BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – (Aug. 20, 2008) – California Hot Rod Reunion Honorees will now have a special area to meet and greet fans, thanks to a new sponsorship deal with Dynamat and the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum. Dynamat, a manufacturer of noise and heat reduction materials for automobiles, will serve as the official sponsor of the “Dynamic Legends” VIPs and Honorees Site at the 3-day event, Oct. 10-12, Auto Club Famoso Raceway, Bakersfield, Calif.
The Dynamic Legends VIP and Honoree site will be a gathering place for past and present Reunion Grand Marshals, Honorees, special displays and, of course, a place for fans to meet face-to-face with the Honorees. This year’s Dynamic Legends headliners include Grand Marshal Junior Thompson, along with Honorees Steve Davis, John Edmunds, Georgia Seipel, Walt Rhodes and Butch Maas. The Dynamic Legends area will be located in the Grove at Famoso Auto Club Raceway below the Auto Club sign and alongside the Justice Brothers Car Care Products Reunion Spotlight area, which this year shines on Gas Ronda.
The Parks Museum is also working with Dynamat and other sponsors to bring the Dynamat Vintage Dragsters display to the Reunion. The display includes Al Bergler’s Gratiot Auto Supply Competition Coupe, Larry Payne’s Gang Green Top Fueler and Ed Golden’s Probe III Top Fueler.
Dynamat will also sponsor a similar area at the 2009 Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion in Bowling Green, Ky., June 19-21.
“We’re excited to team up with Dynamat as the headline sponsor of the Dynamic Legends at this year’s California Hot Rod Reunion, and we look forward to a continued relationship with them at future Reunion events,” said Greg Sharp, curator of the nonprofit Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, which produces the Reunion.
“The California Hot Rod Reunion is a terrific venue to interact with our most valued customers,” stated Scott Whittaker, president of Dynamat. “Our participation as a sponsor allows us to provide education of our products and learn from our customers.”
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.
Those purchasing their credentials at least three weeks before the event receive significant added value including a “goodie” bag, Reunion program, commemorative dash plaque and a colorful and collectible plastic souvenir credential. Three-day credentials ($55 each) are available by calling 800/884-NHRA (6472) or by completing a form found in the Reunion section of the Museum’s Website (http://museum.nhra.com). Auto Club members receive a $5 discount off Adult credential prices.
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.
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.