The 56th Bakersfield March Meet. Tasty! Mighty tasty.
Seven of the VW faithful were in our group to try their hand at storied Famoso Raceway’s March Meet. March Meet “Rookie” Dean Nilson in B/Gas (8.60 index), Mike “Two Piece” Shelden, Allen Wiess and myself in D/Gas (10.60 index), Troy & John Palmer, Paul Miller and Mark “BigRed” Lawless in HOT ROD! Unable to attend, were Richie Webb and Jo Clifford. Their presence was truly missed.
Again, due to pre planning and quick action on Mark’s part, we were able to procure a massive pit site just a couple rows away fro the professional nitro pits. Hundreds of people stopped by checking out the cars, chatting with us and taking pictures. “These cars are how fast? Dang!” was common to hear.
Wednesday was set up day, with optional Test N Tune.
Attrition started early. On the very first test run on Wednesday morning, Mike Shelden loses power just off the start. Engine is locked. Done for the weekend.
Dean Nilson brought his eight second Pro Mod sedan, and was still getting some bugs worked out after a total car reconstruction, and doing a last minute clutch change with no time to test it. Dean and crew were making solid progress until electrical gremlins put and end to their bid.
Paul Miller treated the group to hot dogs and brats for dinner, and the beer and the stories started flowing.
On Thursday morning, Mike Shelden took his car back home to assess the damage while the group’s first official qualifying passes too place.
Mark, Paul and Troy were first on the Track in the “Hot Rod” category. Mark made an easy test run in the mid 13s just the check everything out, while Troy and Paul hit good numbers consistent with their typical performances, solidly in the mid 11s.
Allen and I were up next in D/Gas. Allen ran 10.7x and I put a 10.608 on the board. Good enough for the #1 spot….for a couple minutes anyway! By the end of the session, that was only good for #4. Tough field!
Later on in the day, Hot Rod got another shot, and Mark improved to a 12.8x while Troy and Paul backed up the first-go numbers fairly closely. The good news, no more mechanical fatalities
Allen prepared burgers and brats Thursday night, Mark made chili, and Aaron from Dean’s crew made a tasty pasta. By this time our pit area was really jumping with visitors, story telling, and some tasty beverages! We learned the Mike had suffered a broken crank, so we immediately nick-named him “Two-Piece”!
Cruel? Maybe. Funny? Yes!
Walkabout in the fuel pits that night didn’t turn up much action. The nitro cars had made a pass that day, but it was soft for most and there really weren’t many thrash sessions going on.
Friday morning would be the entire group’s final qualifying run. Mark improved once again to 12.18, and Troy and Paul put up consistent numbers. In D/Gas, Allen improved to a 10.62, and I ran under at 10.53. By this time Allen time was good for the #12 position, and my earlier 10.60 was now only good for #7. Yeah, tough field!
Qualifying also began in earnest for the Nitro cars and they were putting on quite a show. We watched several teams on the Friday night walkabout that were working hard into the night after that to prepare for the next day. Friday night’s VW pit festivities were now in high gear as all of the “entourage” had arrived. Not much actual work was being done as most of us were having few problems. Dean’s crew had most of their “tune-up” items completed fairly early so they were able to sit and relax, drink, tell lies, and sample the pork posole I brought along with the corned beef and cabbage (St. Patty’s day is just around the corner) that my new lady-friend Sandi brought. More hot dogs, more burgers, more beer…if one went away hungry it was truly their own fault!
Saturday morning and the first round of eliminations is at hand. Once again “Hot Rod” is called to the lanes first. Noticeably missing is “Majic’s” voice over the loud speakers. He knew us all and we missed the familiarity. What was really missed was his unique and raspy call… “Hot rod to the lanes. HOT ROD, HOT ROD, HOT ROD!!”
Mark and Paul emerged victorious, while Troy red lit. I was so excited and so proud. My son’s first round win at the March Meet!
I was paired with former B and C Gas champion Rick Patton. Although I had the advantage at the tree, .040 to his .105, we both broke out. It was really close approaching the stripe, and he proved why he was a former champ. Seeing that I was not gonna give up the stripe, he dumped at the last second. I was confident, because I too had scrubbed off quite a bit. It was truly a surprise to see the win on his side. The time slip said, 10.46 in my lane, 10.48 in his. Dammit. I was done. I guess I have developed some cobwebs in my time off from racing. But hey! We were still at the March Meet, with Mark and Paul still in it! Allen had a minor mechanical glitch on the starting line causing him to be shut off. It was a disappointing tow back to the pits.
Saturday night was Big Feast Night. I had chicken wings cooking in pork fat in the giant wok, which is a bit of a spectator sport unto itself. A 36” diameter wok over a big burner, with five pounds of pork lard as the cooking medium. Mike Shelden had marinated tri-tip going, Sue Wiess had tacos going. Several side dishes rounded things out and everyone overindulged. The whole “pot luck” scenario was a very big success and a huge part of the March Meet experience!
Sunday morning came earlier as the time had changed. Everyone was on hand to be “Pit Bitch” for Paul and Mark. Mark was out on the track first and by luck of the draw, he was paired up with none other than “Italy Mike” in his new Camaro racer. The same Mike of “Italy 1” fame. Long time VW gas class racer, who’s vintage I/Gas VW racer recently went overseas to start a new life. Both red lit, but Mark was first. Mark’s was also big. So big, he got the “Big Red” nickname!
Paul also went red in the second round, so the VW guys were done. Back at the pits, all the racer excuses were told and we set about getting breakfast done, and getting the pit area packed up.
Another March Meet into the books. I took a moment alone to think about Cindy and how much she had loved this. And then I thought that she is loving it, still.
Awesome weather, incredible friends and hot rods. A perfect recipe for the tasty dish that is the March Meet. If you missed it, you are truly missing out!
The Cal-look Lounge
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