(Words and photos by Brad Klaassen) – If you love old school heads up racing with gassers, altereds, and vintage dragsters of all types, this is a must attend event. With a limited entry list of over five hundred cars, of which I’d only shot four in the house before, I was as excited as Ralphie on Christmas morning after he laid hands on his new Red Rider BB gun.
The 8th annual addition of the Meltdown Drags didn’t disappoint for this first timer either. With forty two states represented this event is an amazing spectacle of raw horsepower, tire smoke and speed. The Meltdown Drags have only three hard and fast rules that were laid out in the drivers meeting. Stay safe, have fun, and no “F”ing whining. I like those rules. You have to understand something about this very unique format that draws race cars, drivers, and fans from far and wide, it’s a “Fun Race.” No qualifying, no eliminations. The racers enter their car in the class that best fits them and they make side by side passes for bragging rights. There are also grudge race matchups as well. But, at the end of the day, there are no trophies or prize money paid out. And it’s so much fun people tow from as far away as California to attend this unique event, that’s thirty long hard hours on the road Bangshifter’s.
Another unusual twist to this event as well, is how it got its name. The Meltdown Drags were appropriately named because past the shutdown area of the track on the other side of the trees one can see the tops of the nuclear reactor cooling towers, with their never ceasing columns of steam. I can honestly say I’ve shot at drag strips all over the country and that was a first for me as a backdrop, but I thought is was pretty cool. So, enough of my rambling. Go check out all the cool gassers and vintage dragsters in my segment one edition of the 8th Annual Meltdown Drags.
See you at the drags,
-Bad Brad
2017 Meltdown Drags 1
2017 Meltdown Drags 2
2017 Meltdown Drags 3
2017 Meltdown Drags 4
2017 Meltdown Drags 5
Check out the photos below and then come back up and see our other galleries!
Great Photos ……nice work.
Photos are awesome, This event is now on my bucket list