33rd Edition – California Hot Rod Reunion
Famoso Dragstrip is located some 139 miles north of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). It’s considered a sacred place for drag racing on the West Coast, having survived long after many other tracks disappeared.
Bakersfield, CA – the place to be every year for the California Hot Rod Reunion!
BIG DADDY
Don Garlits made the trip to Bakersfield from his home base of Florida and received a large amount of attention. Everybody loves visiting with the legend “Big Daddy!”
BUTCH LEAL
It was only a 40-mile drive, so Butch “The California Flash” Leal joined in the fun at the reunion, and had plenty of his books available for signed copies!
SNAKE APPEARANCE
Don Prudhomme, a man who has made many passes down the 1320 of Famoso over the years and decades, was in attendance and always visiting, autographing and willing to pose for photos when the right opportunity arises!
HEMI® FUNNY CARS
The one common denominator with both alcohol and nitro nostalgia Funny Cars, the use of the famed Gen II Mopar®-based HEMI supercharged engines!
SUPER STOCK HEMIS
A trio of 1968 SS/AH cars (two Barracudas and a Dart) from the Michael Ogburn West Coast HEMI Super Stock Team were there, and while not running the latest technology (equipped with old-school Harry Holton power), they grabbed a lot of attention.
Phil and Tony Mandella, talented chassis builders (and racers themselves) were on hand helping!
In 2004, Jeg Coughlin made a guest appearance to the SS/AH world and drove this car to victory at the 2004 running of the HEMI Challenge at Indy.
VALIANT SEDAN
Caged 1969 Plymouth Valiant 2-door Sedan running dual classes, A/FX and D/G, a body style ideal for drag car, however not often seen today!
DUSTER / DEMON
Included among the various Mopar A-body cars racing were Plymouth Dusters and Dodge Demons, from tube-framed to factory chassis cars, a nice variety showed up at Bakersfield!
B-BODY VARIETY
Done up with a Gen II injected HEMI engine, a ’64 Plymouth Savoy 2-door post to honor Al Vander Woude’s Flying Dutchman car from back in the day. A very unique early drag car, the rear axle moved forward, front wheels in stock position, and this tribute was very well detailed right down to the accurate lettering.
Clean wedge-powered 1964 Dodge Polara 500, a throwback to the glory days of the 426 Max Wedge warriors!
Talk about rare! 1967 Dodge Coronet R/T, tubbed, dedicated drag car. Very unusual seeing one at the drag strip or even at Barrett-Jackson!
KEITH BLACK GEN II ALUMINUM HEMI
Under the hood of long-time 1962-65 Mopar specialist Bob Munoa’s 1965 Plymouth Belvedere drag car, a Keith Black aluminum Gen II HEMI engine, INDY aluminum cylinder heads and tunnel ram: serious performance!
MUNOA RACING
From Temecula, CA, Amanda Munoa’s clean ’70 HEMI Challenger!
ARROW
With the short 92-inch wheelbase and small body of the Plymouth Arrow, no matter what V8 is installed, it’s a quick little Mopar!
SECOND-GEN BARRACUDAS
A number of 1967-69 Barracudas made the scene – this ’69 Fastback equipped with HEMI engine power.
’68 FASTBACK
’67 NOTCHBACK
’67 TUBE FRAME FASTBACK
DART SELECTION
Dodge Darts! Always one of the favorites for Mopar Sportsman racers, and here’s a trio of them that participated this year at the CHHR.
CHERRY PICKER
Supercharged GEN III HEMI engine-powered “Cherry Picker” AA/Fuel Altered and its talented crew!
CHRR AUCTION
Inside the CHRR huge tent there were numerous collectibles put up for bidding, rare and unique items with drag racing historical significance.
From 2003, Wally Parks’ 90th birthday framed art signed by all the NHRA staff who attended the celebration.
Signed by C. J. Hart, a framed poster of “The Last Drag Race” event at Lions Drag strip, December 1-2, 1972. C. J. “Pappy” Hart was instrumental in the Southern California early development and served as Track Manager of Lions from 1965 to 1971.
A large framed print of Don Prudhomme spinning the slicks of the Roland Leong dragster, the famed Hawaiian, at Lions Drag Strip!
AVAILABLE GOODIES
Chico Kodama displayed the Moon Equipment Co. merchandise and a hot seller as always was the “Mooneyes” apparel, a famous speed-equipment logo that’s been a mainstay for decades.
Another iconic name in the racing world is Clay Smith, with their cigar-chompin’ Wood Pecker logo, a variety of colorful shirts were also available!
Fuel Altereds Forever! Featuring numerous AA/FA cars and with artwork of the Champion Tower at OCIR, this is a “must have” for those who were around that scene in Southern California back in the day.
Well-detailed artwork on the early ’70s Mopar Funny Car T-shirts! 1971 “Whipple & McCulloch” Barracuda and the ’72 Satellite “Fighting Irish” car of Tim Beebe, just a couple examples of the high-quality fashion items at the CHHR!
Of course, a “must have” shirt for loyal nostalgia groupies is the official “California Hot Rod Reunion” logo, complete with short-wheelbase dragster with a Gen I supercharged HEMI engine!
Die casts of the 1973 Don “Snake” Prudhomme Barracudas in 1:18 scale were available, the Black Primer “Snake III” and Care*Free Gum car, not easy to find!
Numerous vintage drag racing photos inside three-ring binders that were filled with glossy 8×10 B&W prints, all available for purchase!
NITRO REVIVAL!
Next up is the coverage of the “Nitro Revival!” gathering that was a part of the CHRR, a production put on by Steve Gibbs and daughter Cindy, plus a whole lot of volunteers! The legendary nitro cars rolled up onto the drag strip racing surface, and with nitro fumes and flames, a true celebration of the glory days of drag racing!
Author: James Maxwell
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