So here we are again. It's been many moons since my last post. I've been busy working on my hot rod during my days off, and my blog has suffered from neglect because of it. But life must go on, and my blog will always be here... maybe.
In March I made a trip out to California to see my good friend Matt, compete in the March Meets nostalgia drag races at Famoso. For those that don't know, the March Meets started 51-years ago at an old WWII airstrip outside of Bakersfield, in a small farming community named Famoso, and have been going strong since. The nostalgia drag racing season starts there in March, and ends there in October with the Hot Rod Reunion. It's a learning experience every time I go, as I'm getting a perspective of the races from a racer and his crew.
Matt drives an NE1(Nostalgia Eliminator) class, front engine dragster, and he's pretty darn good at it. His crew is made up of a bunch of misfits that are the coolest people to be around, and will help you out with just about anything. Matt didn't make the finals this year, due to a mechanical failure, but it was a great show up to that point. He's still green compared to the "old heads" around him, but he's holding his own and making a good name for himself.
Other than the racing there are a lot of other things to do. There is the vendors midway that is filled with a lot of swag and parts for the racer and the wannabe, as well as good food and drink:) The pits are also open to all the fans, unlike those snobby Nascar pits. This gives the average Joe some time to check out the cars, watch the crews work, and talk to their favorite drivers. A lot of people actually follow the lives of the cars more than the drivers, as the cars have usually changed hands several times in the years that they have been raced and have a pretty deep history.
There is also my favorite part of the March Meets, and that is the swap meet. You can just about find any raving part or hot rod part you would ever need at the swap meet, as well as lots of other things that would never cross your mind. Most of the people there are willing to deal with you , and will even point you in the right direction to find a part they might not have. To the untrained eye it probably all looks like junk, but not to me. Every part there did it's job at one time for a racer or rodder, and with a little hard work and love they can all do their jobs again. It's one thing to by brand new parts and just slap something together, but if you find the same parts for less money, and are "seasoned," then you got something magical. I think an old part that someone had a lot of good times with that is now on your car, truck or bike, can give a little good "MoJo" to it. I guess it's kinda like, a Karma kinda thing... I guess.
I had a good time at the races, and plan to keep going to them till they put me in the ground. I'd like to see more of them in this area. It's really a family atmosphere. All ages can participate from young to old, and there is just as much respect for a Top Fuel racer, as there is for the low budget door slammers. The people you meet are very genuine, and up front with you. They will bend over backwards to help their fellow racers. I love it. I'd rather have the rush of 2 cars going 200 MPH in a quarter mile than watch 40 cars go in a circle for 4 hours.
