(Photos by Bryan McTaggart) – Having attended more than our fair share of Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunions at Beech Bend Raceway in Bowling Green, Kentucky we can tell you with some certainty that by the time the Cacklefest rolls around a few things are true. You are tired, you have likely been sweating all day in your own juices, and you just can’t wait to hear the sounds of the engines and smell the nitromethane in the air. The cacklefest thing started years ago at Bakersfield and it was planned to be a one time occurrence. You know how that goes. That one time scene caused so many cool cars to be dragged out of the mothballs and it inspired so many people to restore and recreate the mechanical heroes of yesteryear that they now happen all over the country. There is an entire cackle culture out there and the guys all try to out do each other with massive flames and ever larger tanks to be the “last guy running” by the time every other car has gone silent.
It is a glorious cacophony of noise and fire and we love the experience. The Beech Bend cacklefest is usually pretty stout but the one to end all others happens at the close of the race season at the NHRA California Hot Rod Reunion in Bakersfield during the fall. That one has cars coming and going at an amazing rate and pace. Firing up on the push road and rolling onto the track, the historic Patch is alive with fire and the acrid smell of the best damned racing fuel on the planet.
This is our first batch of cackle photos from Bowling Green, we’ll be back with more tomorrow!
CHECK OUT OUR FIRST BATCH OF CACKLEFEST PHOTOS BELOW MORE COMING
