Cordova World Series of Drag Racing

[M.R. Ogle]

The whole family just got back from a trip up north to Cordova, Illinois for the 58th Annual World Series of Drag Racing event. Saw NHRA Top Fuel, Top Fuel Funny cars, Nostalgia fuel cars, wheelstanders, jet dragsters, and tons of other cool classic cars. Had a BLAST!!!!

Three quick pics here: Arnie Beswick's nostalgia (restored) GTO funny car, the "Tameless Tiger", a wheelstanding Toy Wagon, and Rory and Riley with the greatest drag racer in history ... "Big Daddy" Don Garlits.

I'll be doing a short video later that'll be posted on YouTube.

[Mike Casey]

I love the arnie goats. i have a few models of them. Looks like a great time.

[M.R. Ogle]

Here's a short video of some of the fun weekend!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJGkW9Bi ... ideo_title

[M.R. Ogle]

Yeah, only once was I concerned for my safety at a drag race, it was at Pomona in '99 when Doug Herbert exploded his engine on a huge fireball on the line and shrapnel went everywhere. Here's a video of that incident:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6lXW0kZx0g

[M.R. Ogle]

No, no "serious" injuries as I recall. Lots of people (about a dozen or so) got hit with smaller pieces of shrapnel, though. I immediately dove down to the floor of the grandstands and covered the back of my neck and head with my hands, as it was eerily quiet right after the explosion and you could hear pieces of metal falling out of the sky hitting all around, "plinking" as the pieces hit the aluminum grandstands.

The one thing I remember best about the incident happened after the round of Top Fuel was done, we headed over to the pits to see the remains of Herbert's car up close. We were standing right by it, when I noticed a guy behind me in a t-shirt with a big black mark on it and a bandaged arm... holding the mangled piece of the supercharger that hit him, and waiting to get Doug Herbert to "autograph" it.

Now THAT'S a true drag racing fan.