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Hot Rods Arizona nostalgia drags what the hell happened???

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by gasser-a-go-go, Dec 8, 2018.

  1. landseaandair
    Joined: Feb 23, 2009
    Posts: 4,485

    landseaandair
    Member
    from phoenix

    Got the weekend off. Will probably have my Chevy II out there.
     
  2. landseaandair
    Joined: Feb 23, 2009
    Posts: 4,485

    landseaandair
    Member
    from phoenix

    Bump for applekrate. ^
     
  3. 64bfxcomet
    Joined: Nov 26, 2015
    Posts: 13

    64bfxcomet

    I’ll be there,64 comet
     
  4. 64bfxcomet
    Joined: Nov 26, 2015
    Posts: 13

    64bfxcomet

    Been to the previous 5 races,lots of fun!
     
  5. gasser-a-go-go
    Joined: Dec 14, 2012
    Posts: 167

    gasser-a-go-go
    Member

    I am not been on here in a while, I have been hanging out on my Jeep rock crawling forum (more positive attitudes). But my wife surprised me with a trip down to the Kingman Az street drags this year and it was awesome!!!! Way better than I thought I was going to be and the icing on the cake was all the gassers that showed up. Here are a few pics. IMG_20191026_110523.jpg IMG_20191026_102600.jpg IMG_20191025_141030.jpg 00000IMG_00000_BURST20191026100910220_COVER.jpg 00100dPORTRAIT_00100_BURST20191026100042769_COVER.jpg

    Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk
     
    Last edited: Oct 31, 2019
    300racr and Spoggie like this.
  6. gasser-a-go-go
    Joined: Dec 14, 2012
    Posts: 167

    gasser-a-go-go
    Member

    Can't wait for this weekend's Phoenix drag reunion!!!! I have invited many people and also posted the event on my Jeep rock crawling forum to help promote this much-needed event. Thank you Steve.

    Unfortunately I have to go as a spectator once again. I have had continued severe pain from a broken back, the last procedure did not work. So the Gasser is not done.

    Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk
     
    Last edited: Oct 31, 2019
    Spoggie likes this.
  7. gasser-a-go-go
    Joined: Dec 14, 2012
    Posts: 167

    gasser-a-go-go
    Member

    Well the Phoenix drag reunion was ...ok but, not that great...... .
    Lots of chatter from people about the event and the guy putting it on...... I don't really want to repeat them, not my place, but Not good .

    The Kingman street drags in comparison was way-way bigger. And had way more nostalgia vehicles.

    Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk
     
  8. mopacltd
    Joined: Nov 11, 2008
    Posts: 1,044

    mopacltd
    Member

    Kingman was not that good for me! Hung a couple rods out the block.
     
  9. error404
    Joined: Dec 11, 2012
    Posts: 383

    error404
    Member
    from CA

    when I was living in Phoenix (15 years ago or so) I remember at least 1 or 2 tracks (speedworld?) closing, have any new ones opened up?
     
  10. landseaandair
    Joined: Feb 23, 2009
    Posts: 4,485

    landseaandair
    Member
    from phoenix

    Nope just Wildhorse/ex Firebird. I think Jim Hughes tried to get Speedworld going again but the County was sour on it after the last guy. Jim Hughes is running Tucson now. Not sure why this event has petered out, though C.H.R.R. was just the previous weekend. Man I miss Speedworld!
     
    Mark Yac likes this.
  11. error404
    Joined: Dec 11, 2012
    Posts: 383

    error404
    Member
    from CA

    I don't think many racers liked how speedworld was going either, I remember folks calling it "slick world" haha!

    I didn't race, I photographed.
     
  12. gasser-a-go-go
    Joined: Dec 14, 2012
    Posts: 167

    gasser-a-go-go
    Member

    Wow that sucks, sorry to hear that.

    Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk
     
  13. dirty old man
    Joined: Feb 2, 2008
    Posts: 8,910

    dirty old man
    Member Emeritus

    As for racing he hot rod on the strip that you drive legally on the street, it's getting hard to do if the track follows NHRA rules to the letter, especially if the hot rod happens to be a fenderless roadster. Ever read the NHRA rules about a topless, fenderless car? Put the rollcage required on a car and you've just about ruined being able to enjoy driving it on the street!
     
  14. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 55,942

    squirrel
    Member

    I guess that depends on how serious you are? Having a cage doesn't slow me down much...
     
  15. dirty old man
    Joined: Feb 2, 2008
    Posts: 8,910

    dirty old man
    Member Emeritus

    No Jim, I think it depends on how bad you want to race the car you drive for fun on the street when you get the time and inclination. I'm at an age where I have no desire to race competitively anymore, just like to be able once in awhile to go to the strip and enjoy the power of an engine I built without have to look over my shoulder for the cops!
    I don't run the quarter, just the eighth, as I recognize that I have no business at speeds of 120mph+ in an open car with no rollcage, but NHRA owned and operated Atlanta Dragway refuses to allow me to even run the eighth, which sort of verifies the comment that NHRA is an abbreviation of the slogan "No Hot Rods Allowed".
    You and Brian and all the rest of the contestants in Drag Week do a fantastic thing, but don't try to get me to believe you actually enjoy driving those cars as equipped,just for a Sunday Afternoon cruise!
     
  16. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 55,942

    squirrel
    Member

    what, you think it's no fun putting around in a 9 or 10 second car, on the street? you've got to be kidding!

    I wouldn't have put 22,000+ miles on my Chevy II if it wasn't fun to drive. It can be work at times, but mostly it's a blast. The cage doesn't bother me, except maybe getting in and out of it 10 times a day, the end of the week it's kind of relaxing to not have to. Unless I have to drive it home 1500 miles, then it's just another day.
     
  17. lippy
    Joined: Sep 27, 2006
    Posts: 6,825

    lippy
    Member
    from Ks

    I like the way you think Jim. lol Lippy
     
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  18. landseaandair
    Joined: Feb 23, 2009
    Posts: 4,485

    landseaandair
    Member
    from phoenix

    Don't know about that but for a lot of people it was their home track and a regular place to be on the weekend. Pretty sure it was the first purpose built strip in the state and had a lot of history. Smaller and an easier drive to get there, for me at least. Tech also seemed a little relaxed when a nostalgia event was going on. Was ran as just a drag strip for as long as I can remember but the last operator seemed to fill the whole property with motocross tracks and off road courses, moving dirt and building structures without permits as the county warned him not to.
     
  19. morac41
    Joined: Jul 23, 2011
    Posts: 531

    morac41
    Member

    Insurance has a lot to do with the lack of venues ...My son races a sprint car and the venues in the last 10 years that don't operate any more are about insurance and safety and associations not recognizing each other's rules..he selects where he races now which pays the best for towing and attendance...adds up over the season...
     
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  20. error404
    Joined: Dec 11, 2012
    Posts: 383

    error404
    Member
    from CA

    I liked it better than firebird, but then again, I wasn't actually racing. I liked the smaller feel of speedworld.
     
  21. Mike
    Joined: Mar 5, 2001
    Posts: 3,540

    Mike
    Member

    My friend Douglass raced with us at most of the Southwest Nostalgia Drag events. He lives down near Firebird (now Wild Horse Pass), and raced there quite a bit. He always told me that the track surface and traction at Speedworld was much better than Firebird. The atmosphere at Speedworld was absolutely better, Speedworld was a proper old drag strip, Firebird always feels like going to the mall.

    Wild Horse Pass has completely re-surfaced their track sometime after the closure of Speedworld.
     
  22. gasser-a-go-go
    Joined: Dec 14, 2012
    Posts: 167

    gasser-a-go-go
    Member

    I miss speedworld (Mel l Larson's) so bad, talk about nostalgic.

    Are you talking about Douglas who had the blue 57?

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  23. Mike
    Joined: Mar 5, 2001
    Posts: 3,540

    Mike
    Member

    Yep, Douglas with the blue '57 Chevy. I usually ran my orange '57 Chevy "Thumper" (the Business Coupe on the right in the pic). Both of our '57s are old war horses, set up pretty similar, hot small block, 4 speed, big slicks and radiused wheel wells. We would usually try to pit together . The occasions that we were able to run against each other were bitchin' as hell, those two cars lined up together and roaring down the track was just awesome. Douglas was usually a bit faster than me. Man, I miss those days.

     
    Junior Stock likes this.
  24. Hey Gasser ya can always come out to Eagle Field in may and Oct you would be welcomed with open arms......1/8 mile flag start on sat and lights on sunday, about a nine hr or so pull from Gilbert
     
  25. gasser-a-go-go
    Joined: Dec 14, 2012
    Posts: 167

    gasser-a-go-go
    Member

    Ok yes I know who you are now. Yes those were the good ol' days !!!! When Arizona had awesome nostalgia drags. I would also see Doug and his dad at wild horse pass (firebird raceway) for Friday night drags.
    Doug knows me as Jason with the Blown Big Block Motion Camaro.

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    Last edited: Nov 7, 2019
  26. gasser-a-go-go
    Joined: Dec 14, 2012
    Posts: 167

    gasser-a-go-go
    Member

    That would be awesome, and looks like I will have to do that one day, thanks for the invite.

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  27. gasser-a-go-go
    Joined: Dec 14, 2012
    Posts: 167

    gasser-a-go-go
    Member

    You sir are pretty much my hero for doing that. No trailer queens!!!!!

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    Last edited: Nov 9, 2019
  28. For those that came to Kingman, Thank you! I have always looked forward to working the Street Drags as it always brings out the cars that you don't normally see and that is what makes it fun to work. It was great to see all the gassers up there as well as other Nostalgic cars. I have already mentioned to Brian about possibly restructuring a couple of classes and emphasizing more on the Nostalgia aspect. I had also talked to him about doing a Flathead/Inliner class this year but decided to wait and see how things went also was pretty busy with tech. I was told that they would like to have the class next year so I'll be starting to plan for it soon. As I spent a good portion of the last half of my adult life with the rest of my Speedworld family I miss the Southwest Nostalgia drags and the Northern AZ Shootouts those were always great events.
     

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