May 27, 2008

Bowling Green Gearing up for the
Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion

Three-day event has nearly $4 million impact on area

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – You have heard us say it again and again, but here is another great big “Welcome Back” to the participants of the Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion! The 6th Annual Reunion at Beech Bend Raceway Park June 13-15 is a 3-day festival of speed, hot rods and American automotive enthusiasm. Produced by the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, the Reunion is part of the museum’s “living history” philosophy, which works to bring to life the sights, sounds and people who made history in the early days of drag racing, land speed racing, and the golden age of American car culture.

Unique among motorsports events, the Reunion honors some of the top names in hot rodding from the past and features a fabulous array of cool drag cars, street rods and customs of the historic and present-day eras. Tickets are available for all three days at $55, or individually at $20 per day Friday and Saturday and $15 Sunday. Children 15 and under are free when accompanied by an adult. The Reunion features a wide variety of activities and events, including:

• Hot Heads Eliminator NHRA vintage drag racing, featuring some of the sport’s most famous and historic cars and drivers, racing in such classes as Nostalgia Top Fuel, Funny Car, Altereds, Supercharged Gassers, Classic Super Stock, Hot Rods and others.
• Street rod “show ‘n shine” presented by SoffSeal, with thousands of gleaming pre-1972 hot rods, custom cars, classics and muscle cars. “Memory Lane” will have a display of nostalgic race cars.
• Open house at Holley on Thursday, June 12, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., followed by the Heacock Classic Insurance Show ‘n Shine cruise to the Holiday Inn University Plaza. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at 5 p.m.
• National Hot Rod Reunion Reception, held at the Holiday Inn University Plaza Sloan Convention Center ballroom on Friday evening, June 13. Open to everyone at no charge, it’s a tribute to the Reunion’s Grand Marshal and Honorees with a chance for fans to meet some of drag racing’s heroes.
• Cacklefest on Saturday evening, where nitro-burning historic, front-engine top-fuel dragsters and other classic race cars are push started just like in the “old days.”
• The Swap meet and Reunion Midway on the oval track, filled with manufacturer exhibits and demonstrations, plus a Memory Lane collection of historic race cars.
• Spend Father’s Day enjoying all the track action plus final eliminations, some exhibition runs and the awards presentation.

The gates at Beech Bend open at 8 a.m. each day, and the fun starts there! Information, including a full activities schedule, entry forms and tickets, is available through the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum at museum.nhra.com or by calling 909-622-2133.

SCHEDULE
(Update May 2008 - Subject to Change)

Thurs., June 12
Late Registration & “Will Call” for Show ‘n Shine Only (Holiday Inn lobby).. 9 a.m.– 4 p.m.
Holley Open House (Holley Headquarters) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Heacock Classic Show ‘n Shine cruise & Vettasitic treasure hunt begins (Holley Headquarters)……………………………………………………………….... 2 p.m.
Heacock Classic Show ‘n Shine ribbon cutting & cruise ends (Convention Center parking lot)......................................................................................................................... 5 p.m.
Racer Pit Parking and Vendor Midway Set-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 a.m.- 6 p.m.
No Show ‘n Shine parking at track
Fri., June 13
Reunion Opens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 a.m.
Late Registration and all Will Call pick up (Beech Bend Park) . . . . . . . . . . . .8 a.m.-5 p.m.
SoffSeal Show ‘n Shine judging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 a.m. - 5p.m.
Hot Heads Qualifying & Exhibition Runs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Hot Heads Top Fuel Qualifying – Session 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 p.m.
Secure Track Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 p.m.
Holley Hot Rod Reunion Reception (free admission - Holiday Inn Sloan Convention Center)................................................................................................................ 7 p.m.
Sat., June 14
Reunion Opens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 8 a.m.
Participant late registration (Beech Bend Park) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 a.m. – 10 a.m.
SoffSeal Show ‘n Shine judging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 a.m. - noon
Hot Heads Qualifying & Exhibition Runs As Called . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 a.m.
Hot Heads Top Fuel Qualifying – Session 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 p.m.
Hot Heads Category Eliminations – (Round 1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 p.m.
Special Awards & Honorees presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 p.m.
Top 50 SoffSeal Show ‘n Shine parade & awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6:30 p.m.
Hot Heads Top Fuel Qualifying final round . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7:45 p.m.
Twilight Memorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 8:30 p.m.
Cacklefest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...........8:35 p.m.
Sun., June 15
Reunion Opens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...8 a.m.
Chapel Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 a.m.
Pre-race Ceremonies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10:30 a.m.
National Anthem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .....11 a.m.
Hot Heads Eliminations & Exhibition runs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....11 a.m.
Winner’s Circle Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..3:30 p.m.
Reunion Closes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 p.m.

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