Probably no longer possible, legally or practically, But what I loved most about the local drags in the late '50's/early '60's was spending the morning blowing the carbon out of my street (near) stocker with my buddies doing the same. We could line up against each other for our own grudge runs just for the asking. I didn't really care what class went on my windshield. There were no memberships to pay, no particular racing equipment needed, just a small pit fee, leave the hubcaps in the pits and don't leak on the strip. Late afternoon rolled around and we'd stand down for the "real" racers getting ready to put on "the regular show". Hot dogs and sodas for dinner and spend the rest of the evening/night watching, hearing, smelling, etc. whatever showed up by way of actual racing cars. Sometimes we'd even run errands for short handed crews. I honestly haven't a clue how to go about getting that old feel back but I believe that may be the portion of attendees you're missing the most. People are less likely to come to put on an impropmtu show if there's no audience for it and a big part of the audience used to be the "semi-participants". I guess what it feels like is there's more of a "show/audience" outlook now (and I realize there're myriad valid reasons behind it). Still, the old "We were just doing that too, sort of." bunch doesn't seem to have a place anymore. Sadly, Hotrodbob may have a more accurate point in the conclusion he didn't voice. It may well be that the time has simply passed and the world has changed enough to make it all no longer relevant to enough new people. And like Mr. Miller; "Those are just my opinions, I could be wrong."
Old6rodder, You got it. Look at the age of the guys/gals running the cars. How many under 30 types are out there. They didn't grow up with these cars and don't understand them. Those people that do can't sit in the sun that long, the bladder has to emptied more often and the aches and pains of age make it just that much easier to sit on the couch with the A/C on and the TV control in hand. I hope I never get that way, but for many it was a passing fad, not an obsession or way of life like it is for us here on the HAMB.
I have to say that one of the things I am affraid of is that the nostalgia "craze" will cool dramatically and we'll have to wait another 20 years for it to be an "event" again. Damn shame if we can't keep this going in some form or another....I guess if it doesn't have doors, a huge muffler, Nitrous and a loud stereo the younger generation doesn't give a shit....
Just for chits-n-grins.....how many people would be interested in having a car cruise from a local point out to the track for a car show at the August night event? Give people another reason to go.....maybe get a discount into the race if you participate????? Anyone?
JR, August is a pretty miserable hot time in the AV. A reliability run style deal in October with a bunch of car clubs involved might just fly. Especially with the HAMBers. Book in some exhibition cars, like the Wing, the 15oz Coupe and maybe a jet or two. I'm sure the Vipers aren't the only club that fiends for drag racing. Make it a week that doesn't conflict with the dry lakes and see if you can get some of those folks out to show their racecars. Do some prizes for distance, club participation, Best custom, trad rod, motorsickle, aw hell, you wouldn't offend me with a wet T-shirt contest. Bring in a cross generational band like the Hacienda Brothers. I'd sure be willing to help with artword, passing out flyers and boosting it to my racer pals. But August is one of the reasons I moved from Littlerock CA. My $2 worth (2¢ adjusted for inflation)
I've raced in the Antique Nationals at LACR a half dozen times and it is a blast, but we're talking about the under 30 crowd that generally builds really basic rods like I did. Driving 50 miles from the San Fernando Valley in the summer heat in cramped quarters with a car that gets 12 miles to the gallon, with crappy suspension and no air conditioning gets old fast! And once you get there, there's no shade of any kind. If you really wanted to start a massive old-school hotrod riot, figure out how to hold a legal drag racing event down in the Los Angeles River Channel under the 3rd street bridge. Now that's nostalgia!
me and my buddy's go out there ......I also have a lot of friends that race out there.....two of my friends raced there cars in the antique nats.....I just hope they don't close the track down......
we had a great time at the antique nats. it was a little on the hot side. kinda makes me wonder how its gonna be in july. have you guys thought about running at night??? either way i'm gonna try and make it in the plymouth with or without the front windshield frame.
I wish I was closer to you guys in Cali. We race around here alot, Mokan two times a year ( Hamb Drags in August and the AHRA reunion in Oct.) Thunder Valley, Lawton, Tulsa old time drags, Wichita, Ark City. We went to Temple TX last year. It would be really great to go to an old time drag race and see more than two real bonified old gassers and some guys that actually want to run them. If I can ever get part time retired I plan to go to the Hot Rod reunion at Formosa, Indy, Bowling Green, etc. I wish you were just a day's drive away I would show up at all your events, and really the old 37 deserves to go back to Cali where it came from. I'll post a few pics of my car and Ross Auto 38 Willis pick-up, we run each other all the time, we're the only gasser's that show up to run! Thanks, Fred
So the cars are built to look cool (at least in their mind) but not functional. Or, the owners are just pussies. That's sad..... and I bet they call themselves Hot Rodders. Mutt
What's really going on with the Gasser crowd is these cars are getting so expensive and worth so much money if they are real and even if they dont have history that it's crazy to risk your car and yourself to go 130MPH with a straight axel and as much old school parts as you can get away with. The 37 is, was street legal before I motored up and made it a total race car, but it really wasen't a street car either. So if you can actually go to a oldtime race and see cars like the 37 and Ross Auto Willys enjoy them while you can because it wont be long before they turn into trailer queens and the only place you'll see them is in museums, street rod events and old time drags on display with all the rest of the artwork. Thanks for the soapbox time, Fred
Looks are cool, but the reason there are few if any race cars like that any more is safety. I love the nostalgia cars, but old time safety and handling are not cool. I don't care what the car is worth. Life is to expensive. Gary Fore was the first gasser guy to switch to more current style gasser. I remember KS pitman and the others all pitch a fit about it in a gasser meeting. They were locked into the way it was. They were lucky. They lived throught it. In March this year Bill Burch the current owner of Gary's car (Fore Play) had to use the safety Gary built into that car. He is alive because of it.
The Jalopy Journal
