Attending the 45th Annual March Meet at famed Famoso Raceway was truly a blast from the past. Located just north of Bakersfield, California, this 1,320-foot strip of historical drag racing asphalt brings back the sights and sounds of yesterday's nostalgic drag racing and show 'n' shines at the Goodguys March Meet.
The event is one of the largest gatherings of nostalgia dragsters on the planet, and 500-plus competitors launched themselves down the quarter-mile track in replicated speed machines of the '50s, '60s, and '70s, from your all-steel door slammers, AA, A, B, and C gas coupes, Jr. Fuel, and nitro funny cars to wild-'n'-loud, ground-shaking, top-fuel, front-engine dragsters making record passes at more than 255 mph.
The Goodguys March Meet also displayed a colorful early model show 'n' shine, featuring pre-'72 custom trucks, lead sleds, customs, hot rods, Rat rods, and classics, held in conjunction with the nostalgia drag racing. We strolled through endless rows of shimmering bright colors, chrome, and billet reflecting the history of old American iron, as another pair of ground-shaking, front-engine, top-fuel dragsters thundered down the quarter-mile, making another timeless pass.
Spectators and competitors were also treated to an enormous venders' village, displaying the industry's latest go-fast performance parts, tools, fashions, and novelty products every gearhead desires. For those hard-to-find parts for your latest project, a walk through the swap meet could uncover that one treasured part.
While attending the event, we cruised through the pits to check out the hundreds of wild straightliners. Walking through the staging lanes brought back those early memories of when we used to attend drag races at Lions in Orange County and Irwindale back in the '60s and '70s - those were the days.
After checking out the early model trucks participating in the show 'n' shine, we pulled our feature trucks to be photographed in the late afternoon. We prefer photographing feature vehicles either during the early morning sunrise or late-afternoon sunset. When the light is low on the horizon, it casts a soft light that helps richen the colors. During this time of year (early spring), the rolling hills of the San Joaquin valley are very green, making the beautiful backdrop a photographer's dream.
Following our feature photo shoot, we cruised toward Bakersfield, where we were invited to an open-house cruise to be held at Rodger Lee's shop, Ironworks Speed & Kustom. Rodger specializes in building Rat rods, early model customs, lead sleds, and trucks. You had the option of self or guided tours. There were plenty of how-to stories and bench racing. All that was missing was some live rockabilly music.
Some Draggin' History
The evolution of drag racing as we know it today was fused initially together by two types of vehicle speed competition - dry lake and illegal street racing. Following World War II, the return of our young GIs who had experienced death-defying events brought that fearless daredevil mentality home. With the need for speed, an epidemic broke out all across the United States, and a small local group of racers from Bakersfield, California, started a car club known as the Bakersfield Coupe and Roadster Club. This club was sanctioned by the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) and raced competitively on the dry lakes of Southern California. In 1948, the Bakersfield Coupe and Roadster Club changed its name to The Smokers, and drag racing was its main focus. Drag racing was conceived in Bakersfield in 1951 when The Smokers held its first drag race on an abandoned airstrip owned by the Kern County Land Company. The event was huge and laid the foundation of what is known in drag racing as the legendary Smokers March Meet.
The Smokers ran the U.S. Fuel and Gas Championships until 1965, when the group disbanded and sold its name, Smokers Incorporated, to an eastern promoter named Gil Kohn. In 1969, Kohn moved the U.S. Fuel and Gas Championships to Long Island, New York, and the event in Bakersfield became officially known as the March Meet. From 1967 until 1988, the March Meet was run under the direction of various individuals.
In 1994 The Goodguys Rod and Custom Association started the Vintage Racing Association and reinstated the March Meet. Today, the March Meet is the premier event in all of Nostalgia Drag Racing. The annual three-day event still draws thousands of spectators from all over the United States, and more than 500 racers compete with pre-'72 race cars, trucks, and dragsters. Last year's daily spectator record attendance was more than 35,000, and this year will be even greater. Vintage Racing Association (VRA) blasts from the past are back.