(Words by Darr Hawthorne – Photos as credited) – (Editor’s note: This weekend it is GO TIME for the greatest nostalgia drag race known to man, the Bakersfield March Meet. We’ll be there live starting on Thursday morning but if you are anywhere and we mean ANYWHERE near the track you need to get off your backside and come to Famoso, period! Darr Hawthorne put together this bitchin’ story that shows you who’s who and what’s what for MM 2014!)
The annual March Meet, held at Auto Club Famoso Raceway has grown to become a must-attend event for nitro fans and nostalgia racers and it’ll provide a weekend of the toughest competition in the US for an expected three dozen nitro funny car teams, a dozen fuel altereds and an all-run top fuel field of at least a dozen dragsters.
Although the Top Fuel ranks have recently been short of full 16-car fields, they are still considered the “Kings of the Sport” by many, and the long history of the March Meet brings the possibility of one nitro veteran tying one of the oldest, Old School records in drag racing.
- Rob Gibson photo
Jim Murphy will be chasing a 5th March Meet title piloting the front-engined Top Fuel dragster that won the last March Meet event, in different hands. Murphy purchased the car, driven by Jimmy Young, who won the event in 2013 when he drove for Frank and Debra Ousley. (Rob Gibson photo)
Jim Murphy has what many feel is his best possible chance of securing a fifth March Meet win this year. He’s currently one event win short of “Big Daddy” Don Garlits record for total March Meet Top Fuel victories at five. Garlits first win dates back to 1965. (Darr Hawthorne photo)
I addition to Murphy, the field is led by the cool, canopied, Champion Speed Shop dragster driven by former Heritage Series Champ Adam Sorokin, with other players like Bill Dunlap in the High Speed Motorsports dragster, veteran Denver Schutz, Mike Fuller, Terry Cox, Rick White and Brendan Murry. Jim Young returns to Famoso driving his “Young Guns” dragster powered by a Chevy small block, the same car he ran last fall at the Hot Rod Reunion to a Semi-Final finish. (Darr Hawthorne photo)
New Legends of Nitro 265 MPH Club Member, New Yorker, Tony Bartone ,with super crew chief Steve Boggs, is a fierce competitor and always weighs heavily in the Top Fuel mix.
Frank and Debra Ousley will be back at the 2014 March Meet with their Illinois-based yellow “Crop Duster”, now a Monza-bodied nitro funny car driven by Anthony Bronge who ran a stout 5.628/231.83 in the second round of Reunion XXII eliminations. (Debra Ousley photo)
Matching that Reunion 5.628 ET was Brad Thompson in the “Jailbreak” Camaro funny car. Thompson took the Low ET honors by running 254.81 mph on the first round, with Ousley’s power plant. Thompson uses a 392-based Rodeck engine tuned by Brett Johansen. (Darr Hawthorne photo)
2013 March Meet nitro funny car winner, Canadian Tim Boychuk in his ’77 Firebird nitro funny car will again pair up with nitro tuning legend the “Hawaiian” Roland Leong for a run at the 2014 March Meet title. Boychuk, who is in the process of changing the paint scheme, recently bought out partner Ron Hodgson and will be focusing his funny car on the IHRA Nitro series. There’s an all-star, International team backing up Leong and Boychuk with funny car veteran Twig Zeiger, Canadian alky racer Cal Tebb and longtime crewman Dan Brochu. This car is one to watch. (Darr Hawthorne photo)
Funny car owner/driver Jason Rupert has had a stranglehold on the NHRA Heritage Funny Car championship. 2013 was his third consecutive title and rumor has it that he may be preparing to field two Funny Cars this year with a couple of longtime crewmembers as possible drivers. According to Rupert, he’ll be driving the “Black Plague” Bays & Rupert Camaro at the March Meet. (Darr Hawthorne photo)
This year, the top 8 points earners from the 2013 Boise-Bakersfield Blitz will compete in a special 8-car shootout during funny car qualifying on Friday & Saturday of the March Meet, with the winner receiving a $3,000 cash bonus. The Blitz is a four-race series between Famoso Raceway and Idaho’s Firebird Raceway, it begins again with the upcoming Boise Ignitor in April. Horan, in his “Patriot” Mustang, battled against rookie Robert Overholser, in the “California Hustler” Firebird, for low qualifier honors all season at Famoso Raceway and Firebird Raceway in Boise.
(Darr Hawthorne photo)
In the end, Horan beat Overholser (shown) by a mere nine points taking home the winner’s share of an awards package of cash, racing oil, screen-printing, hotel rooms and a number of aftermarket racing prizes. “Hustler” owner Don Nelson has take delivery of a new Littlefield Supercharger, AJPE engine parts and a new aggressive Central Coast attitude. Co-crew chiefs John Overholser and Smokey Alleman are taking the gloves off. (Darr Hawthorne photo)
There’s no better team out there than Kris Krabill, driver of the stout “Northwest Hitter” Firebird owned by Bucky Austin and Mike O’Brien. At the Reunion last fall, the team was over powered in the first round of eliminations when Brad Thompson nailed his 5.628 low ET beating Krabill’s 5.886. This did not sit well with the team, so watch for this team to go rounds this year.
Out of the Northwest it’s “Mr. Explosive” Mark Sanders and his Mustang built by son and crew chief Jake “Snake” Sanders. Sanders will be on the road this year and Jake is working on a second car to fulfill match races on the west coast and have another funny car on the road chasing the IHRA Nitro Jam series for the Big Nostalgia money!
Canadian Tim Nemeth and the new combination in his “Iceman” ’77 Firebird has shown prowess at IHRA events last season and set Low ET in qualifying at the Reunion at 5.693, but red lit in the first round of eliminations, a long trip home to Chilliwack BC. (IHRA photo)
Veteran nitro racer Roger Garten bounced his Mustang off the guardwall past half track last year. Roger and his team and a lot of work has brought back yet another iconic “War Horse” to qualify for the March Meet. (Darr Hawthorne photo)
Third place Blitz finisher Dennis LaCharite is vacating the seat in his flamed “Back in Black” ‘69 GTO for team crew chief Cory Lee, who’ll pilot the funny car for the 2014 season. That opens the door for Tim Boychuk, Jason Rupert, Rick Rogers and Dennis Taylor, who all tied for 9th place in the Blitz and have a chance to participate in the special 8-car qualifying shootout. (Darr Hawthorne photo)
Texan John Hale drives his “Mike Burkhart” Tribute ’69 Camaro tuned by veteran crew chief Guy Tipton. Hale will start the year at the March Meet then head to the IHRA tour for the remainder of the season only to return to Famoso in the fall for the California Hot Rod Reunion. (Darr Hawthorne photo)
Often, the March Meet features the debut of new racecars, and Gary Turner’s beautiful new “Pedaler” Dodge Challenger funny car driven by James Day sports a new Victory chassis, new lightweight body and newly added tuner Chris Nance. (James Day photo)
Sick of the cold and snow, Pennsylvanian Peter Gallen and his “Poverty Stricken” nitro funny car will be making the long trek to California with his IHRA multi-event winning Monza. This will be Gallen’s first trip back to Auto Club Famoso Raceway in 3 years. Reportedly the funny car will be up for sale after the event. (IHRA photo)
The Kazangian Lemon & Konno Mustang landed a bunch of new sponsors over the winter, got a new toterhome and trailer and fresh parts – by far, driver Rian Konno and crew were the most improved nitro funny car team of 2013. (Darr Hawthorne photo)
Funny Car and Top Fuel Dragster pilot Mendy Fry returns to the NHRA Hot Rod Heritage series after taking a year off to help Denver Schutz and his Top Fuel team. Mendy finds herself back in a funny car in Larry “Smokey” Alleman’s “Smokey’s Darkside” ’78 Dodge Challenger for the 2014 season. Alleman has chosen to run an Arias hemi, a “Hemi heads on a Chevy big-block” combination, unique to the 36 expected entrants. Former “Darkside” driver Rick Rogers has moved over to drive Charlie O’Neill’s “Fighting Irish” Camaro for 2014. (Darr Hawthorne photo)
The March Meet also attracts a handful of NHRA Big Show owners and drivers who want to race against the best nitro cars in the country on the West Coast’s only concrete quarter mile.
The two-speed nitro flopper bug has bitten big show racers like Del Worsham (pictured), Ron Capps, Chad Head, Cruz Pedregon and Gary Densham, among others. You’ll find that most Heritage Series racers love to meet a “Pro” in the other lane and have a shot at them, often taking the Big Show driver down at the finish line. (Darr Hawthorne photo)
Apparently Tony Pedregon will skip the March Meet with his gorgeous Tommy Ivo “Rod Shop” funny car he debuted at the recent Winternationals and probably run the car at the Reunion later this year at Famoso after he gets some seat time. (Jeff Burghardt photo)
Every year the crowds cheer the short wheelbase, nitro-burning, flame spewing, supercharged AA/Fuel Altereds as they twist their way down the Famoso concrete quarter-mile as Mike Boyd does in the legendary “Winged Express”. This year an estimated dozen fuel altereds will compete in a 6-second index class for a chance to hold a prized “Wally” and be crowned March Meet Fuel Altered Champ. (Jeff Burghardt photo)
Among those expected to attend are Keith Wilson’s awesome “Witch Doctor” Fiat Topolino, Dave Hix’s “Wildfire” Bantam roadster, James Generalao’s “Impatient” T-bucket and Jack Wright’s “Joker”. Another addition this year will be a 6.90-second Door Slammer class.
(Paul Schmitz photo)
The March Meet will feature over 500 racecars; show cars and a vibe you won’t get at any other event all year. With dragster, altereds, roadsters, gassers, door cars and hot rods you’ll see an awesome collection of fast cars. The incredibly competitive A/Fuel class is another group to follow. (Darr Hawthorne photo)
Many West Coasters used to bubble over with anticipation at the yearly return of the Pomona Winternationals, however for a lot of us, the March Meet brings that excitement back as nearly fifty nitro cars gather for this historic, old school Rite of Spring.
If you are within two or three hours of the Bakersfield area – get off your ass, fill up the gas tank, load the cooler, grab a camera, a jacket and get ready for the closest thing you’ll find in classic drag racing, the 2014 March Meet!
If you have become incapacitated, watch the coverage here on BangShift.com. In addition to all the on-track stuff you’ll get from Chad and Brian, Donnie Couch and I will wander the pits for interviews with owners, drivers and legends as well as pre-record top end interviews with some drivers you probably have never met.
To buy tickets, Auto Club Famoso Raceway has again partnered with TheFOAT.com. handling pre-race on-line ticketing quickly and efficiently. Purchasing tickets online allows fans to bypass the long lines at the gate and get right into the event on race day, you don’t want to wait in those line when all that nitro is burning inside the fence.
Race fans can purchase a “Super 4-Day Event Pass” for $100 online. There are also specially priced passes for three days (Friday, Saturday and Sunday: $75) and two days (Saturday and Sunday: $55).
Walk up tickets for the event will go on sale March 6 at the track. Ticket prices are $25 for Thurs., Mar. 6; $25 for Fri., Mar. 7; $30 for Sat., Mar. 8; and $30 for Sun., Mar. 9. Tickets for children ages 6-12 are $10 each day and kids 5 and under get in free when accompanied by an adult with paid admission.
Other pricing for event camping: $125 for all four days; VIP parking: $50 (good for the entire event); and VIP four-day Quarter Mile Courtyard seating: adults $165, children $105 (space is limited).
March Meet tickets can be ordered online at www.autoclubfamosoraceway.com. Racer, Swap Meet and Vendor entry forms can be found on the website as well.
Fans can connect with Auto Club Famoso Raceway by following them on Facebook; http://www.facebook.com/Auto.Club.Famoso.Raceway
The VW’s are coming — The VW’s are coming — — Mike Lawless, who won Hotrod a couple of years ago in his Beautiful Blue Ghia, is stepping up to the 10.60 class and he has promised to wave at you Chad as he drives by in qualifing —
I’m trying to get him to use more than one finger when he does… LOL