DIALED IN
YORK NOSTALGIA NATIONALS
Incidentally, there was plenty of great-looking American steel on the grounds of this event, including Dodge Coronets, Chevy Impalas and many more factory offerings to go along with an awesome lineup of Galaxies, Fairlanes, etc.“ I just believe those days in drag racing were the hit of hits!” says McCardle, who has refined the event to an action-packed lineup of entertainment that attracts enthusiasts of all ages. McCardle continues to tweak the show year after year, but quickly realized it should be a two-day affair as attendance levels rose sharply after just the second running. A recent addition that made a huge impression with fans has been the inclusion of the Ohio Outlaw Gassers, which are powered entirely by AA Supercharged power plants.“ Those guys put on a great show for the fans!” remarked Bob.
Another big hit was a booked-in nostalgia nitro Funny Car match race, which was reminiscent of the most cult-following era of Funny Car racing. Rocky Pirrone piloted the beautiful“ Frantic Ford” Mach I Mustang against Bobby Toth, who drove the sharp“ Super Camaro” entry. Pirrone, who took the win on Sunday, dazzled fans with a billowing, smoky burnout that covered nearly the entire quarter-mile. The showmanship resembled something straight out of the 1970s match race circuit.
Also in attendance was a great group of racers from the North East Timing Organization, as well as open-bodied Comp Eliminator cars and even a group of jalopy racers, whose entries dated back to the 1920s and 1930s. The gathering also represents a time to honor drag racing’ s pioneering stars, as they receive a hero’ s welcome when Bob introduces them to the crowd moments before the main event gets underway.“ The fans love it and these pioneers of the sport are reminded that what they did truly mattered.” Special guests at this year’ s meeting included“ Miss Hurst Golden Shifter” Linda Vaughn, Funny Car legend Bruce Larson, Darwin Doll, Ed Miller, Bobby Fry, Dickie Estevez, as well as famed announcer and flagman, George Nye, to name a few drag racing elites that were in attendance. The 13th running of this event captured a special mystique that McCardle hopes to uncork again at the 14th running in 2017.“ This was a tremendous show and we’ re bringing everybody back next year to do this again!” confirmed Bob.
Winners of the 2016 York Nostalgia Nationals include: Bob Roles in Nostalgia S / S, with Joe Midile taking runner-up. Jim Holland got past Billy Neer in Jr. Stock, while Jack Ratston bested Lew Stitely in East Coast Gassers competition. Mike McCraken won in A Modified, taking the win over Warren Ferrese, with Bud Polist getting past Bob Seaman in B Modified. Jerry Deslandes won over John Giambertone in NETO Comp, while Mike Kwiatec won NETO Nostalgia on a single pass. In Comp Eliminator, Tommy Mull held off Dennis Frymoyer. Brian Spotts earned the top honor over Mickey Hale in Ohio Outlaw Gassers. In Pure Vintage, John Loughlin got the win over Bill Karuzis. DI
34 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated. com Issue 116