Dirt
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I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com
to be competitive in the sport, Cottrell believes
the formula of nostalgia drag racing sets it apart.
“I think nostalgia racing is on the upswing,”
Cottrell says. “I believe it’s one of the most af-
fordable ways of racing, and it’s just flat-out
cool. These promoters are going back to what
works. They’re making a show out of it. We need
to put on a show that makes people excited to
come watch.”
And when it comes to putting on a show, the
March Meet sets the standard in the industry.
“I don’t think I’ve talked to one person who
is into drag racing who doesn’t know what the
March Meet is,” Cottrell says. “I consider it like
a national event for us nostalgia racers. I believe
it’s important to keep the tradition going so it will
be around for the generations to come.”
With all their recent success, one might think
Cottrell and his team are looking to move up
to the professional ranks, perhaps even to the
modern-day version of nitro floppers. But Cottrell
is in no rush to move on just yet.
“First and foremost, we love the sport of drag
racing. We just click, and every one of us is hungry
to win. That’s what gets me fired up!” Cottrell
says. “I set my goals as a driver very high, so I go
into every race with the mindset I need to win.
My ultimate goal is to be able to make a living
racing. I can’t say what the future holds, but I’m
enjoying what I’m doing.”
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N
ostalgia Funny Car driver Bob-
by Cottrell is no stranger to success.
He won the Good Vibrations Motors-
ports March Meet in 2018, parlaying
that victory into winning the NHRA Hot Rod
Heritage Series championship.
But when he repeated this year at the 61st an-
nual March Meet, held at Auto Club Famoso
Raceway near Bakersfield, California, the mag-
nitude of the moment was not lost on him.
“To win the March Meet once is a huge honor,
but to win it twice in a row is crazy,” Cottrell says.
“I’ve been in a couple finals at the March Meet in
my previous cars, but never pulled it off. Obvi-
ously, it’s a very short list of March Meet winners
and some of the greats are on that list.”
Cottrell piloted the Bardahl 1969 Camaro,
powered by a 426ci Brad Anderson Hemi, to a
5.718-second, 249.03 mph blast down the quar-
ter-mile in the final round. That was good enough
to defeat first-time Nostalgia Funny Car driver
Jerry Espeseth, who struggled with an 8.959.
Cottrell’s car owner and crew chief is none
other than Bucky Austin, a legendary name in
the sport of drag racing, and the two have formed
a lethal combination.
“When I got the call to see if I wanted to drive
for him, it was pretty cool,” Cottrell admits, “but
when I hung up the phone, I paused and had to
ask myself, ‘Did that really happen?’ To drive for a
family like his – they’ve obviously made their mark
in drag racing – has been a huge honor for me.”
And even with the dominance they’ve shown
together as a team, Cottrell still jokes as though
he is a child being monitored closely by a parent.
“One of the things I respect the most is Bucky
already knows what I did in the car during the
run by just watching – but he will ask me anyways
to see if I make excuses,” Cottrell says, laughing.
In a world where high-tech electronics and
cutting-edge performance parts are seen as musts
Issue 144