(PHOTOS BY STUART MITCHELL) – Gassers are among the most popular style of nostalgia drag cars here in the USA and they are apparently filling the same role in the UK as well because there’s a group of sweet cars called the Gasser Circus and they hammer on their stuff several times a year at Santa Pod and Shakespeare County Raceway in England. As you will see through Stuart Mitchell’s awesome photos, these are no weak sisters. The cars (and trucks!) are really neat and would be just as at home on a strip here in the States as they are in their native land. With a five race season split between the two tracks, there’s good rivalries and competition to be had. Stuart shot these photos at the Hot Rod Drags event that was (obviously) held at Shakespeare County Raceway and closed out the 2014 season of competition.
If we had to pick a favorite out of this group of photos, the launching Sweptline Dodge truck with its stack injected big block would be it. They are ALL very cool, but that truck spins our crank hard! It is great to know that there are traveling packs of gassers in the UK much like there are here in America because it speaks to something deeper about this sport than you may think about. There’s something about these cars that spans the gearhead universe and no matter your background or physical location they speak to us. The great paint, the cool names, the beam or tube front axles, and the engines spilling out though the hoods (if they have them) are hot rodding hallmarks that will never get old or tired. Our brothers and sisters across the Pond obviously think so too!
Thanks to Stuart Mitchell for the use of these killer photos! Gassers forever!
you nailed it in the description. There’s something primal about gassers that just DEFINE hot rodding.
Yes! Theses cars are all right on, especially the names.Just wondering & not to be offensive but are these like the rich guys over there? I’d think they’d have to be, because of the expense of shipping ‘American steel’ across the pond & surely shipping parts isn’t cheap. Kudos to them!!
No, these are typically not rich guys.
They are very similar to drag racers here.
Mostly blue collar, some own parts stores
or other auto related businesses.
Yes, the parts imported from the US are
expensive, but it’s like $5 gas, (they pay $10)
you either pay up or stay home.
Usually, I f’in hate the sweptline dodge trucks. That one is definitely and exception to that statement…
Now this is how it’s done. A great BangShift contributor. Thanks for the pics, Stuart.
I like that British version of “Farm Truck”.
One of my favourite classes here. In the pits they all have thier fronts facing out in a line which looks awesome with all the noses up in the air.
Here is their forum http://www.nsra.org.uk/newforum/forumdisplay.php?32-The-Gasser-Circus-sponsored-by-the-NSRA
Theres some bad ass cars being built during the off season 😀
Fantastic pictures, Stuart. Thanks for sharing.
Life before Bangshift led me to believe that drag racing was relegated to us baseless “yanks.” Thank pypou for disspelling that myth. If I might go out on a limb here, I’d have to say that any of these rides could hold their own with anything we have here. Awesome.
Drag racing is alive and well here in the uk and europe 😀 I’m an avid fan and live an hour away from santa pod.