Story-Photos: T-Bone
Before the break of dawn, I’m pounding on the front door to my fellow Merciful; Wally’s place. We are meeting at Wally’s to take his ol’ lady’s Expedition up to Bakersfield for the March Meet. I see the Expedition in the driveway and but no Gordon or Jack. Thinking these guys are fucking with me, and told me to be here early… then I get a call from Gordon. He asks where I am. I said I’m on the front porch waiting for Wally to answer the door. He said, “No your not.” ???? I said I’m at 2670, he replied, it’s 2760 you moron! I thought that house was too swanky for Wally.
I peeled out of there before the cops came by and arrest me for disturbing the peace and a block up was the guys waiting for me. We load up the cooler with our sandwiches, snacks and drinks. These four Mercifuls made this road trip thrifty.
It’s important you know that it’s the wifes car. First of all it smelled nice (for a while at least) and it was clean (for a while at least). I call shot gun and we are off chasing the rising sun to the right as we roll north on the 405 to the 5 a quick stop in Gorman for some more coffee, and clean the spilt cup off the back seat. Then to the 99 and exit for Famoso.
This was my first run to Famoso. We park in the dirt next to some orchard of somekind and find our way to the front entrance. The announcer on the loudspeaker makes it a truly
“old school experience”. The crackly old PA system was a cross between AM radio and Drive-in speakers. Barely understandable the man behind the mic kept us informed of the racing activities.
The March Meet is much more than the racing. Sure we come for the nostalgic racers and watching Pinto’s and Vegas square off on the quarter mile, but there was also a dirty/dusty car show behind the bleachers, a swap meet next to the shut-down lanes, a vender row and acres of pits with partying racers and their family and friends. It’s early March and we were blessed with fantastic racing weather, a bit cool in the morning and warm in the sun. The track was alive and fast. Our buddy Stan (Stans Plaques and Gassers) ran too fast as was out of the running after his morning run.
We hung out in the bleachers during the Funny Cars run. It appears everybody else had the same idea. The bleachers were packed, the RV’s on the opposing side of the track was filled, and the crowd at the fence was four deep all the way to the 1420 mark. While we waited for the occasional track cleaning we were in a prime spot for girl watching. And the ladies were out on this crisp late winter day.
We strolled through the swap meet area which was really painful. Painful as our Chuck Taylor clad feet stepped in the broken chipped asphalt tarmac and painful in the pricing and selection. After a while I realize the swap meters were there for the racers rather than the spectators. If you’re looking for intake manifolds, race wheels, carburetors and such. This is the place for them.
Check out some videos of the action at Blacktop TV
The best time was in the pits. As the day progressed you can stop by and have talk it up with the racers and their family and friends, however, stay clear of the nitro burning funny cars. I was attracted like a moth to a flame hearing the roar and then the cloud of spent nitro came over me and I couldn’t get clear for a while. Burning eyes and sinuses made it clear these machines are made to move and move fast.
Over in the vendor row I came up to my friends Joel and Mary Klass (Vintage Klass) who saw my red eyes and sniffling nose and offered me a cold beverage. Great people. When you are looking for an authentic vintage helmet, leathers or accessories, you gotta see them. At most swap meets and vintage events or online here.
Thanks to Wally for driving us out to the meet. Although he could’ve taken the short cut and a bit of 4-wheeling to meet up on the 5 in the emergency lane from a scenic detour at Grapevine… he opted to back-track for a safe ride home and return his girls’ car in one piece.