The 2012 Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion at Beech Bend Raceway in Bowling Green, Kentucky was another interesting endevour for Chad and I. The event itself was bad ass to levels previously unknown. I think our coverage was damned good. We had major issues with internet connectivity for our live feed which sucked and plagued us all weekend, but we made the most of it. Hell, our pal Mark Walters who has been doing this a lot longer than us even said that Bowling Green was, “the Bermuda Triangle” of internet connectivity. At least we were validated.

While Chad wrestled with invisible internet demons, I got back into touch with my photographic side. I blasted thousands of photos from Thursday to Saturday of race cars, show cars, BangShift feature cars, pit vehicles, dignitaries, and whatever else crossed my lens. I have not shot that many photos in years and it got me back into the fun of photography. I am not a photographer. I am a guy who takes photos. There are some very stark differences. Guys like Grippo, Nutting, Wickam, Rourke, Chiluk, and our other contributors are photographers. My process is far more mechanical than artistic. Hell, I ripped off six car features on Saturday at the race. There’s not any art involved, but I think I did a decent job showcasing the cars and trucks. You have seen one already, there are more coming, so please feel free to take pot shots at my lack of talent in this field.

One of the highlights of the weekend was hanging out with and ripping down lunch with Tony DeFeo. Tony is a cult hero and a magazine writer who was not afraid to delve into issues, fronts, stories, and trends that no one else was willing or able to. The guy is a greasy, gnarled handed hot rodder of the highest order. He has vast experience with nitro cars, was on the bleeding edge of the five liter Ford Mustang revolution, and was never afraid to call a spade, a spade. He came to the show on Friday and we cruised the pits, talked a bunch, and he bought me a polish sausage with the goods on it. The best part was eating said lunch at a fuel funny car team’s pit while they were warming the car. By ear, Tony heard that the engine was not happy, offered some solutions and then finished his lunch. It ruled. We also hung out with Dave Benjamin who is a gritty everyman version of Dale Armstrong. Look for some “Nasty” Benjamin BangShift content coming soon.

Bowling Green is unique in the sense that it is almost impossible to discern whether the show is better than the drag racing or the drag racing is better than the show. Normally that would be a no brainer for the drag racing side, but at this event, the show is truly amazing. There have to be 1500+ cars parked in the show area of the facility which is largely shaded and very nice. From vintage Mack trucks to drool worthy hot rods and kustoms, it’s head and shoulders above most other car shows. Adding to the show goodness is the display of historic drag cars that goes down inside of the small circle track that sits behind the drag strip at Beech Bend. Seeing Buddy Ingersoll’s world beating Pinto was very neat, considering that he passed so recently. Those little Ford four bangers were mean bastards!

One of the unexpected cool things of the weekend was meeting Joe and Richie Boggs, who had their motorhome parked directly behind our spacious broadcast tower. Joe was there with a cackle car, which happened to be the car he raced with a couple of other guys back in the 1960s. Boggs and his guys were the first to run 6.55 seconds, a record that stood nearly a year before Don Garlits ripped off a 6.50 pass to take the ET crown back. Joe is a great story teller and shared many memories of old time Top  Fuel racing, using hydrazine, adventures on the road, and the rest of his career (Boggs fielded several top fuelers and nitro funnies through the 1970s). It was a real treat and he is a truly good man. We’re hoping to get some of these irreplaceable stories into print in the not too distant future.

Each year the Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion serves as a great event of affirmation for me. I find myself getting lost in the car show and thoroughly entertained at the drag racing action more so than at any other event that we spent time at. There is a coolness and attitude about the whole thing that really appeals to me. From the patina encrusted old stuff that runs around with open exhaust all week in Bowling Green to some of the really slick muscle cars, to old Mack trucks, it is all there in a  giant jumble of automotive stew.

For a guy like me who really loves drag racing history, it doesn’t get a whole lot better than events like the Hot Rod Reunion, especially when you think about how many great people have left this mortal coil over the last year alone that were instrumental in drag racing. Being down on the race track shooting Cacklefest photos is damned fun, too. Nothing like your leg hair getting singed off from the header flames of a blown Pontiac powered dragster on fuel!

I think I met about 50 BangShift readers over the course of the weekend, gave away every sticker I had, and left feeling that we’re on the right track. I’ll be back next year to Bowling Green in all of its sweaty, header flaming, historic goodness with a smile on my face and my ears wide open. See you there!