so meticulously created in their honor.
After arriving in Cordova, all involved made
fast friends. “It was like we had known each oth-
er forever!” recalls Rudisill, as he recounts the
close bonds that were established that day. To
thoroughly ice the cake, though, Rudisill ended
up winning the event, which only punctuated
the perfect ending to a life-changing weekend.
It was a late night in Cordova, probably 2:30
a.m. before the travelers finally pulled out of Il-
linois and headed home to North Carolina. Early
into the journey, excitement and chatter filled
the cab of the dually pickup, but eventually si-
lence overtook the trip as the miles stretched
awareness in the South was something that the
longtime friends must accomplish at all costs.
Wilkesboro Dragway seemed to be the obvious
choice to revisit the past and host the event,
especially considering how this vintage North
Carolina facility was such a hotbed for Pro Stock
races in the 1970s and 1980s.
The inaugural gathering was held in August
2016, and it definitely lived up to the billing,
“The Woodstock of Pro Stocks.” As previously
mentioned, the central theme of the event was
to honor a man who influenced so many lives
in this area: The late Don Carlton, who died
tragically in a Pro Stock testing crash in Milan,
Michigan, in 1977. Carlton’s legacy is
forever cherished and still gets discussed
Tyrone Graham (left) and Jeff Rudisill
on a regular basis by those who knew
him best, as well as admirers who never
even got the chance to meet him at all.
Many