The 23rd edition of the Spring Warm Up & Swap Meet at Firebird Raceway took place over the April 14-15 weekend. To the surprise of many, mother nature had one final blast of winter wonderland during Friday's move-in day, blanketing the Idaho drag racing facility with 1.5" of snow. Fortunately the weather gods were friendlier for Saturday's main event. We thought it would be fun to share a handful of images from Firebird, which is celebrating its 50th year of racing in 2017.
The weather improved dramatically for Saturday's Swap Meet, which attracted a record attendance for the one-day meet that featured not only an automotive swap, but also a day of drag racing and drive-in show.
We thought this four-door Cad had the right stance. Hundreds of rods, customs, trucks and more enjoyed special pit parking at the Firebird Swap.
Firebird track official Bryan Smith liked this 1942 cabover pickup that had plenty of patina and charm.
Not sure why, but there seemed to be quite a number of vendors selling vintage Idaho plates. The table had several nice pieces.
Pair of rides enjoyed prime parking sprinkled in between two sections of the pit area dedicated to swap meet vendors.
This genuine Texaco sign was in nice shape. Not exactly sure what the vendor wanted for the complete piece.
One Boise-based family was liquidating a 60 year collection of vintage Model A and Model T parts. Four brothers were on hand (out 14 in total) attending their first Firebird Swap.
Early tricycle had possibilities, but we really liked the Stop sign. Vendor said he wanted $650 for the sign - dang.
Owner of this slantback 1935 Ford sedan arrived during the Friday morning's snow storm. Said it was pretty much a barn find, looking for someone to take it off his hands.
Australian hot rodder David Waight made yet another trip to the states this year. He attended Portland the week previous followed by his annual stop at Firebird the following weekend. All together he has now made 23 trips to Firebird over the year. Great guy.
It wouldn't be right if we didn't share at least one photo from the dragstrip. Here's Nick Smith and his freshly painted Henry J. The old school Gasser dipped into the mid-10's in some very fast Firebird air (on a day that had a high temperature of 53 degrees).
It was a great day , the best weather in a few years. Seemed there were a lot more vendors. Thanks for hosting this meet.
this is the best deal at the swap meet. A real 60's top fueler. Also a nice shot of my roadster, it was about 32* as we drove over that morning.
The Jalopy Journal
