Event Coverage The 2018 H.A.M.B. Drag Nationals

Not for a total hijack,,,
We haven't ever made the drags as we have an event conflict,,
But this is our 19 year with the calendar and it felt like it might be the last one,,, a bit of burnout, a bit of grief from competing product,,, sales down,,, until,,,
Your long term customers come up to you and tell you how important and what it means to see the calendar every year, and the ones that tell me they are waiting their turn to be featured,,, so thanks for the boost.

 

My butt hurts from kicking myself in the ass for not going this time. Just wasn't in the cards. I need to start making my plans around HAMB Drags instead of the other way 'round. I like hearing that it was more low key this year than it has been in recent years. It just seems more special and personal when it isn't overrun with posers and wannabes.
The '30 Coupe is gone to a new home in Arkansas, now working on a '40 Tudor Standard. Going thru some new learning curves, but HAMB Drags 2019 is a good motivator. Even though I've only been a few times, they've always been a blast. Many thanks to Ryan and Crew for producing a great event. Far more work than most of us realize.

 

I’m going to make it next year. It’s taken 8 years to get to drive. And will contemplate taking down the track. I’m not sure if it would qualify.

 

I think I need to get back next year, I was at the first several and one in the middle. My car isn't fast but I love to race it anyway. See you next year.

 

Looks good from here!

 

Thanks for all involved its truly the funnest thing I do all year! I think it would be fun to have some grudge races thrown into the normal routine. I know it would be tough but maybe designate the class off the picture and description summited... a few of the cars seemed to be in the wrong class


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Ryan all is well. Your the master of doing whats right for the Hamb and the event. I had two rooms reserved and was all cranked up to come. I had two new recruits to expose to the event this year. I had my knee replaced 9th of july but its doing well enough come hell or high water I was going. Then got a call from a friend about a week before the event. My brother Leon was helping him work on his Nostalgia fuel funnycar in Ill. Leon suffered a stroke. I had to fly to Chicago last week to be with him. He is in Chicago doing well but in therapy. My buddies kept the rooms and went to Mo-Kan. Needless to say they are hooked. One of them runs a D/stock NHRA stickshift Nova. He is now going to sell the Nova and build a FED. lol. He said...how the hell have I missed this!! You and the HAMB affect so many people in a real positive way. Best regards and will see you all next year. Thanks guys and gals. Lippy

 

Ryan, thank you for keeping the fire lit on this event. My hubby has been going for 12+ years and this was my 10th year. We haven't had a vacation in a long time and we were going to be in S. Padre Island for this year's HAMB drags. I told Jeff we couldn't miss it. We have so much fun with our friends and seeing certain friends once a year. So we cut our vacation short, drove back from Padre on Thursday, did laundry, loaded up the RV and took off for Joplin, MO Friday morning. LOL! You can't keep us away. We don't know what we'd do with ourselves in August without this event.

 

Alright TZ, I'll meet you in St. Louis and convoy from there.

It's been too long. I've made it 4 times but I've never made it down the track. It would be nice to change that.

 

You my friend have a grudge race. You might need to borrow Josh's blower for your flatehead to keep up with the Stude V8 though.

 

Carl thanks for the link Nate took quite a few. Pics and video and I did get to see some of the action and it's awesome I can't wait for the finished product he has a real good eye for this stuff

Ryan I want to thank you for all you do and not just you but all who is involved in putting on the H.A.M.B. Drags you all know who you are this year was the best of all for me anyway I got to run my dragster got a bunch of pics taken hell I even got the cover photo for this but the top of the list was the privilege of getting to be the shoe in the cackle car sitting in that thing huffing nitro and experiencing the sheer horsepower of all 80% was just plain badass something not many people get to do maybe next time we can make a pass lol you gotta have hopes and dreams you know

 

I’m trying to figure out the logistics of an approximately 7000km round trip next year..... can’t end till I make at least one!


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as you can tell by my multiple attempts to post I still cant find my way around-sorry. anyway I haven't been feeling to well for sometime, hesitant to leave home but through a mutual friend I met Rex Abrahams we sent a few e-mails back and forth,he got my interest in attending the event ,I wanted to attend the friday night get together at the motel and make some noise with Nitro Therapy, that didn't happen. it did cost me $100.00 motel reservation that could not be refunded.. but I did have it in the trailer- nitro and alcohol on hand so-I decided I'd head in that direction and see how far I got. I did get lost on another road that parallels 170 and knew I had to go farther west- made a desperate turn on road M, and it took me straight to the gate.
Rex and friends were a huge help getting the car out and parked. I put some nitro in it (85%) and sat in the shade fighting the heat.Rex worked a deal with Carl to bring the car to the starting line to run it, better than my plan which was to just run it where I parked, so the starting line run was MoKan bettah. by pure luck I parked next to Randy Jackson with his dragster whom I've known for a while. beings he had his driving suit with him we agreed he'd be in the car for the fireup.
I supplied the 53 year old face mask,goggles and gloves. I told him the face mask has been used most of that time-it smells either like sweat or nitro- take your pick, it was nitro- hands down. good choice. falling back on my age and the heat I hadn't checked the car well enough - when I started it on alcohol, I noted a drip from the nitro pump -ouch, had I turned on the nitro then I'd have been drenched in nitro. one of Randys friends had some wrenches and through drag race sign language he brought a wrench I could tighten the fitting with. not the end of the world, had we not found a wrench
. I'd have just shut it off- tighten when a wrench was found and restart it- for some reason I've hit on a tuneup that lets it start like a new car with computer- maybe better. side note- I like the look of the hilborn "4 holer" but the hilborn barrel valves--suck.
I got the K valve found on the Enderle injectors and did some adapting to use that, I like that one. anyway- thank you all for being so kind and helping, I need it,I have no crew so I usually do it by myself, ugh...the race allowed me to see many cars that I'd have grown up racing -I started racing in 1959, with a partner on a FED SBC,I owned the car -the partner supplied the engines that lasted only a year and a half, in 1960 I was with a group of 4 racing a '37 Buick str8-8 , with that we won F/Gas at Bakersfield March 1960. first real car was a new Plymouth SS426 car in 1963 ,since then it has been superstock, stockers, Willys gassers ,and a FED in 2000.
I've built every car I've raced except the new Plymouth in '63. in the 90's I built some street car's notably a '62 Dodge dart wagon that I converted to a 2 door hardtop and installed a 426 Hemi. I also had a '62 Dart SS 413 clone- at the same time, and a '42 willys pickup with a 426 hemi and a '61 plymouth Savoy sedan with a 440/4 speed and long rams intakes. in 2004 I built a tube chassis '37 fiat topolino with a dodge 270 hemi and4 strombergs. in 2009 at the hot rod reunion in california I was told I could not built a cackle car as good as so-cal people they are wrong, proof being in 2011 "fast" Jack Beckman drove my car in the push start cacklefest of some 130 cars.

I think the handicap starting Christmas tree was invented because of me-the first time I was to race-Lodi California 1960 in my '53 Olds, lined up with a '58 Impala 348 4 speed 3 carbs SS car. I'm sitting there watching him thinking wow does that car burn rubber then noticed the starter tapping on my windshield with the flag- and pointing down the track, he later said he was going to give me a 3 flag head start because I was so bad--still lost. so from that- the handicap Christmas tree was invented,I swear it...
wow did I get far off track with that rant. sorry
and--thanks..Geri

 

@Geri great story! Super happy you made it and had a good time, that’s what it’s all about

 

this was our '37 Buick special with the roadsmasher 322 cid str8-8. I took this pic at Lodi Calif(Kingdon) early 1960 before going to Bakersfield. it had a Howard cam, vertex magneto and 6 carbs, 8 into one exhaust sounded like a bazillion bees in a 50 gallon drum-angry. over the top behind the mountain snow is Reno Nevada. I have a lot of pictures from 1960-62 if you all like to see them.

 

the perils of drag racing ,
this was my 41 willys injected 426 Hemi gasser April 17,1977 when I pulled the chute it tangled in the wheelie bars and made the car turn hard left into a dirt burm, it flipped about 7 times in the air and landed as seen, the rear end was about 200 feet from the car. I had a broken finger and cracked rib. not a bad days work. I built 100% of that car- roll cage worked well. when you think your seat belts and shoulder harnesses are tight- pull them tighter- that saved my life.

 

Wow, great photos and story’s.

Start a new thread with all this stuff I’m sure lots of us would love what you’ve got to share

 

Geri thanks for posting this stuff a lot of people here would love to see and hear about your adventures I am fortunate to have seen lots of your pics and heard some stories but others have not and as always I'm up for more stories and pics there is a thread here on the H.A.M.B. Called drag cars in motion and all these pics and stories would fit in real well also there are a lot of old racers that I'm sure you know that would love to see and hear thanks again for giving me the opportunity to be in the "hot seat" as you call it lol an experience I will never forget and have learned a lot from


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Other than the year i missed to take our son to his freshman year of college, this is the first time I didn't run a car. Walking through the pits i felt like a poser. Then i started seeing familiar faces. Turned into a great day! The cars are great but the folks make it!

That said I have got to tear into the hemi in the digger and sort it out this winter.

 

This year was pretty fantastic! I had a chance to talk with soooo many friends that I haven't seen in a year. That is what I love the most. Everything else is icing on a great day. Thanks again for another memorable event. You guys always do so much so the rest of us can have such a good time.

Here is a shot off the line from 10+ years ago. No new tower. Empty spectator stands.

 

34± hours of driving for 3 minutes of racing (that's one pass )... sure why not? I'd say Josh should come and give that new flatty of his a workout, but that would involve leaving the Atlanta area.

 

Has a date been set for next year. Model A is ready and working on the front engine dragster.

 

I wouldn't know a Kilo from a kilowatt(gotta be close relative though) but living in southwest Missouri, I have made the 4000 mile round trip to Bakersfield California
alone, and after the first 3890 miles -not to bad, you don't know till you head out the door how far you can go. don't think that trip is in my again though.

 

It’s pretty close to 4500miles. The driving doesn’t bother me it’s the time etc I need to figure out


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not always that easy getting someone in the seat-usually have to get em drunk or threaten them,you were to easy.but I was glad to have you do it.
I might also add- -there are many who will never get a chance to even sit in a fed and I always say all kids are welcome to sit in it and get the feel- not all will do that with the engine running but sit ins welcome. I consider kids- anyone from 5 years old to 105.
I am not one of those Look but don't touch" people if it can be hurt by sitting in it I've not done very good job. I'm sure after going to this event I'll be back. best weekend of this year for me. I'll see if I can find the place to post my pictures of the early 60's, I only have about 100 photo's.

 

notice on the real FED's of the'60s you can't look over the blower- you look around it.

 

so far I have not found "drag car's in motion", but I'll keep lQQking

 

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/drag-cars-in-motion-picture-thread.228509/
Try this.