The 2011 NHRR Starts Thursday



This year, the National Hot Rod Reunion will follow a new schedule. Activities will start on Thursday, June 16th, and continue through Saturday the 18th when the event wraps up with the annual Cacklefest at Beech Bend Raceway in Bowling Green KY. This will give some time to pay proper attention Sunday to all the dad's that dig hot rods for Father's Day. It might also keep a little more of the drag strip action confined to the evening hours, and out of the mid-day sun. As you may have noticed, much of the country has been suffering from record setting temperatures already, and it's not even summer yet. So enjoy the yesteryear drag racing action on a new heat-resistant schedule, and take some sun-block and bottled water just in case.



Of course, if you've been attending the NHRR, then you already know about the nostalgic trip down memory lane that you will enjoy when you see all the vintage race cars, hot rods, custom cars, and the familiar faces that are part of this eagerly anticipated annual event. So enjoy, and make sure you take a camera, because there's a lot of once in a life-time photo-ops that you will want to capture... and while you're at it, send some of those photos my way because I'm going to have to miss this years NHRR due to another obligation. I'd still like to see what it all looks like though, and hear about some of your experiences. Maybe we'll post some of the good stuff if anybody wants to share.



Bruce Larson will serve as the 2011 Grand Marshall, so stop by Memory Lane and make sure you take in the sights. I suspect Bruce will have his USA-1 Camaro funny car on hand and a host of former competitors will be nearby. Should be fun.



As always, you're going to find some surprises at the NHRR. Even the expected can sometimes leave you speechless... like when I saw the legendary Stone Woods & Cook Willys gassers in 2009. I knew the surviving SWC Willys race cars would be on hand, but I didn't expect to be so utterly blown-away by the original 'Swindler' gasser. Likewise, watching Roland Leong fire up his old 'Hawaiian' funny car with Larry Reyes in the seat is a choice memory, and seeing Ray Godman, and Preston Davis with the Tennessee Bo-Weevil race cars always does me good.



So fire the next pair, and we'll see you in the pits... down the road.

LK