|
HEMI Showdown
An event I looked forward to seeing in person
at INDY was the MOPAR-sponsored shootout; on
TV it's impossible to capture the real thing
of multiple, all-out super stocks. Seeing those
awesome, beautifully detailed Hemi Cudas and
Darts pushed around toward the starting line
is one of my vivid memories from that long
weekend.
 One of the bummers was seeing a number of drivers
of those 8.5-second warriors slip on cotton jogging
pants over their shorts before the charge down
the quarter mile. Yes, they are technically wearing
long pants, but in the name of safety why does
the NHRA rulebook only specify a jacket meeting
the SFI 3.2A/5 and not pants for SS/AA and other
quick racecars?
One last thing
ADVERTISEMENT
 |
|
The California Hot Rod Reunion is a fun event
held at the legendary Famoso Raceway. A couple
of years ago the Kern County Department of Airports,
which oversees Famoso, voted unanimously to accept
NHRA's bid for the drag strip's lease over the
next 20 years. The new lease also mandated leasehold
improvements. Some repaving has been done, the
drag strip guardrails have been replaced and
the tower is bigger, but the pits are still full
of potholes, dirt and dust. With thousands of
cool racecars dodging the dangerous pit area
each year and races geared toward geezers whose
footing is already shaky, it's time to make Famoso
a professional race facility by today's standards,
a place where even Wally Parks could walk around
safely. NHRA may not be able to control the aggressive
flies and rotting stench adjacent to the facility,
but fix the damn pits! 
|
