The celebration of fifty years of drag racing is officially in the books for the fabled March Meet. The 3-day nostalgia drag racing event, which drew record daily crowds to Auto Club Famoso Raceway, featured intense competition.  The March Meet drew an estimated 35,000-plus fans to Auto Club Famoso Raceway.

“Sheriff” Jack Harris, of Kaysville, Utah winning in Top Fuel and Bucky Austin in Steve Plueger’s “Northwest Hitter” Funny Car taking the Funny Car title.  Unlike reunion gatherings, the March Meet is all about racing and over 500 nostalgia racers made the trip to compete in this landmark event. 

Photo by Zak Hawthorne

Sunday’s Top Fuel finals under the lights found the meeting of the two quickest cars of the weekend with Jack Harris rocking the crowd as he piloted his dragster to a 5.568 elapsed time at 263.62 mph for the fastest run ever in a front-engine Top Fuel car. 

Harris followed it up by beating Brad Thompson, of Visalia, Calif. in the Top Fuel final. Harris claimed his third March Meet title with a 6.064 run at 239.36 mph for the win.

Photo by James Drew

Bucky Austin ran consistent 5.80’s and 5.90’s all weekend to lead qualifying and eliminations in the “Northwest Hitter” Plymouth Arrow owned by Steve Plueger. 

Austin won the final round with a time of 5.836 at 243.63 mph beating last year’s March Meet winner Steve Romanazzi of Visalia, Calif.

Photo by Darr Hawthorne

Kris Krabill drove Gary Turner’s “Pedaler” Plymouth Arrow to the victory in the Nitro Funny Car B-field over a tire smoking Mike Grekul in Steve Plueger’s “Plueger & Gyger” Mustang.  Krabill ran a best of a 6.093 elapsed time at 237.65 miles per hour in the final round.

Photo by James Drew

In his competition debut, Mike Grekul drove the “Plueger & Gyger” Mustang to a best of 6.037 during first round eliminations in the Nitro Funny Car B-field.  Grekul was the B-field runner-up.

Photo by Zak Hawthorne

In the battle of the A/Gas ‘53 Studebakers, Ken Ratzloff (near lane) from Idaho Falls, ID took the win light over Scott Loomis from Ojai, CA.  Ratzloff clicked off a near perfect 7.601 in the final.

Photo by James Drew

In the final round of A/Fuel Dragster Kin Bates (near) defeated a red lighting Darrell Waters.  Bates qualified second to #1 Waters.

Photo by James Drew

Popular Schumacher Racing driver Ron Capps came back to compete at the March Meet, this time in Mark Stuckey’s “Nitro Charger” Dodge Daytona.  Capps made one qualifying attempt destroying the engine on the burnout.  DSR driver Jack Backman also attempted to qualify in Doug Rose’s “Time Traveler” Vega in one Friday afternoon attempt.

Photo by James Drew

Leah Pruett in her “Dickies Girl” Mustang qualified eighth for the Nitro Funny Car B-field and was defeated in the semi’s by eventual winner Kris Krabill. 

Photo by Darr Hawthorne

Along with celebrating a half-century of racing, the 2008 March Meet was the inaugural race of the Hot Rod Heritage Series, the NHRA’s new seven-race nostalgia racing series. The Grand Marshals were drag racing legends Don “the Snake” Prudhomme and Tom “the Mongoose” McEwen.  The awards were presented by Track Manager Blake Bowser (left).

Photo by James Drew

Pete Kaiser from Merced CA in his Stirling-chassied Top Fueler qualified fifth with a strong 5.817 at 255.89 miles per hour.  He smoked the tires in his first round match with Jason Richey.

Photo by Zak Hawthorne

Big Jim Dunn spent a lot of time seeing old friends and competitors, he’s reportedly building a replica of his popular “Fireman’s Quickie” Nitro Funny Car.

Photo by Zak Hawthorne

In a scene right out of the 1970’s, the “Beach City Chevrolet” Corvette driven by Ed Schwarz lined up next to the “Pisano & Matsubara” Vega with Jeff Utterback driving.

Photo by James Drew

Funny Car veteran Randy Walls was at the March Meet to display one of his racecars and to sell a poster of his terrible California Hot Rod Reunion fire.

Photo by James Drew

In the C/Gas final Mike Wortman in his ‘69 Mercury Cougar, with a 9.641 defeated Scott “Lucky” Hudson’s ‘66 Nova running a 9.655 elapsed time.

Photo by Darr Hawthorne

Mike Boyd, piloting the “Winged Express” put on one of his patented wheels-up, lane swapping exhibitian passes at the 50th March Meet.

Photo by Zak Hawhorne