Posts Tagged ‘nitro funny car’
A Coterie of Nitro Funny Cars Coming to DragFest
Beach City Chevrolet
As a follow-up to yesterday’s report of Top Fuel cars coming to Bakersfield May 1-3 for Drag Fest, there is also a complement of Nitro Funny Cars that are slated to appear at this Rod & Kulture Magazine-sanctioned drag race. Among the rumored and proposed Famoso Raceway-bound entries: Jack Wright’s Joker Challenger, Dale Pulde’s War Eagle Trans Am, the Future Flash Dodge Charger, the Beach City Chevrolet Corvette, Mendy Fry in McCain’s Bomb Squad Plymouth Duster, the Fighting Irish machine, the Crazy Horse Mustang, Lee Paul Jennings and his American Revolution (nee Code Red), Kris Krabil in bike magnate Gary Turner’s Pedaler, and the Burnin’ Money Camaro.
Pontiacs, Plymouths, Chevrolets, Dodges, and Fords, etc…? There will be more diversity at Drag Fest than the registration line at the Rosemead DMV… – Cole Coonce
Bangshift.com: “Is there a Future in Nostalgia?”
An excellent article by Brian Lohnes on bangshift.com about the state of “nostalgia” funny car racing. Definitely sums up the conundrum facing those who love and race vintage-style machines. If one defines a pursuit as “nostalgia,” it must face its own obsolescence, because the pursuers get older and die and those born to replace the deceased have no idea what to feel nostalgic for…
Or as HIGH PERFORMANCE author Bob Post said recently in his foreword to Top Fuel Wormhole, “(A)s compelling as this is, nostalgia racing of course harbors the seeds of its own destruction. This is because people with ‘the desire to return to a former time’ (that’s what nostalgia means) will soon be gone, and one imagines that all the 1960s slingshot dragsters that have been lovingly restored or recreated will go through another cycle of consignment to the garage rafters. Perhaps most sadly, there will be nobody left who cares about sitting in one of these silent machines to go vroom, vroom….’”
Nitro Funny Cars: The 5ive Second Fiberglass Forest at Famoso
Pictures from Saturday’s qualifying sessions at the 51st March Meet at Famoso Raceway.
This was a historic afternoon, as every AA/Funny Car that qualified posted a five-second elapsed time. Low ET was turned by Bucky Austin, who put up a bodacious 5.77….
photo by Cole Coonce
photo by Cole Coonce
photo by Cole Coonce
photo by Cole Coonce
photo by Cole Coonce
photo by Cole Coonce
photo by Cole Coonce
photo by Cole Coonce
photo by Cole Coonce
photo by Cole Coonce
photo by Cole Coonce
photo by Cole Coonce
photo by Cole Coonce
photo by Cole Coonce
Twenty-nine entries put up their best to make the field… — photos by Cole Coonce
More Patchwork: pre-March Meet Test and Tune
Pictures from yesterday’s test and tune at Famoso Raceway, Bakersfield, CA…. a very reasonable turn-out of AA/Fuel Dragsters and Nitro Funny Cars, all making final tweaks before competition in the NHRA Heritage Series commences next weekend at the 51st March Meet.
The new Champion Speed Shop Space-Age streamliner
A sexy wheel for a stealthy streamliner; CSS rolls the new Gibson wheel
Champion Speed Shop stages...
Mike Chrisman licensing in John Rodeck's Paso Posse fueler
AA/Fueler Brad Thompson, before popping a blower later in the day
Mike McLennan boils the hides in Mike Fuller's fueler
Dennis Taylor shaking out Gary Messenger's "Future Flash" Nitro Funny Car
Kris Krabill set Low ET for the Funny Cars
Mendy Fry smokin' the baloneys in McCain's Bomb Squad '73 Duster...
... then reflects in the shut down area....
Sean Bellemeur pinch-hit for Troy Green in the High Speed entry; car ran like a bat out of hell
nitro funny car leaves some clutch dust
Hey! You can't take a picture of that!
Adam Sorokin and Bobby McLennan in discourse
(pictures by Cole Coonce)
Pomona Impressions
I saw my first 1000′ drag racing “competition” and “qualifying exhibitions” last weekend… and after timing malfunctions and a general dour mood, let’s just say watching Arley Langlo running over his parachute was the most entertaining and perversely soul-satisfying occurrence of the qualifying…
Sundry photos from Tuesday’s rain-delayed eliminations follow…
(words and photos by Cole Coonce)
Antron Brown in the his Top Fuel pit at Pomona
Top Fuel driver Tony Schumacher at Pomona
Gary Densham, "Teacher's Pet"
Gary Densham and Jim Head b.s. in the Funny Car staging lanes
FUNNY CARS AT THE VEGAS NITRO BLAST OFF, PT. 2
Afternoon session of the Las Vegas Nitro Blast-Off, Saturday, 1-17-2009 — Burnout and leave sequences with McCain’s Bomb Squad… Garrett Bateman in the Plueger & Gyger funny car launches hard with the wheels pointed towards the heavens….
(photos by Cole Coonce)
Roland Leong instructs Mendy Fry to hit the throttle
Plueger & Gyger aim for the sky...
FUNNY CARS AT THE VEGAS NITRO BLAST OFF, PT. 1
1-17-2009 – Pre-season test and tune with Bucky Austin, Garrett Bateman in the Plueger & Gyger funny car, and Mendy Fry in McCain’s Bomb Squad…
Roland Leong casts a shadow alongside McCain's Bomb Squad
