Hot Rod Reunion Expected to Bring Another $4 million to Bakersfield

“Advance ticket sales are strong,” said Tony Thacker, executive director of the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, producers of the Reunion. “It seems folks still want to go out for some inexpensive, exciting family fun, and the Reunion certainly provides that.”

According to Thacker, for 16 years, Reunion attendees have brought their kids, their cars and, of course, their wallets to Kern County, bringing millions of tourism dollars to the area. “Our calculations show that more than $84 million has been spent in Kern County that’s directly traceable to the Reunions,” said Thacker. “This is our 17th year at Auto Club Famoso Raceway, and the show gets better every year. We want to thank the people of Kern County for all their support in making us feel welcome and we’re glad we’re having a positive effect on the local economy.”

As hot rodders and race teams complete their preparations for the three-day speed festival, hoteliers, restaurateurs, gas stations and local stores are among those who will get ready to count the money coming into the county. So will the grocers who provide the picnic lunches and other supplies that the enthusiasts consume.

“Hot rodders spend a lot of money in this county,” said Blake Bowser, a member of the board of the Bakersfield Convention and Visitors Bureau and vice president of Auto Club Famoso Raceway, which hosts the annual event. “Our merchants know this and they spread out the welcome mat. Auto parts stores, hotels, grocers and restaurants will feel a direct impact, but the money that comes in just continues to spread throughout the county."

Thacker added that this year, due to the weak U.S. dollar abroad, there will a larger contingency of international visitors. “We have racers, fans and media from Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Canada who are attending, bringing even more tourism dollars to Bakersfield. We’ll have 300 attendees from Australia alone.”

The 17th annual California Hot Rod Reunion, presented by the Automobile Club of Southern California, Oct. 10-12 at Auto Club Famoso Raceway in Bakersfield, Calif., is a 3-day festival of speed, hot rods and American automotive enthusiasm. It’s also the season finale of the inaugural NHRA’s Hot Rod Heritage nostalgia drag racing series.

Produced by the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, presented by the Automobile Club of Southern California, and located in Pomona, Calif., the Reunion is part of the museum’s “living history” philosophy, which works to bring to life the sights, sounds and people who made history in the early days of drag racing, land speed racing and the golden age of American car culture.
Unique among motorsports events, the Reunion honors some of the top names in hot rodding from the past and features a fabulous array of cool drag cars, street rods and customs of the historic and present-day hot rod eras.

Daily general admission tickets/pit passes will be available at Auto Club Famoso Raceway gate, (www.famosoraceway.com). Cost per person: Friday, $20; Saturday, $20; Sunday, $15. Children 15 and under are free when accompanied by an adult. Auto Club discount is also available at the gate: $2 off Friday and Saturday and, $1 off Sunday. Active military personnel get in free on Sunday.

The Reunion features a wide variety of activities and events, including:

- NHRA vintage drag racing, featuring some the sport’s most famous and historic cars and drivers, racing in such classes at Nostalgia Top Fuel, Funny Car, Fuel Altereds, Supercharged Gassers, Classic Super Stock, Hot Rods and others. It’s the grand finale of the NHRA’s Hot Rod Heritage Series.

- Hundreds of gleaming pre-1972 hot rods, street rods, custom cars, rat rods, classics and muscle cars. “Memory Lane” will have a display of nostalgic race cars. The Justice Bros. Spotlight Award will fall on drag racer Gas Ronda.

- California Hot Rod Reunion Reception, held at the DoubleTree Hotel in Bakersfield, Fri., Oct. 10, from 7 p.m.- 10 p.m. Open to everyone at no charge, it’s a tribute to the Reunion’s Grand Marshal, gasser great Junior Thompson, and the other Honorees. The reception offers a chance for fans to meet some of drag racing’s heroes.

- Cacklefest on Saturday evening, where nitro-burning historic, front-engine top-fuel dragsters and other classic race cars are push started just like in the “old days."

- The Swap meet and Reunion Midway filled with hot rod and automotive related vendors. Something for everyone!

Information, including a full activities schedule, entry forms and tickets, is available through the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum at http://museum.nhra.com or by sending a post card or note to California Hot Rod Reunion, 1101 McKinley Ave., Bldg, 3A, Pomona, Calif. 91768. Requests can be emailed to themuseum@nhra.com.

Proceeds of the California Hot Rod Reunion benefit the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum. Celebrating its 10th anniversary and named for the founder of the National Hot Rod Association, the Parks Museum, presented by the Automobile Club of Southern California houses the very roots of hot rodding. Scores of famous vehicles spanning American motorsports history are on display, including winning cars representing 50 years of drag racing, dry lakes and salt-flat racers, oval track challengers and exhibits describing their colorful backgrounds.

The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum is open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., PST. Current NHRA members are admitted free and Auto Club members enjoy a $2 discount. Admission for non-members is $7 for adults, $5 for seniors 60 and older, $5 for juniors six through 15, and free for children under the age of five. The Museum is also available for special group tours. The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum is located at Fairplex Gate 1, 1101 W. McKinley Ave. in Pomona. For further information on special exhibits, museum events or directions, call 909/622-2133 or visit http://museum.nhra.com