Drag Illustrated Issue 139, December 2018 | Page 52

D.I. COLUMNIST On the Road with Van Abernethy S ince most of my early- 1990s film pics from Norwalk Raceway Park are currently misplaced amongst other boxes of archives up in the attic, I was thank- ful for the opportunity to borrow this great shot of Bill Kuhlmann from Bill’s son, Barry, who has an extensive collection of photos from every era of drag racing. This photo really captures the essence of what the drag strip looked like when I first laid eyes on the place back in 1992. This superb facility (now called Summit Motorsports Park) is lo- cated near an Amish community in northern Ohio. “Norwalk,” as it’s simply but affection- ately known, is regarded as one of the finest facilities in the country, and is a fa- vorite stop for many racers and fans. I visited the track this past summer and had a great chat with Drag Illustrated’s Editor-in- Chief, Nate Van Wagnen, who grew up in this area and holds Summit Motor- sports Park in the highest regards. Nate knows all the great eateries in town, so on Saturday night we went to this Mexican joint where we swapped favorite Norwalk stories over the glorious sounds of sizzling fajitas. Nate and I both had some memorable first experiences at Norwalk, but mercy, those adven- tures turned out to be on opposite ends of the spectrum! For Nate, Norwalk represents the place where drag racing started for him as a young boy when he came here with his dad to check out the Funny Car Fox Hunt, which fea- tured alky floppers, jet cars, a slew of bracket entries, plus “Benny the Bomb” was on hand to blow himself up, which is always well-received. Amazingly, this was the first drag race that Nate ever attended in his life, and he was admittedly hooked from that day forward. “I was blown away with everything – the sounds, the smells, the fanfare – and I never got over it!” Nate explains. I nodded in agreement, as I cautiously tapped my fajita plate to see if it was still 500 degrees. Then I proceeded to share my inaugural Norwalk experience with Nate, which was equally as memorable, but for much different reasons. My first trip here hap- pened in 1992 for an IHRA national event, and honestly, it didn’t start out quite as pleasant as Nate’s first visit, mainly because track owner Bill Bader Sr. threw me off the starting line in stern fashion! It wasn’t particularly funny at the time, but I truly cherish the memory all these years later. my local newspaper. Mr. Bader gave me a spirited pat on the back and said, “Well then, I guess you’re OK!” Nate laughed at the thought of me getting escorted off the starting line, especially since I tell the story so passionately! Amazingly, this wasn’t the last time I was momentarily in hot water with the authorities of Nor- walk. Fast-forward to 2006, when late one Saturday night I was leav- ing the track after IHRA qualify- ing had ended. Within 60 seconds of pulling out of the gate I saw the You see, in 1992 I was still quite young, therefore Mr. Bader thought I had snuck onto the starting line to gain restricted area access from which to enjoy the action. I pleaded my case – even flashed my official IHRA-issued starting line creden- tials – but he insisted I had to go! So, with my fancy camera swing- ing wildly from my scrawny neck I stomped off in a huff, but I didn’t stay gone for long, as I found the nearest IHRA official and returned to the scene so I could be properly introduced. The IHRA official ex- plained to Mr. Bader that despite being conspicuously young, I was actually a legitimate member of the working press – a regular contribu- tor to IHRA’s own publication, as well as a drag racing columnist for gut-wrenching flicker of blue lights in my rear-view mirror. I was des- perately hoping it was Bill Bader Sr. playing a prank on me for old times’ sake, but instead, it was the actual law! I had all my identifica- tion in place as the shadowy figure approached my vehicle. “Do you know why I pulled you over?” in- quired the officer. For once in my life, I honestly didn’t have a clue and I politely told him as much. It seems I had blown right through a stop sign without offering the slightest tap of the brakes. Truth is, I never saw the stop sign for a second, and the officer freely admitted that many people have ran through this same stop sign because its position makes it difficult to see. I was hopeful he was going to extend a little mercy my way, but he actually wrote me a ticket instead! Back home in NC I wondered what might possibly be the worst that could happened to a guy hun- dreds of miles away if maybe, just maybe, I didn’t pay this fine right away. Would they just forget about it? I wondered. About three months later I got my answer when a second letter arrived from the State of Ohio, asking me to turn in my driver’s li- cense! I couldn’t write a check and mail it fast enough! As far as I know, I’m currently in good standing with the Buckeye State, which is a good thing since I usually visit Norwalk several times a year. Even though I’ve had my tense moments in and around this sleepy town, I’ve always considered the facility to be a mod- ern-day treasure. They’re known for not only hosting some amazing drag rac- ing events, but they even have their very own cloth- ing line called the Quarter Mile Clothing Company, which can be purchased at the track’s gift shop, and I always bring home some nice shirts and hats. A trip to Norwalk would not be complete without also vis- iting Wild Bill’s Ice Cream Saloon, where you can fa- mously purchase a pound of local Velvet ice cream for the paltry sum of one dollar. No matter what your first experi- ence happens to be at Norwalk, it’s sure to be memorable in one way or another – at least that was the case for Nate and myself! On the way home from my most recent visit, I chuckled at the thoughts of what my final visit to Norwalk might be like someday dur- ing my retirement tour. If I hang around this sport long enough, I can almost imagine Bill Bader’s great-grandson escorting me off the starting line because he suspects I’m senile and may have accidentally wandered into a restricted area. If that ever happens, I’ll know for cer- tain that my career has come full circle. DI DI DI DI DI DI DI DI DI DI 52 | D r a g I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com Issue 139