NOTHING BUT MATCH RACE MADNESS

5/5/05

ne thing has become clear to this aging observer of drag racing, of late. There is one heck of a lot of non-national event drag racing going on out there! And I don't mean bracket racing. I'm talking about feature attraction, spectator drawing, profit-generating match race action. As recently as five years ago, that wasn't the case.

So what happened? Did drag racing's regional and local level promoters take an epiphany pill and rediscover their own sport's history/roots? Did Steve Forbes stop by and explain the theory of American profit acquisition to them? However it came about, promoters and track owners are, in ever increasing numbers, booking in feature cars of all sorts. Good news for car owners, drag fans, and drag racing press types alike. There has been an infusion of new blood in the ranks of track owners in certain locales, and that has undoubtedly added to the mix in a positive way.

So what's available for your viewing pleasure, you ask? Name a car type, and somebody is match racing it somewhere. One match race I really want to see (but probably can't afford to get to) is the Outlaw Top Fuel extravaganza at Huntsville, Alabama. Written up previously in various spots within DRO, this race should be something to behold. Local fans seldom get to see cars of the caliber that populate the entry list, and that's a shame. Increasingly, the average fans are priced out of the NHRA and IHRA national event attendance picture, with their only option being a save all year, spend it all on one race approach if they want to see any "big league" drag action. Maybe THAT'S why match racing is enjoying a re-emergence. Whaddaya think?

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Back to event news. Most of what has crossed my electronic desk lately has come from the Nostalgia arena, which is usually news for another part of DRO, but I'm claiming these as part of the match race bag. When somebody else lets me know of other match races that don't fall within the Nostalgia discipline, I'll write about those races! Is it a deal?

Let's start off with a neat sounding eight-car Nostalgia alcohol Funny Car race scheduled for May 28 at ET Raceway. For those who may not know (like me), ET Raceway is a 1/8 mile track in Broomfield, Indiana. Here's the field for the event; Dennis Salzwimmer's Rubber City Shaker '77 Monza, Chuck Horvath's Damn Yankee '76 Vega, Will Trower's Chasing My Childhood '70 Duster, John Dunn's Dunn & Gone '72 Vega, the Martin Brother's Wildfire '72 Satellite, Troy Martin's Chi-Town Hustler mini-charger, and Dave Harris' Empty Pockets '77 Monza. I've seen some of these cars run, and they put on a good show. And if you've never seen ET Raceway, that's reason enough to make the trip. I just love grassroots tracks!

Next race up is not a match race -- it's the annual trip to Indianapolis Raceway Park by the Goodguys organization. I include it because I like the Goodguys concept, and they have added an eight-car alky nostalgia field to their usual bill of fare. Some entries are in, and they include Rick Lawrence's Minnesota Maniac '72 'Cuda, Bob Rosetty from Philly, Lou Sgro in the D.A. Santucci tribute car, the Klingerman Brothers, and Dennis Salzwimmer, with Chris Gerber driving. Just another good reason to go see the Goodguys.