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What
could possibly possess normally rational human beings to go on
an endless quest to find a large hunk of 40 year old pipe and
tin? What could justify spending thousands and thousands of dollars
to restore or recreate a ghost from the past? What magical moment
can bring grown men to tears and for a awhile - a short while
- erase decades of time and make an old dog feel like a young
pup? Cacklefest. The word alone sparks excitement in the hearts
of drag racing fans young and old.
Since
it was first coined by Greg Sharp of the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports
Museum, this strange word has spread all over the world and spawned
dozens of "spin off" events at race tracks big and
small. Although you won't find it in any dictionary, Cacklefest
has become one of the most alluring words in drag racing’s
vocabulary. Since its inception at the 2000 California Hot Rod
Reunion, Cacklefest has grown from 9 cars to 68 entries in 2008.
In 2009 there will be at least a dozen more. Thanks to Cacklefest,
there are in fact more functional Top Fuel dragsters today than
at any time in the last 35 years.
This
site is dedicated to all those who have lovingly restored, or
in some cases recreated race cars that we would never have seen,
let alone heard again. Drag strip warriors from the 1960's and
1970's that have been sitting ignored for decades have been given
a new lease on life and a purpose far beyond what they were originally
built for. Today they give those who own them much joy and frankly
a lot of fun. More importantly they have resurrected the "careers"
of many fabled drivers who had not been behind the wheel of a
race car in decades. They bring back an era when drag racing
was free of corporate influence, protocol and restraints. There
were no "cookie cutter" cars or hospitality rigs. From
the early 1950's through the 1970's dragsters were, for the most
part, financed out of pocket and innovation was foremost. Very
few racers broke even - let alone made a living. Most importantly
they are exposing the core of drag racing history to thousands
of fans who were not even born the last time one of these cars
were push started or went down a dragstrip.
Enjoy
your history lesson at Cacklefest.com |
