When we got tipped off about the big Saturday Night Nitro show happening at Famoso Raceway in Bakersfield this weekend, we smiled widely. The reason? About 3000 miles east of Famoso, New England Dragway in Epping, NH is hosting a very similar event, proving the crazed popularity of Nostalgia Funny Cars in today’s drag racing scene and proving what the world has known for almost 50 years, Funny Cars rule!

The show at Bako will feature 15 Nostalgia Nitro machines, AA/FAs, and some AA/FDs as well, whereas the event in NH will have some Nostalgia Nitro Cars, Alky Funny Cars, and Jet Funny Cars, along with other heavy duty classes like Pro Comp and Pro Mod.

Several years ago we can remember having a conversation with another drag racing journo and this was just before the Nostalgia Funny Car thing exploded like a neutron bomb. He was telling us that it was going to be, “BIG!” As much as we wanted to believe it, we didn’t at the time. Now look at what’s going on. From coast to coast this weekend there will be races featuring Nostalgia floppers on Saturday night. That in itself is nostalgic! The old school match race was virtually dead in the 1980s due to multiple factors, but the sport, as it has done so many times before, has regenerated and reinvented itself to thrive in even these tough times. Yes, attendance is down across the board and across the country for racing events, but looking at what happened at Cordova for the World Series of Drag Racing and some of the other big crowds drawn by independantly promoted shows, people are more than willing to pay to see the stuff they want, and right now they want Funny Cars in all their glorious forms!

If you are a drag racing fan, it has to put a smile on your face knowing that there will be nitro burning and tires smoking on both ends of the North American continent on Saturday night. 3,000 miles separate the tracks, but less than an inch separate the desires of drag racing fans to see killer paint jobs, awesome car names, header flames, and close racing! Take note large drag racing sanctioning bodies, put the right show together and they will come!

Click here to learn more about the Fall Funny Car Nationals at New England Dragway in Epping, NH 

Here’s the TV screamer ad for Famoso’s Saturday Night Nitro event!