(Photos by Dyan Lover and Darr Hawthorne) – The 2018 California Hot Rod Reunion® presented by Automobile Club of Southern California roared to life on Friday with an awesome day featuring more side-by-side racing action and classic cars than ever before at Auto Club Famoso Raceway.
“The opening day of the California Hot Rod Reunion did not disappoint,” said Larry Fisher, executive director of the NHRA Motorsports Museum. “We welcomed fans around the world as the largest competitive field in event history took to the lanes. And classic hot rods filled the pits providing even more nonstop entertainment and killer eye-candy.”
Top Fuel driver Mendy Fry, who secured the NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Series 2018 championship in her category earlier this year, landed in the provisional top qualifier position on Friday evening with an impressive 5.60-seconds at 231.44 mph in her High Speed Motorsports dragster.
Jimmy Young in his Young Guns Top Fueler from Salem, WI qualified second with a 5.668 elapsed time at 253.09 miles per hour.
Steven Densham powered his Nostalgia Funny Car to lead the category with an impressive 5.679 at 252.90.
“Give it up to my dad,” Densham said of his crew chief and father Gary Densham. “We were lost earlier in the year, and he kinda figured it out. We were able to pick up the pace with better 60-foot times. We had also gotten lost in the clutch. Now we are back.”
Jeff Arend blasted Don Nelson’s California Hustler to the second qualifying spot with a solid 5.714 at 253.52 miles per hour. Twenty-four nitro funny cars made qualifying attempts during two rounds on Friday.
Low qualifiers in all other categories include: Jeremy Hanger in Nostalgia Pro Mod, Frank Merenda in A Gas, Chuck Moore in AA Gas, Randy Armstrong in B Gas, Jason Barta in C Gas, Ed Carey in D Gas, Dave Lawson in Nostalgia Eliminator 1, Michael Nitz in Nostalgia Eliminator 2, Wes Anderson in Nostalgia Eliminator 3, Lawton Ferreira II in 7.0 Pro, Drew Austin in A-Fuel, Don Enriquez in Jr. Fuel, and Dave Budgett in A/FX.
The California Hot Rod Reunion will continue Saturday with two additional qualifying rounds for Top Fuel and Funny Car and nostalgia racing beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday evening will also feature the famous Cacklefest with crowd-pleasing push starts and displays of dozens of nitro-burning machines.
Those radical Camaro and Fireturd funny car bodies should not be allowed in nostalgia funny.
Gary, these nitro funny cars are not part of a pageant, they are modern nitro funny cars racing with replica bodies, they are not trying to reenact a period of Drag Racing history as Cacklefest cars do.
The Firebird bodies aren’t as bad, but yeah the Camaro swoopy bodies need to go.
Looking for a little help. A three piece band did a performance after the cackle Fest Saturday night right at the entrance of gate one. I did not get their name. Can\’t find a reference anywhere. Sure wish someone who knows who they were would post their moniker. Gracious.
Your thinking of the Joe Wall Band. Great guy who loves drag racing. He has a internet show called Rockin n Racing.
https://www.facebook.com/Joe-Walla-Band-126518744051792/