On June 16-18, in the spirit of gasser legend “Ohio George” Montgomery, a group of gassers set up exactly as those nose high, non-winged, extremely popular supercharged coupes and sedans of the ‘60s will be match racing as a special attraction at the 9th annual Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion presented by AAA at the historic Beech Bend Raceway Park in Bowling Green, Ky.
A thorough check of the current NHRA Rulebook will reveal no mention of an AA/Gas Supercharged class or even a Gas Coupe and Sedan category. The irony is 45 years ago these cars were every bit as popular and had as much fan appeal as fuel-burning Funny Cars do today. At the top of the heap was “Ohio George” whose “World’s Wildest Willys” took six NHRA Nationals titles as well as three Eliminator victories. The “Gasser Wars” of the 1960s created stars and drew exceptional crowds.
With no aerodynamic aids and the high speeds now possible, the racers, under the direction of organizer Rocky Pirrone, will restrict themselves to the 1/8th mile.
“Gassers epitomize the heart of the Hot Rod Reunion. These cars are true nostalgia and take fans back to the golden era of drag racing,” said Steve Gibbs, Museum Boardmember and Reunion Race Director. “Reunion fans are going to get a great lineup of Supercharged Gassers and an amazing show.”
In addition, Reunion fans can meet numerous Gasser legends including Montgomery, racing pioneer Barbara Hamilton, the first woman in drag racing to receive an NHRA license for driving supercharged cars, The Mallicoat Brothers, and popular members of the S&S Racing Team.
The 9th annual Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion presented by AAA is a three-day festival of speed, hot rods and American automotive enthusiasm featuring loads of family-fun activities such as Hot Heads nostalgic drag racing, the Cacklefest and SoffSeal Show N Shine.
Three-day credentials ($60) are available at 800/884-NHRA or online, www.nhratix.com. One-day adult tickets will be available at the gate. Children 15 and under are free when accompanied by a paid adult.
For National Hot Rod Reunion Information, please call (909) 622-8562 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Proceeds of the Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion benefit the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum.
