A couple of weekends ago, the awesome Southeast Gassers group led by Quain Stott brought their period correct method of gasser drag racing to the very period correct race track at Greer Dragway in South Carolina. This group has been kept on a very short leash by Stott and yet it continues to grow. Essentially following the late 1960s NHRA rule book for the category, the cars are as “right” as you will ever see in your life. Hell, one car that was raced was run with the same engine that had sat dormant since the last time it competed in the 1970s or something crazy like that.
These cars run with no clocks and it makes for a heck of a show because other than eyeballing each other there’s no real way to see who is quickest and by how much. Competitors have to hit the scales during the event to make sure that legal weight is maintained and there is nothing allowed on these cars that was not allowed during the era from which they are supposed to be from. As you will head Stott say in the video, his stance has not been without controversy and there have been more than a couple of wounded friendships about the direction of the group that he controls. That being said, people keep flocking to the events to race and the track literally had to close the gates and stop allowing people in during this show. That’s proof that people wan to see what they have to show.
The world of drag racing is absolutely hauling right now. From the Southeast Gassers to series across the country spectator counts are up, people are watching on TV, and track operators are fixing and upgrading facilities. Chances are that if you have an event you want to attend you’ll be doing it with thousands of your closest friends. That’s doubl true if you are talking about the Southeast Gassers. These guys are on a roll!
I spoke with Quain at last years Meltdown Drags. He got a tire company to sponsor them even after he told them they would remove the name from the sidewalls. And he pissed off a few big names for not doing this exactly as he designed it.
Period correct is in the eye of the beholder, not necessarily in the history book.
I raced there a few years back with my 95 S10, with a Corvette engine. Suspension not set up for drag racing but I just had to race on a Southern Drag Strip at least once. It was a unique racing situation and time. Enjoyed it even though my setup was not turning better times.
This is racing.
It’s way more interesting and exciting than watching megabuck teams run their electrically controlled gadget that was designed on a computer and only vaguely resembles a real car.
As a former racer / crew member from back in the 60’s I can tell you this is as real as it gets. small tires, high rpm & 4 speeds who ever gets to the other end first wins.
Was there for the season opener….. this is pure drag racing. Everyone is very friendly and helpful. I live 5 minutes from Bristol (Thunder Valley) but drove 2.5 hours to see the gassers. Loved every minute of it! Pro tree, heads up racing.
My wife and I drove 500 miles from central Fl. to see real race cars .Like the ones I raced in the 60’s . It is good to see they are sticking to there rules .
Hopefully we can get our car done and be part of the action next season.
Would love to see the old gassers show up at Famoso drag strip in Bakkersfield, Calif. LOVE EM I go to the March Meet and the Hot Rod Reunion every year, for 20 years and love the door slammers. The rest doesn’t blow my skirt up Thanks for that video
Would love to see the old gassers show up at Famoso drag strip in Bakkersfield, Calif. LOVE EM I go to the March Meet and the Hot Rod Reunion every year, for 20 years and love the door slammers. The rest doesn’t blow my skirt up. Thanks for that video Jerry Sweet