Wally Parks NHRA Nostalgia Nationals to unify Beech Bend Raceway and Famoso Dragstrip NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series events in 2023

Pomona, CA – April 5, 2023 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – For decades the best in nostalgia drag racing has drawn racers, hot rodders, and fans to Bowling Green, Ky., and Bakersfield, Calif., to experience how the sport of drag racing began.

It was always Wally Parks’ vision to unify hot rodders from coast to coast who were looking to measure themselves against the best of the best. The quarter-mile became their chosen measuring stick, and the cars were the stars.

Now, with 30 years of nostalgia racing under its belt, the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum has announced its two 2023 Hot Rod Reunion events will relaunch as the Wally Parks NHRA Nostalgia Nationals.

“Big Daddy” Don Garlits will serve as Grand Marshal of the Wally Parks NHRA Nostalgia Nationals presented by Holley event at Beech Bend Raceway, and Don “The Snake” Prudhomme will be the Grand Marshal of the Wally Parks NHRA Nostalgia Nationals event at Famoso Dragstrip.

“We are excited as we prepare to take nostalgia drag racing to a whole new level at Beech Bend Raceway and Famoso Dragstrip in 2023,” said Dale Coleman, Chairman of the Board of the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum. “We aim to create an environment that looks and feels like drag racing in the golden era of our sport. These races will be an opportunity for drag racing fans young and old to experience heads-up quarter-mile drag racing the way it was.”

Both events will feature three days of nostalgia racing, the coolest hot rods, the finest show cars, unheard-of swap-meet finds, and legends of the sport. The Beech Bend Raceway event will take place in Bowling Green, Ky., June 15-17, 2023, and the Famoso Dragstrip event will happen Oct. 13-15, 2023. Both locations are hallowed ground for drag racers and are steeped in ’60s and ’70s drag racing history.

The Wally Parks NHRA Nostalgia Nationals is produced by and benefits the NHRA Motorsports Museum, an independent nonprofit 501(c)(3) educational and cultural organization. All proceeds (ticket sales, racer entries, merchandise sales, memberships, and donations) directly support the daily operations, program, and events of the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum.

About Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum

From the beginning, Wally Parks envisioned a museum as THE place to view and learn about hot rods, customs, race cars, and speed records, and discover the stories of the people who made them possible. Since 1998, the Museum has been a separate organization with its own governing Board of Directors who direct the Museum’s vision, purpose, and activities. The Museum is an independent California non-profit 501(c)(3) educational and cultural organization.

The Museum’s collection includes dragsters, land speed vehicles, race cars, customs, hot rods and a changing array of one-of-a-kind vehicles that tell the story of American hot rodding. We are located in a historic Art Deco style exposition building on the grounds of the Los Angeles County Fairplex, which is also home to In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip. The National Hot Rod Association has had a continuous presence here since its very first event, the Southern California Championships, were held at this drag strip on an April weekend in 1953. Today, the NHRA hosts the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals and concludes the season with the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals.

The Museum is open year-round and features thirty-thousand sq. feet of permanent and changing exhibitions. As you explore this site you’ll find more information on a variety of programs and events we present throughout the year, including our Wally Parks NHRA Nostalgia Nationals presented by Holley event at Beech Bend Raceway, and the Wally Parks NHRA Nostalgia Nationals event at Famoso Dragstrip.

About NHRA

Headquartered in San Dimas, Calif., NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 21 national events featuring the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series, NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, Flexjet NHRA Factory Stock Showdown™ and Top Fuel Harley Series. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and NHRA Street Legal™. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street® program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League® for youth ages 5 to 17. With 120 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA’s Youth and Education Services® (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing related careers. NHRA’s streaming service, NHRA.tv®, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates three racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; and In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Southern California. For more information, log on to www.NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

Source: National Hot Rod Association

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