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Throughout
the 1990's Nostalgia Drag Racing grew increasingly popular and
has now developed an incredible fan base. Maybe as popular as
the actual racecars themselves, are the "Cacklefest Cars"
(so named because they have functional fuel burning engines,
but are not legal to race due to their age) are a hit wherever
they appear -- at the racetracks or at any number of functions
that want a "thrilling attraction".
There
are currently 40 or so 'Cacklecars' from the 1960s throughout
the country with more being restored or reproduced all the time.
These were all real racecars in their era and most were famous.
On the forefront of this movement is the beautiful and quite
functional "Frantic 4" A/Fuel Dragster - circa 1962.
While most of these cars spend their time at the NHRA Museum
or in the owner's garage, the Frantic 4 is on the road as much
as possible. Norm Weekly and Ron Rivero would be quite happy
to have this be a full time "job". That could only
come from a couple of guys who are retired.
We now
invite you to view a small sampling of the the teams "road
show" over the last two years. If you or your organization
is interested in booking the Frantic 4 fueler for an event go
here: F4-Booking
The
Frantic 4 is frequently invited to appear for nostalgia functions
at the Wally Parks - NHRA Motorsports Museum in Pomona, CA.
Tom West Photo
Original team members
Dennis Holding (orange shirt) who financed the replication, Norm
Weekly (in car) and Ron Rivero (right) were like a bunch of kids
with a new toy when the car debuted in October of 2001. The Jim
Fox built 354 hemi never sounded so good!
Static starts on display
are one thing, but THE thing is a good old push start. These
are only done at race tracks on approved fire-up roads ... like
the one at Bakersfield, CA. Here, during its 2001 debut at the
CHRR, the Frantic 4 with Norm Weekly in the seat makes its first
push start in over 3 decades.
The push start got the
fans on their feet - when Norm staged the car and smoked the
tires - the crowd went wild. Due to safety rules, Weekly could
only make a 400 foot "run", but that was enough for
the 20,000 folks in the seats.
Another aspect of the Frantic 4 Racing
Traveling Road Show is the fact that fans can actually get to
sit in the car. And if they are so inclined, they can actually
be in the seat for a static fire up. What a great birthday present
that would be for fans of any age.
Talk about prime time
- during the finals (Sunday) of both the 2002 and 2003 NHRA Winternationals
16 of the best "Cacklecars" around push started down
the track and then parked side by side in front of the spectator
grandstands. The 30,000 plus fans were on their feet applauding
these warriors of old. Since they last ran in 1972, thousands
had never even seen a front engine fueler before.
During most events classic "photo ops"
(aka Kodak moments) are plentiful. At Pomona one of the true
legends of drag racing made a point of visiting the Frantic 4
display. From LtoR: Randy Hargrave, Norm Weekly, Chris "The
Greek" Karamesines, Ron Rivero and Dennis Holding.
Birds eye view of "The Office".
Randy and Katie Hargrave (new owners
of the Frantic 4 fueler) stand behind their car in a rare shot
with the body off. This was at the 2002 California Hot Rod Reunion.
Randy Hargrave looks intently down the
track as Weekly prepares to make another smokey 400 foot pass
at Bakersfield.
Then there's the event
that started it all. For the 2000 California Hot Rod Reunion,
event "ring master" (Steve Gibbs) along with a few
racers who has old cars capable of push starting came up with
the wild idea of "Cacklefest". The concept was simple.
Take all the cars that could do it, and line them up at the top
end of historic Fomosa Raceway (Bakersfield). Then when the sun
set, push start them the way it was done in the 60s. Maybe a
few fans would stick around to watch? The first year there were
11 or 12 cars and yes, the fans did stay to see it happen. About
5,000 to be exact.
The
2001 event within an event already had a life of its own and
there were 24 cars ready to cackle, including the brand new Frantic
4 fueler. At the 2002 Cacklefest over 32 cars participated and
rumors have it that the 2003 show will be limited to just fuel
dragsters. The Frantic 4 will be at the top of the list.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE 2003 - 2009 Frantic 4 Racing All Rights Reserved.
Frantic 4 Racing is a Left Coast
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