion Info Line at (909) 622-8562. For all your travel, insurance and driving needs contact the local AAA Bakersfield office at: Automobile Club of Southern California Bakersfield Branch Office 1500 Commercial Way Bakersfield, CA 93309 (661) 327-4661
This is actually the first one I'm going to miss in the last few years. Hate to say it, but I think it has lost its luster since it was made a heritage series race. Last year, a lot of vintage, yet legal cars that normally show up to make exhibition passes stayed away I think because the "racing" has pushed them to one exhibition pass at 8:30 in the morning- and that bummed me out. As much as the cackle cars are neat, let's face it- if you're not an old guy who has memories of watching those cars run in their heyday, watching them is the drag racing equivilent of watching someone else having a lap dance. So balancing that out with getting to see cars like Charlie's Business Coupe, or the Sissel altered, or straight axle gassers and AWB mopars make passes enhances the vintage experience and celebrates what drag racing used to be- which is what I thought the whole point of the reunion was. Heritage series racing does not provide a vintage experience, IMO. I'd rather see it go back to the spirit of what it was originally. Or morph it into a cacklefest/exhibition vintage car/lower class car deal. I like nitro as much as the next guy, but I feel like both "nostalgia" top fuel and funny car have jumped the shark in terms of putting on a good show, and has just gotten kinda stale. The oil downs don't help. They've blown past the things that made front engine fuelers and 70's funny cars cool, IMO. I'd much rather see 6.20's, header flames at idle, close racing and actually getting a full round finished in 45 minutes. Funny cars that don't do huge burnouts, dry hops and have header flames at idle and flames past the roof kill half of the appeal to me. I'm hoping at some point there becomes a class where more of a vintage aspect is reintroduced to nitro racing, and in the mean time make the CHRR more about the vintage cars. That said, I'm sure the cacklefest will be impressive to say the least!
i have to say voxnut has pretty much hit it on the head! im going again this year, 3rd time with some friends. its always a good time, but a good mix of awb cars would be good. some more of what it was!
Here is the low down, stay home and save your money for your dragster. 2010 NHRA California Hot Rod Reunion, presented by the Automobile Club of Southern California Racing Information Class: Field Size: Rules: Nostalgia Top Fuel 16 cars NHRA Nostalgia Rules Nostalgia Funny Car 16 cars NHRA Nostalgia Rules **A/Fuel 8 cars NHRA Nostalgia Rules **Junior Fuel 8 cars NHRA Nostalgia Rules **7.0 Pro 16 cars NHRA Nostalgia Rules **AA/Gas Super 8 cars NHRA Nostalgia Rules **A/Gas 16 cars NHRA Nostalgia Rules **Nostalgia Eliminator 1 32 cars NHRA Nostalgia Rules A/FX Closed Field NHRA E.T. Rules Exhibition As Selected NHRA Class Rules Cacklefest As Selected Cacklefest Guidelines **CHRR is not a Hot Rod Heritage points event for these classes. Exhibition and Cacklefest All vehicles must be accepted by Reunion Committee to participate. Exhibition runs are intended to showcase historical vehicles. To be considered for acceptance - vehicles must represent drag race activity from at least 30 years ago. In other words, new style cars (Super Gas, Super Comp etc.) with old style bodies (T, Bantam, Willys, etc.) are not considered to be in the spirit of the Reunion. All vehicles must pass basic NHRA tech inspection for their level of performance, and drivers must haveappropriate NHRA Competition License if running 9.99 or quicker.
I agree, it shouldn't be a race at all. That's not what this was about. I'd rather see them tow the winged express with Willie's ashes down the track and see the old REAL cars do burnouts and 1/2 track squirts than watch a Nostalgia fuel race with the modern FE dragster class. There are OTHER events where that racing would fit better. Give the track time to the old racers and teams and the guys with the cars they ran 40 years ago.
smokin joe, you make excellent points, when im there, im buried with the old timers, its a reunion with the early cars! i understand they want to still put on a show , but its not what its all about.
Ah yes Mr Biscuit!!!! I need more to drink as well.... I have a feeling I will be getting my ass handed to me right about this time.. Harvest is going to be a bear this year. We start trickling shit in next week! Cheers, Robert M.
Shoot, I been at every one ! Come one by and if you can fit into my Cackler, your in for a Cackle ! Reserve seating only ! We will be in the Grove.
100 Cacklefest cars! WOW that's going a sensory overload experience for sure. I can hardly wait to go, I went two years ago to see the restored Eagle Electric Dragster out of Spokane be cackled by Jason Rupert, son of the original driver Frank Rupert. This year I'll be heading down to help crew on Jason Rupert's Mert Littlefield Tribute Nostalgia Funny Car. See ya there!
That Littlefield tribure car is about the same thing as SmokinJoe was saying, that is a modern car, with the stretched body in front of the wheelwell, narrower than they were, etc. Not nostalgic at all to me, and that is just my opinion. I certainly understand that others do not share that view. It's like having a tri five chevy with funny car slicks, pro stock chassis, and a modern pro stock scoop and calling it nostalgia because it a tri-5. No way...
That is why the NT/F car that Dan Horan and I run has a dropped front axle with the wing mounted over it, round top roll cage and a big radius cowl. The canards are single element and as small as I felt that we could safely get away with. The majority of the opposition are running modern front motor cars not nostalgia T/F. Brendan Murry gets it too and that is why the car that I built for him looks the way it does, even down to the retro style paint and lettering. Roo
I made the first 13, missed all since then. While I can understand the change from bringing out the old tubing for another pass to the current gutter and downspout cars, I also am not thrilled with the evolution. There was so much to see and do in the past that unless you have to sit in the bleachers all weekend, you should be able to find enough 'real' thrills for the three days.....
The Jalopy Journal
