For Nostalgia race fans the two capitals of drag racing reside in the rolling hills of Bowling Green, Ky., at Bend Raceway and the Southern California Desert at Famoso Drag Strip.
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.
“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.