2011 Grand National Roadster Show

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In 1930s Southern California, people had a lot of open country, but not a lot to do. As is the nature of man, the residents of Los Angeles set out to tame the open country as man has done for centuries: speed, machinery and reckless endangerment. In the chassis of an old Model T, or maybe a Model A, the hot rod was born.

Stripped of weight, equipped for sheer velocity, the hot rod is testament to American ingenuity in the face of true needlessness. From multi-million dollar water shows in the desert to four old white guys carved into a mountainside, hot rods speak to the soul of that great American ideal: just ’cause.

The GNRS is now in its 62nd year. Once known as the Oakland Roadster Show, it is the longest running indoor car show in the world! Produced at the Fairplex in Pomona for the 8th consecutive year.

This year’s show theme was Route 66. Cars and vendors were encouraged to decorate with the nostalgia of the period. WIthin the show theme there were "sub-themes", the biggest being the Ron Johnson production of "Lions Drag Strip Alumni 1963-1965" which featured ten fuel dragsters that competed on the legendary track in that time frame. There was suppose to be 12 cars but Johnson had a towing accident on his way to the show and the Shubert & Herbert and Ivo "Barnstormer" were damaged and had to go to the Hansen Hospital.

There were also 3 other newer "cacklecars" inside the show and John Ewald had the BankAmericar and Mastercar outside doing fire-ups with the NHRA museum being the benefactor of the donations.

Grand National Roadster Show hot rods and race cars are a part of American culture and heritage, and in Pomona, that hot rod feeling never left. Simply to see the vintages rides, sparkling with nostalgic fervor, is treat enough in itself.

Here are a few photos from the weekend.

Promoter, Ron Johnson with his ChiZler.

To further promote the participating cars and other SoCal Cackle Car events, Ron Johnson and Don Ewald put a 4 page program together and printed enough of them to hand out to everyone who wanted one. Other event promoters were able to advertise their upcoming event.

If you'd like a copy of the program, send $1.00 and your name and address to Cacklefest.com, P.O. Box 28070, San Diego, CA 92198.

Bill Pitts' Magicar is the flagship of Cackelfest cars and always gets top billing.

Another cackelfest vet and regular winner at Lions is the Frantic 4 car.

The newly restored Waterman & Hampshire car that was also a constant player at Lions.

Bob Bradley, Ron Hampshire, Joe Douglass and Jeep Hampshire.

The winner of the 1965 Winternationals, Roland Leong's "Hawaiian".

The easily recognizable Horsepower Engineering car of Doug Robinson.

Another new addition to the huge cacklecar family in 2010 was Pete Eastwood's restoration of the Ed Pink "Old Master" fueler in its 1965 trim. Although the car would go on to have a full body, several drivers and eventually become Bruce Wheeler's "Wheeler Dealer", Eastwood chose to go with the original configuration driven by Mike Snively.

Baney-Rossi-Gobel Yeakel Plymouth Spec. originally driven by Tom McEwen.

The oldest car of the group was "The Lincoln" of the late Ted Cyr now housed in the NHRA Wally Parks Motorsport Museum.

Ron Johnson's "ChiZler V" made it safely to Pomona because it was not in the trailer that crashed. All in all, Johnson didn't have a great weekend.

Darr Hawthorne and Connie Braun (Johnson's daughter) were on had to give out the special flyer and to sell the Drag Sport Illustrated CD set.

Joe Douglass, Ron Hampshire, Jeep Hampshire and "Fast Jack" Beckman who is probaly only headed by Larry Dixon Jr. in his knowledge and interest of drag racing history.

Seperate from the Lions cars was Bob Hirsch's beautiful tribute reproduction of the Marvin Schwartz "Anaconda".

Near the Anaconda was the Howard Cams Ratter that calls the NHRA Museum (literally yards away) its home.

Tocco Harper Garten AA/FA

Outside Building 8, where the Lions Drag Strip display was located, John Ewald was given a prime piece of realestate for his traveling road show consisting of two fuel dragsters and an Indy Champ car.

John was offering people the opportunity to sit in the Firestone Indy car
and have their picture taken and he auctioned "seats" in the dragsters
during the two-a-day fireups and collected hundreds of dollars for the NHRA
Wally Parks Drag Racing Museum.

John Ewald gave about a 15 minute talk before each fieup about the history of the cars, nitromethane and info on the starting and running of a nitro engine.

RodShows Public and Media Relations gal Alyssa really enjoyed her Friday night fire up.

Crew Chief of the Maxed Out Racing dragsters, Bob Danly had installed fresh Littlefield blowers on both cars for the event and the 392's liked them. He made the fuel adjustments necessary to deal with all the air the fresh huffers provided and had 'em thundering.

Rodshows office manager Michelle Bohannan gets the full fire show in the Mastercar on Friday night.

Cynthia Carpenter and Robin Millar were keep very busy helping guests into the Firestone Complete Auto Care Indy car for photo ops.

Young and old got to sit in the Indycar for their opportunity for a great photo, guests could shoot all the photos they wanted.

Crew member Mario Garcia wacks the throttle of the BankAmericar to the delight of the crowd and the driver on Saturdey night who was Linda Perham of Saratoga, CA. She was one of the winning bidders for a fire up in the and said it was the thrill of a lifetime.

Big Emmett of Bozeman, Montana squeezed into the seat of the Mastercar after placing his winning bid....the grin was on his face for the rest of the show and all the way back home.