Event>>the Old School Drags @ Eagle Field

As you might have read during the road trip story I posted yesterday, our destination was the Fresno Dragways Reunion, held at Eagle Field in the middle of the San Joaquin Valley.

A no-frills retro drag event at an old airstrip? This was going to be cool.

So what is Eagle Field anyways? It's a former US Army Air Force training base used to train pilots during the war. The base is long out of service, but still has an active runway and a museum.

Last fall the base hosted a drag race gathering for pre-'65 vehicles on the runway. That event was rather small, but word must have spread fast because this one was packed! It also helped that the racing was opened up to cars from 1973 and older.

The format of the Eagle Field Drags is simple. You pay 20 bucks, get your car tech'd, and have it at it. The track is about an 1/8 mile, there is no Christmas Tree, no timing, no competition. A guy waves a flag, and the cars race either for bragging rights or just for fun.

It's a beautiful thing.

While there were no restrictions on the cars that could race, there were tons of traditional drag cars that came out, and they were by far the funnest to watch. Everything from straight axle gassers…

…to rail dragsters…

…and everything in between.

There were even a few lead sleds that came out to run.

While others, like this slammed Chevy were kicking about the car show area.

The surface of the runway definitely not ideal for serious racing, and that was one of the best things about the event. Nobody took it seriously. A lot of the drivers had more fun doing burnouts the entire length of the track then actually racing.

The setting itself lended so much to the retro feel. After all, most old drag strips had dirt pit areas and racing surfaces with poor traction.

A lot of these cars I'd seen before down at Famoso, but it was different seeing them out at Eagle Field racing for kicks.

When the lines between hot rod and dragster become blurred…

Wherever I go these days, I can't seem to escape badass Mopars.

Check out the official staff vehicle for the event. So cool.

This Hemi-powered Pontiac is really about as bitchin' as it gets.

High riding drag stance at its best. The wheel and tire combo makes this Chevy look like it comes from the '70s era.

The grudge matches included everything from retro dragsters…

…to mini-bikes.

With scenes like this, you definitely have the makings of a great event.

A '65 GTO pulls through the dust clouds and onto the track.

This '55 Chevy known as Rat Poison is an actual period machine that raced at the long-closed Fresno Dragways.

Wicked little blown coupe staging for some action.

A couple more '55s waiting their turn in the dusty staging lanes.

Even though the track was only 1/8 of a mile, the faster cars reached some pretty crazy speeds before it was time to shut down.

I've got to hand it to the organizers and racers that made the Fresno Dragways Reuninon one of the coolest throw back events I've ever seen.

Can't wait until the next one!

-Mike Garrett

http://eaglefielddrags.com

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1

seriously

4th pic from top

im feeling that!

wallpaper needed!

2

Loving the rods

3

sweet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

4

Danggg! Things like this keep the spirit alive in drag racing and they allow the memory of these old school drag racers to be kept alive.

5

AMAZING STUFF! you guys should cover more stuff like this :D

6

Love it.

7

I love the fact that the track isnt perfect and it has dirt pit areas, just really adds to the aura

8

wow! so awesome...

9

Cool post

10

Good stuff.

11

you guys have been covering the coolest stuff lately. its those things that make us love cars that we forget about alot of the time.

12

awesome. why can't we have car meets like this in the UK (apart from the obvious not having actual cars like this)?

13

What a fun day !! I enjoyed watching every minute. Great selection of cars,from the show quality to the true rats. Loved the staging lanes in front of the spectator area. Loved how all of the drivers seemed to be having such a good time and wanted to keep racing well after it was over .

A bunch of 6-12 year old kids were with my group and had were completely engrossed in the racing all day. I can't wait for the next one. Only with out the wind !

14

P.S. It probably helped that they were announcing this event all day during DRAGFEST at Famoso.

15

What an awesome event!- The pictures had me engrossed from start to finish- I just burned something on the stove

16

What an event!

17

I want to see this. Everything looks so...original. There's no million dollar machines, no big sponsors, just a bunch of average blokes coming out to have fun and enjoy cars.

18

Looks like you guys have created a monster @ Eagle Field.

Long Live The Monster.

19

Nice write-up.. I see my old truck behind the rail in the third pic :)

20

Time warp. Totally awesome...

21

Thanks for all the kind words, we really had a great time and looking forward to our HOT ROD Gathering '65 and earlier Runway Drags and show Oct 9th. Rocky

22

Just seven days after my encounter with history at the Long Beach Motorama, I found myself once again in the midst of Hot Rodding as it was. This time the setting was Eagle Field, the old army airstrip near the town of Dos Palos in California's Central

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