Here’s a flashback to 30 years ago at Pomona. The final rounds of the 1986 NHRA Winston World Finals. This was a pretty great event with the biggest names in the sport slugging it out for the glory at the last race of the year. As a complete homer, it is impossible for me to watch this event without totally rooting for Westport, Massachusetts native Ronnie Manchester in pro stock. As a kid he was the guy we all rooted for and he had a pretty interesting career. This was one of the shining moments.
While Glidden found Manchester in the final round of pro stock, it was Billy Meyer and Kenny Bernstein in the finals of funny car. The world thought that Bernstein had them by the croakies in 1986 but they had no idea what was coming in 1987 and then they would really cry out loud. In top fuel Joe Amato faced down a mid-20s Darrell Gwynn who was as hungry and talented as anyone the sport has ever known.
This weekend’s NHRA Auto Club World Finals will be awesome. Between the nitro funny car and pro stock bike battles as well as the inter-team drama of the KB racing boys, there are story lines galore. The end of any drag racing season are amazing but this one will be as good as those in the past with drama, points battles to the wire and all the good stuff that has marked so many seasons in the past.
