A huge shout out to all the members of the staff and crew at Famoso Dragstrip, while we chased rain showers, they had a safe, championship track ready for all the competitors… and got all on Sunday finished on Sunday evening!

However, going into the week prior to running the March Meet, Lee was still hunting for a supercharger and they just about pulled the plug on competing, at this event. They didn’t back into anything as evidenced by their first round victory over a red-lighting Matt Melendez, when Lee launched the “Pedaler” with the throttle stop still in place, to a 10.297 elapsed time.

Veteran funny car tuner Chuck Worsham was working every part of the engine alongside multi-time Heritage Series Champion Jason Rupert.

Lee went on to defeat Drew Austin and Cameron Ferre, meeting Jeff Arend in the final round. Lee cranked off a stout 5.658 at 260.01 miles per hour for the victory. The Pedaler had already set Top Speed for funny cars at 260.36 MPH in Round 2. Arend had difficulties, carding a 5.829 ET at 236.92 MPH after windowing a block in the previous round racing multi-time March Meet winner Bobby Cottrell.

This was Cory Lee’s first National Event win having raced on a limited basis with Turner since 2019. Lee tuned the Pedaler as well, hurting only a couple of pistons and a wrist pin during eliminations. Owner Turner is no stranger to Heritage-type funny car racing having won the Goodguys Championship in 2006 with driver Kris Krabill, racing undefeated that year with crew chief Donnie Couch.

Congratulations to Cory Lee, Gary Turner and Crew on your well-deserved victory!

Geoff Monise in the “Quarter Pounder” Pontiac was running solid with his number 2 qualifier 5.620 at 259.11 MPH, Bob Devour has come onboard to help co-owner Keith Clark, who celebrates his 50th year racing funny cars.

In the Top Fuel category it’s Tyler Hester!

Tyler Hester, driving the classic “Overtime Special” Top Fuel Dragster, had a day to remember as he won his first Bakersfield March Meet by clinching the Top Fuel title, beating Shawn Bowen in his “Violator”dragster in the process. After the win, Hester and his team were ecstatic in the darkness on the Famoso Dragstrip top end.

Michigan’s Shawn Bowen (above) was runner-up to Tyler Hester in Top Fuel.

The victory was a long time coming for Hester and owners Tedford & McGee, who’d been chasing a March Meet title for years. The day started with Hester taking out defending Heritage Series Champion Tyler Hilton and then defeating Pete Wittenberg in a close race, 5.725 ET at 261.67 MPH to Wittenberg’s 5.728 at 250.78 MPH as the two racers were neck-and-neck to the finish line.

Congratulations to Tyler Hester on his impressive victory and an unforgettable day at the Bakersfield race.

Newcomer Michael Anderson (above) showed determination in his Top Fuel Dragster, making his first pass in the 5’s at the wheel of his Donovan-powered dragster.

Pete Kaiser (above) now owns the Top Fueler he tuned and sometimes drove under Dan Horan, he qualified the gorgeous new entry into second in the 8-car field with a 5.735 at 255.82 MPH.

In the Fuel Altered final round, Lyle Greenberg’s “Cone Hunter” AA/FA faced Keith Wilson impressive “Witch Doctor” who he had beaten in the 2022 Bakersfield March Meet. Although Wilson crossed the finish line first, however, his 5.777 time was way too quick for the 6.00 index, giving New Mexico racer Greenberg the win. Greenberg defeated Johnny West in the first round and Ron Capps in the Burkholder Brothers Fiat in the Semis.

Keith Wilson’s “Witch Doctor” AA/Fuel Altered (above).

Wayne Ramay won the A/Fuel Class over Kin Bates Sr. in a final round battle, once again. Ramay won with a 6.057/217.00 charge.

Jr. Fuel was won by Oceansides’s Brad Woodard from the number 1 slot over Mathew Baldonado from Camarillo.

Jason Vanderpool won the 7.0 PRO Class on a single in the Final.

In Nostalgia Eliminator 1 Steve Schoenfeld from Murray, Utah, ran 7.677/153.44 to defeat Garden Grove’s Kenny Upton with his 7.895/175.09.

Nostalgia Eliminator 2 Modesto, CA Eddie Lucas in his ’48 Topolino ran 8.624/144.94 defeating Troy Moyle from Carson City, Nev. who ran 8.659/144.50.

In Nostalgia Eliminator 3 Ed De Staute’s ’62 Corvette from Rosemead, Calif. ran a 11.410/81.49 over a red-lighting Eric Harmon from Gold Run, Calif.

A/Gas was Bakersfield’s Kenzer Small’s Corvette running a 7.589/181.18 to defeat Tom Fowler from Paso Robles who ran a 7.575/177.04.

In B/Gas Bill Anderson from Copperopolis, Calif. in his ’68 Camaro, ran 8.642/148.48  defeating San Jose’s Rich Zondervan ’66 Chevelle, 8.716/146.88.

C/Gas was won by Stockton’s Michael Corradi in his ’70 Nova SS with a 9.864/123.66 over Crazy Connie Wold from Buena Park in her ’72 Vega 10.416/104.14.

In D/Gas Doug Fournier from Campbell, Calif in his ’48 Anglia ran 10.596/125.30 to defeat Oregon’s Steve Canton in his ’38 Austin, 10.525, 124.59.

Hot Rod Eliminator was won by Redding’s Joy Tucker in a ’66 MOPAR 10.780/120.52 downed Dale Hicks from Goodyear, Ariz., ’68 9.397/139.59.

Check out the first of our 2024 March Meet Galleries Below!

The post Cory Lee, Tyler Hester And Lyle Greenberg Take Top Nitro Spots At Rain Soaked Good Vibrations March Meet! appeared first on BangShift.com.

If there’s going to be a triumphant pass of the day it was Geoff Monise, driving the Quarter Pounder Firebird, who nailed a booming 5.632 ET at 254.09 miles per hour late in the day. As one of his excited crewmen said on the Top End, “So I guess we won testing?” Co-owner Keith Clark is celebrating his 50th year in drag racing, this year with some help from veteran tuner Bob Devour.

During qualifying over the weekend, a special event will be contested between the ’23 Heritage Series Top Fuel and Nitro Funny Car Champions.  On a single qualifying pass, two-time Top Fuel Champ Tyler Hilton and six-time Nitro Funny Car Champ Bobby Cottrell will decide who’s the “Real Kings of the Sport”, racing each other for a set of Sander Wheels and a pile of contingency sponsor prizes.

Tyler Hilton in the Great Expectations Top Fuel Dragster will race Bobby Cottrell in the “Northwest Hitter” Nitro Funny Car (below).

Past March Meet Fuel Altered Champion and NAPA Funny Car owner/pilot Ron Capps is getting comfortable in the Burkholder Brothers Fiat Topolino, making his first pass in the Altered prior to Friday’s first qualifier.

There are over 350 racecars who already started Gasser and Nostalgia Eliminator qualifying on Thursday as well. Those galleries and elimination photos will show up here over the upcoming days.

Enjoy this first Gallery from the 63rd March Meet from Bakersfield, California. There’s more to come!

The post The March Meet • Day One Is Testing For Fuel Cars appeared first on BangShift.com.

So when I saw this cool video of the Lyndwood front engine dragster starting on methanol and then switching over to nitro, with some metal siding to protect the grass from burning, I thought to myself “I would be this guy. Every Saturday, just to make myself smile.”

So watch, enjoy, and let us know what you think.

The post Watch This Bitchin Front Engine Dragster Start Up On Methanol And Then Switch Over To Nitro! With Real Weedburner Headers! appeared first on BangShift.com.

Check out this altered roadster he just found and acquired and let us know what you think of it? I think there is something really cool about it, but there certainly isn’t much there! Will it run, drive, do big burnouts, and make passes down the track at some point? Watch the video below and find out.

Video Description:

We found another old drag car we couldn’t live without. This one is a little different than our others…this one is quite a bit newer but still qualifies as OLD. This altered roadster has a lot of great qualities and could make an easy project. Will we do anything with it? Not sure yet but we’re happy to own this old school drag car.

The post HOT ROD HOARDERS ALTERED ROADSTER – Easy Drag Car Project or Death Trap? appeared first on BangShift.com.

Video Description:

We’ve been pushing Leroy to the absolute limit to get into the 6’s… today he finally made a pass that looked like the one, but it just wasn’t it!!!

The post LEROY 2.0’s NEW BEST PASS! You’re Not Going To Believe This! appeared first on BangShift.com.

Check it out as they chase the 6’s!

Video Description:

Leroy is working HARD to get this 6 second run, but not enough cool down time caused some serious damage to our clutch. Hopefully we can get it fixed!

The post Leroy Breaks His Record AGAIN!!!!! QUEST FOR 6’S HAS BEGUN… Cleetus Pushing It! appeared first on BangShift.com.

Video Description:

This old Kellison body is just a skeleton of its record-breaking, race-winning past and I’m so thankful that we were able to rescue it from a scrap yard in Kentucky. This historic drag car was once the pride and joy of Lou Abel and Earl McDaniel from Lexington, Kentucky. It was built in late 1966 and debuted at the Carl Casper Car Show in Louisville, Kentucky in early 1967. It features a Kellison J6 Panther fiberglass body with a completely custom frame. The engine for most of its life was a blown and injected 392ci Chrysler Hemi.

It raced at tracks such as Bluegrass Dragway and Mountain Park Dragway, leading up to its debut on the big stage at the NHRA U.S. National at Indy in September of 1967. This car set a national speed record on one of its first trips to the drag strip, then took home the AA/MSP victory at the Nationals with a pieced together Hemi engine. The car was designed for the AA/MSP (Modified Sports Car) class in NHRA competition, but a rule change sent it into the BB/Altered class for the 1968 season. It wasn’t quite as competitive in BB/A because of being overweight for the class, but it still held its own. Eventually, Lou and Earl stepped up to a larger 420ci early Chrysler Hemi combination, but still couldn’t get it ironed out to their liking.

After taking a break, and parking the car for about a year, they regrouped and put together an injected (not blown) 426ci Hemi and competed in B/Altered. It was in this configuration when the car did a giant wheelstand, and crashed down to the pavement. The impact bent the frame beyond repair, and this car’s racing days were over. It was traded off for another drag car, and was never put back together. Eventually the frame was likely scrapped, but the body survived and ended up in a scrap yard in Louisville, Kentucky. That’s where we found it and recently rescued it from its grave. This car’s history as an NHRA record holder and race winner solidifies my desires to save it. Even though its crusty, it’s still a great piece of drag racing history.

The post BB/Altered Drag Car FOUND – Scrap Yard Rescue & FULL Documentary appeared first on BangShift.com.

Check out the video to see just how this famous ride went together, what it looks like up close, and what makes it special. It looks a lot like an old Super Stock car, but when it showed up it was put in the dragster class and ran low 10’s at over 156 mph. That’s something compared to everyone else, as the supercharged SOHC Cammer was a real screamer.

Watch the video to learn more.

The post Historical Video: Check Out This Complete History Of Jack Chrisman’s Comet, The Very First Funny Car! appeared first on BangShift.com.

Check out the video and tell us what you think. I think one of these would be an absolute riot to drive.

Video Description:

Rick Lawson brought his 1932 fuel coupe front-engine dragster out to Beech Bend raceway for the 2021 Holley Hot Rod Reunion. The car runs in the Competition Eliminator class with a small-block engine fed by Hilborn Mechanical injection. A Powerglide transmission sends grunt to the car’s original 1958 Olds rear end and Lawson’s son pulls driving duty while he spins wrenches in the pits.

The post The Time Traveler Comp Coupe Is Nostalgia Drag Racing Greatness And We Want One! appeared first on BangShift.com.

The driver cannot physically see out of the front of the car due to the extreme lay back driving position built into the lakester. What does the driver do? He gets his view from a series of mirrors that are aimed in such a way as to create a periscope effect and that provides the necessary view. Being that SCTA rules clearly state that the forward facing viewing apparatus must be mechanical and not electronic in nature, it is still jarring ride.

Just watching the driver strap into this thing is a trip to another dimension. He’s basically shoved into the “installed” position and then strapped down. As you will see in the photos, there is not a drop of extra room to work with when it comes to space management. Like many cars on the salt, the body size is pretty much dictated by the engine. This car is just wide and tall enough to swallow the entire motor under the body. Go ahead and measure a small block Chevy from valve cover to valve cover and then try to sit betters your marks while your mind races and your guitar solo beings. We love the fact that the hatch door is also the beginning of the air intake as well.

This is a car that has been on the salt for a long time and it has held and broken lots of records along the way. Here’s again to celebrating the creativity, bravery and downright fanatical devotion that the racers and crews have towards the Salt Flats. Now, go check out the photos below to see exactly what we are talking about!

Check out these photos below and then tell us if you would have the guts to drive this

The post Would You Drive A Lakester That You Needed A Mirror Periscope To See Out Of? Photos and more – appeared first on BangShift.com.