NHRA HOT ROD HERITAGE SERIES WELCOMES AC DELCO NOSTALGIAFEST TO CORDOVA DRAGWAY PARK

To help preserve NHRA’s rich history and tradition while capitalizing on the success of nostalgia drag racing competition, NHRA has formed the NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series.

“This new series is an exciting step that will appeal to drag racing fans young and old,” said Peter Clifford, NHRA executive vice president and general manager. “It’s a great way to introduce the younger generation to the history of our sport and give fans young and old a glimpse of racing the way it used to be.”

“This series will benefit everyone, from the racers to The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum,” said Steve Gibbs, director of The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum. “It provides a great opportunity to preserve NHRA’s rich heritage through nostalgia drag racing competition.”

Hundreds of “race-ready” drivers are anxious to compete in competition that will be conducted under existing, well-established NHRA nostalgia rules.

The second affiliated event of the Hot Rod Heritage Series will rumble into Cordova Dragway Park June 20-21. The AC Delco NostalgiaFest presented by RM Distributing will feature Nostalgia Top Fuel and Funny Cars, Nitro Altereds, Gassers, “A” Fuel, Jr Fuel, and the Burbon’s Fine Dining and Spirits Nostalgia Eliminator, and Hot Rod classes. The Burbon’s Nostalgia Eliminator and Hot Rod classes will be ran both Friday and Saturday as separate races. Burbon’s Nostalgia Eliminator will also have two additional classes, NE IV (10.60 index) and NE V (11.60 index).

Top Fuel will be led by current track record holder “Radar” Lechtenburg in Dale Suhr’s “Orange Crate,” along with Proit, Brewer, Haight, “Dragster Dave,” Hendricks, Young, and McCain. Top Fuel exhibition will feature Dom Parris in the only active (and original) twin-engine hemi vs. the Beedy-Lutz nitro injected Ford dragster.

Nostalgia Funny Cars scheduled to appear include Justin Grant’s “Don Schumacher’s Wonder Wagon,” Doc Halladay’s Telstar, The Zombie, The Mo-Town Shaker, The Plastic Fantastic, The Chi-Town Hustler, and more.

The out of control Altereds will be headlined by Lisa Coil (wife of John Force Racing crew chief Austin Coil) in Tom Motry’s “Drastic Plastic” making here competition debut, along with “The Rat Trap,” “Nanook,” and others.

Midwest legend and Hall of Fame member Arnie “The Farmer” Beswick will match race his famous “Tameless Tiger” against “Aunt B’s Grocery Getter.”

The Midwest Gassers Association and The Gassers and Geezers Association will run Chicago-Style eliminators on Saturday night.

Also in attendance will be living legends “Big Daddy” Don Garlits, who will lead Saturday’s Cacklefest in his “Swamp Rat” dragster, and three-time world champion Shirley Muldowney as the Grand Marshal.

Saturday night will also feature the 10,000 rpm, gear pullin’, wheel-standin’, Ozark Mountain Super-Shifters in action.

Along with the great racing action, the AC Delco NostalgiaFest will have an invitation only car show, “The Eyeball Burn-Out” presented by Wizzard Road Shows, a manufacturer’s midway, vendors, fireworks and more.