FEATURE- From the Tower by Bob Frey

Search for

DRC home :: Events :: Feedback :: Wallpaper :: Advanced Search


			Summit NHRA Events

<< Back To Search Result

Fri, 21 Oct 2011, 12:34 AM

California Here I Come

By Bob Frey
Photo copyright 2011 Auto Imagery, Inc.

Here I am with Tom Hanna,

I'm going to digress from my normal Thursday story this week, but only by a little bit. This is normally where I write about a particular sportsman racer, one who has distinguished themselves with a win, a final round or some other defining moment in his or her career. I could write about Gary Stinnett, the reigning and soon to be back-to-back Super Comp Lucas Oil World Champion, or I could do a story on Peter Biondo who looks like he could win not one but two Lucas titles this year. Then there is Frank Manzo, and what can I say about him that hasn't already been said? Then there are some of the racers who will be headed to Pomona in a few weeks for the annual Summit Racing Series ET championship event. Among them are Darrell Goheen who will be making his third consecutive trip to the big show or Jeromy Hefler who is also heading west for his third shot at the big prize. And what about Edmond Richardson and Mark Faul? Those two, who have accomplished so much at NHRA national events, both qualified for the Summit program and it will be interesting to see how they do against some of the best weekly bracket racers in the country. All of those would be perfect subjects for this week's column but I've chosen something a bit different, and after all it is my column so I can do that, can't I?

Tommy Ivo
My topic of choice this week is the California Hot Rod Reunion, and I decided on that because I'm going to be there this weekend. For those of you who haven't been, you should because it is one of the really fun events of the year. For a drag racing fan like me one who goes back a long time it's one of the high points of the year. The last time I was there I got to spend time with Tommy Ivo, Art Chrisman and Tom Hanna and that was all before noon on Friday. The stories they told, the history and the contributions they have made to the sport are amazing and I would have felt very fortunate to get a private audience with any one of them let alone all three. I remember telling a friend of mine after I left Tom Hanna's trailer how much I enjoyed the visit and how lucky I was to be able to talk with one of the true legends of the sport. I felt the same way after talking with Tommy and Art and then I realized that I had two more days at the track and I didn't know where to go first.

Art Chrisman
One of the main attractions at the event is the big, and I mean big affair that takes place on Friday night. That's where the honorees are formally introduced to a wildly enthusiastic crowd and where they get treated like rock stars, and rightfully so. The room itself is like a "Who's Who" of the drag racing world and it's a perfect place to meet and greet the legends of drag racing. To the best of my knowledge the only other gathering that even approaches it is the Hall of Fame ceremony every year in Florida. To put it in its proper perspective, several years ago Wally Parks was there and he was getting autographs!! Not giving them, getting them, and that will tell you the caliber of racers who were there. It was awesome!

In addition to the "formal" affair on Friday night, a stroll through the parking lot of the host hotel is worth the trip. Cars of all shapes, sizes and descriptions are there and every one is nicer than the other. Street rods, race cars, vintage hot rods, blown street cars, California originals, restored dragsters and Funny Cars and so much more, all at the front door of the hotel. If these were the only cars you saw all weekend it would be a great experience, but there's more, much more. Oh yeah, the people walking around the parking lot checking out the cars also resembles a Hall of Fame gathering. "Snake," "Mongoose," Ivo, Walther, Garlits, Armstrong, McCulloch, Waterman, Iskendarian, Jr. Thompson, Red Greth and so many more. If you're coming, bring your camera and your autograph book because you'll be kicking yourself if you don't.

Steve Gibbs
The honorees at this year's reunion represent a wide variety of the sport's heroes, and as is often the case, not all of them were drivers. Steve Gibbs, who was instrumental in so many aspects of the sport from safety to track preparation and who was a vital part of the NHRA national events for a long time is the Grand Marshall for the weekend. There are few people who have been around drag racing as long as Steve has been and none are more passionate about it. Harry Hibler, who is on the board of directors for the Drag Racing Hall of Fame, made his mark as one of the top executives at Petersen Publishing Company. But for all he did there, "Hand Grenade" Harry is probably the most proud of the Sunday in 1970 when he made it to the final round at the famous "March Meet." After wading through a huge field of cars Harry met Tony Nancy in the finals, and even though he lost he can say what very few drivers can say, and that is, "I made it to the final round at Bakersfield." Wayne King, John Peters and Dwight Salisbury are the others being honored and they will meet the public at the Friday night gathering. Peters, who owned the string of record-setting "Freight Train" Top Gas cars, also happened to put his car in the winner's circle at Bakersfield at the same 1970 race where Hibler went to the Top Fuel final, so this will be kind of a special reunion for those two.

George Santos is also among the honorees, and it's a shame that it's coming a few weeks after his pasing. George founded S & S Automotive in California in 1959 and he became known as one of the top small-block Chevrolet engine builders and tuners in the country. Along with his brother-in-law, Hank Vincent, they campaigned a car called the "Top Banana" in the late 1950's. The "Banana" ran over 161 miles per hour making it the fastest Chevrolet-powered car in the world at the time and that accomplishment was featured in an ad for Hubbard Racing Cams in the November, 1958 issue of Hot Rod Magazine. George later gained national fame for his series of Chevy-powered dragsters that ran in the Top Alcohol Dragster class. Driven by his son, Rick, they won several national events and were rated as one of the top cars in the class even though they were competing against the Chrysler Hemi-powered cars. Their first win together came at the 1991 Winternationals when they beat Blaine Johnson. George passed away a few weeks ago but not before he learned that he was to be honored at the Reunion. For those of us who saw what he did with a Chevy engine and who enjoyed watching the little S & S dragster beat up on the big, bad Hemi cars, this is an honor that is long overdue. George contributions to the sport and the image of Rick in that Chevy dragster in the winner's circle will be long remembered.

One of the great things about the California Hot Rod Reunion is the fact that they do honor so many of the greats from the early days of the sport, and another thing is that we all get to share some time with them, tell some stories about them and honor them at one of the truly historic drag strips in America, the track in Bakersfield, California. I'm going there to work this weekend, but don't tell my boss that I'm going to have a good time, too. Hope to see you there.