Despite being locked into the past by its very nature, nostalgia racing is a celebration of this spirit of innovation. Folks go out of their way not only to go quick, but also to make sure things look the right way. There's nothing much cooler than seeing the sun glinting off the metalflake body of a '70 Cuda as it rakes its way out of the smoke, up on the tires. Even better is experiencing the visual and aural assault of that same car and driver later in
rounds with a near 100 percent load of nitro in the tank, tossing it up with a competitor on and off the throttle pedal.
Exhibition cars like Flathead Jack's twin flat motor dragster put a modern and innovative twist on old school engine technology. Restored factory F/X cars celebrate a time when Detroit was heavily involved in drag racing. The East Coast Gassers roll out their jalopies at every opportunity to show off what an old gasser is supposed to look and run like, right down to the hand lettering and lightening holes drilled pell-mell through every nook and cranny of the steel bodies.
Off the track the celebration continues. Swap meets hold treasure for those willing to look. Magazines, carburetors, valve covers, memorabilia, rebuildable and turnkey rides are but a few bits of the past available to those wanting to motor back into the future. All this collective imagery and racing technology grew out of the garages and driveways of America into a movement to go faster by any means necessary, and forty years down the road the legend can still be witnessed for a few bucks and a drive to Bakersfield or Indianapolis.
Thanks to those who preserve it, the chronicle of American speed lives on, even if it is trapped in the past. Good thing this. Years from now folks won't likely be waxing nostalgic about rev limiters or talking about the legend of 85 percent, a speculation that makes one thankful for the past indeed. 
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