NOSTALGIA NATIONALS

Hope, Pettinato, and Giles all made it out of round one with wins, with Hope and his Rat Trap as the last Fuel Altered standing, squaring off in the final against Michael Sexton’ s rail. In the final, Hope red-lit away his chance at victory, running it out the back with a crowd-pleasing 231.00 mph shot as Sexton shut it off early for the win. There indeed was honor in defeat for Hope.

While nitro ruled the roost, there was some fantastic gas-burning nostalgia action as well. The nostalgia Pro Stockers put on a time-warping display of power. Troy Ohlson’ s Bob Glidden Ford Probe tribute running with Scott Wegner’ s

“ Grumpy’ s Toy”’ 82 Camaro? It’ s a thing! The victor? David Atkin’ s Satmary and Cannon tribute over Mike Robbins’ Alderman Wayne County Dodge tribute on a holeshot no less.

We would be remiss if we didn’ t talk Straight Axle Mafia, a phenomenal group of pre-1980 gassers sans electronics whose mantra includes show-stopping graphics and no cryin’ – a class where a wheel-standing, tail-scrapping 1967 Econoline pick-up can go three rounds. Thirtyeight entries and six rounds later, Leonard Mattingly’ s’ 62 Falcon outlasted Troy Vanstone’ s’ 64 Nova for the win.

Additional class winners included Larry Harlen in 7.0 Pro, Tyler Allen in 7.5 Pro, Jaxon Messamore in Pro Comp, Shane R. Smith in Modified Production, Mark Messamore in Pro Gas, Johnny Britt in Hot Rod, and Doug Wright in Nostalgia Super Stock.

As the sun set on the Kentucky skyline, giving way to cobalt blue of night, a parade of blasts from the past towed out to the two-lane blacktop for a nitro nightcap Nostalgia Nationals style. The iconic Bruce Larson USA-1 Camaro, the“ Fun Bunch” AA / FD, and several other seldom seen East Coast cackle cars fired in unison, header flames licking the sky. A fitting celebration, the nitro pomp and circumstance of Kentucky closing the event, leaving just one question: How many days until we do it again? Cheers. DI

52 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated. com Issue 196