(Words and Photos by Joe Grippo) It’s after the holidays and as per usual here in the northeast, everything is under a layer of snow and ice. It’s brutal. I sometimes wonder why I choose to live in a place that hurts my face when I go outside, but that’s a question for another day. Regardless, the only redeeming quality of the winter off season is it gives an opportunity for upgrades and refreshening of our rides. Which is the current situation at Giant Grippo Racing Enterprises, the garage heater is getting a workout.

However, there are a bunch of hearty souls who are willing to drag their stuff out into the sub-freezing temps to join in on the fun at the DragFest – Indoor Drag Racing Showcase held annually in early January in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. This show is part of the Motoramaproductions.com array of shows. Dragfest differs from most indoor car shows as it caters to Drag Racing world. A few show cars found their way in, but drag cars were dominant. Blown Altereds, Bracket Cars, Gassers, Funny Cars, Super Stockers, Drag and Drive and everything else 1/4 mile related were displayed. Nostalgia was front and center with the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Drag Racing Association (MANDRA) having an entire wing of the facility. The main hall featured a gathering of killer Jr. Stockers and a massive display of memorabilia courtesy of current engine builder and former driver for Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins, Larry Lombardo. Crazy cool stuff. Modern day racing fans were not disappointed while gazing on the ProCharged Noonan engine in Kevin McCurdy’s Pro Mod. You could have spent half the day staring at the details of Kevin’s clean machine. Something for everyone.

Rounding out the show were a few vendors selling some cool goods. I picked up a few old decals, as I’m a sucker for those vintage logos. Most of the area Drag Strips were on hand interacting with their patrons and handing out their 2024 schedules and race flyers. Maple Grove Raceway, Numidia Raceway and South Mountain Raceway went a step further and had some of their weekly racers on display for additional promotion. Smart.

DragFest 2025 is already in the planning stages, so keep an eye on the Motorama website or look them up on Facebook and hit up some of their other events in 2024.

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