(Words and Photos by Joe Grippo) Here in the northeast section of the country we are in the deep freeze so most of the fun stuff moves indoors. We took a break from off season race car upgrades and maintenance, and made trip to Lebanon, Pennsylvania to check out the DragFest Indoor Drag Racing Showcase. It’s a great static gathering of drag cars, show cars and more. A few area dragstrips were in attendance handing out 2026 schedules along with a few of the cars that are regulars at their facilities. Numidia Raceway and South Mountain Dragway were set up loud and proud. A bunch of racing clubs displayed member cars and promoted their upcoming appearances. Back Seat Drivers a group of vintage style front engine dragsters and the Mid Atlantic Nostalgia Drag Racing Association (MANDA) each dominated a few of the rooms at the Lebanon Convention Center.
This year’s show had some amazing survivors and barn find type stuff. Check out the 1957 Ford with twin carbed Y-Block and Paxton Supercharger, the killer tunnel rammed big block chevy powered ’68 Camaro resplendent in B/MP trim, complete with a quarte window full of Atco Dragway kill stickers! Killer stuff. My favorite machine in show was the Survivor 1971 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler street machine; you can’t miss it in the gallery! A real deal time capsule from the early ‘70’s, this is one of only 353 Spoilers built in 1971, which is special enough, but the wild custom paint job and body work applied in ’73 is mind-blowing. The colors, design layout, and murals kept me coming back to it all day. And don’t sleep on the extra-stuffed diamond tufted custom interior with that crazy console!
Dig into the photos for much more!
CLICK HERE IF YOU MISSED THE PREVIOUS DRAG FEST PHOTOS WE POSTED!
The gang at Motorama Productions put this and other shows on throughout the year. I’ll be hitting a few more soon.
