NSRA Nostalgia Drags Saturday
Is Nostalgia a thing of the past!
I enjoy the Drags especially when it involves Road legal Hot Rods, so the Nostalgia Drags was high on my list of must do's this year. My good old mate Bakey ( that's him on the left with the high forehead) doesn't get to many Runs, mainly because of his job a BBC news camera man, now how posh is that ;o) So when he said he would get to the Nostalgia drags, I was chuffed because that would mean us going in his pop. It was a red hot Saturday night when we set off with more hot weather forecast *phew*.... Now I am not a Football Fanatic.. but if England are playing well, then I can enjoy watching... I work in the local Market Hall and low and behold.. the stall holders held a vote, to shut the market early 3:30pm as the whole world will stop at 4pm for the football... er wont it ;o) My brother was away so I was left on my own and I agreed it would be a good idea as long as the market attendants physically carry me out while I protest, so to save face and stop my nanna (original owner of our business) from turning in her grave.. we never shut, we never close early. never ever ever... But :o) seen as I wanted to get to the drags and my brother was away.. what the fuk eh, your a long time dead and all the Tax man wants me to do, is earn that twat as much as I can and cripple us if we don't.. So we was off by just gone 4pm, Bakey's Pop.. whoops sorry "Anglia" ;o) was loaded with all our gubbins and away we went and sod everyone..
Managed about 110 miles and the old Anglia started chuggin, I thought Pete (Bakey) was messing about, but as we coasted to the hard shoulder and the look of gloom on his daft kipper told me he wasn't and something was amiss.
We had only run out of gas that's all hadn't we Terrrr, "well I put 20 quids worth in yesterday and I haven't driven it about that much since.. and with the new Edelbrock carb on I thought I would get loads more to the gallon" ... Luckily Bakey had a premonition something like this may happen and he produced a fresh gallon from the boot of the Pop.
Bakey recycles some unleaded.
It was such a beautiful night when we got to Stratford upon Avon, there were quite a few cars a croozin about. We tagged on behind two very expensive looking Ferraris.. which while caused a few to look, didn't get the yeehaa and yahoo a gang of lads full of beer hollered at us as we made our way through the town. Much to the disgust of the cap wearing Ferrari owners Ha Ha.. ya can be cool and you can be cooool but no matter what you drive, you'll never be as cool as the guy in a Rod.. Well that's what I think anyhow Ha Ha.
We made our way through the one way system and soon were on the Shakespeare County Raceway road and looking forward to a nice cool one. We saw a few rods parked up at the pub just up the road from the raceway, where they do some good meals by all accounts and some even nicer beer I know for a fact. So a short refreshment break was in order, to set us up for the tent erecting that we had ahead of us.
 
There were some nice cars in the pub car park a couple of which are here, Pro-street Pop looked ace with its big meats hidden inside a stock width body. 27 Turtle T was cool in Gold, with chrome appliance 5 spokes. Now wouldn't you think people with photogenic cars would park them with some thought of the background eh ;o)
This real sweet 32 was camped across the way from us and just had everything right to my eyes.
We were relieved of £18 each for the remainder of the weekend and found a place by Keith Freeman and Andy *Fadster* Keith has the Graffiti style coupe and Andy has a mad, 400ci blown T (see title pic). once we had made camp we hit the beer and got into the feel of the atmosphere. There were plenty of cars about with quite a few burbling by to give just that right background noise to a Hot Rod drag meet. Soon we were making our way over to were the music was coming from, you had a choice, Live rock band or Hot Rod style Disco.. Me I will always take the live music, even if it isn't my type of music I prefer real music.. It is something about it being created right there, right then!! I know I was into about my 5th can of Stella by now, but the band did sound good and played some great Rock music.. Most people were just milling outside and with it being such a barmy balmy (as in Hot) night me and Bake's chose to do the same and we just chilled and had the crack with anyone who cared to talk to us. I did know quite a few people milling about, so that was a real cool way to spend the evening, some good rock music from a live band and some great crack with people you get on with.. What more do you want!
We eventually made it into the Marquee where the band were playing and I told Bake's, now look after me, I don't want to be taking my shirt off and hitting the mosh pit again.. He assured me he would not let me make a fool of myself this time and I put my trust in him..
 
Dusty, Paul G, Dally and Mad Sonia where giving it some down front of the stage... so I was safe no Mosh pit this time *phew* and I had no desire to take my top of at all so great! I can just enjoy the music... Cant I......... Now I always say Dusty is one cool dude... but I can say without any fear of contradiction... he ain't when he is dancing, as this photos will testify.. not to sure what's going on with the others here either ;o)
But once the shirts were off He looked cool again... thank crikey for that, he had me worried for a minute!
yeah you guessed it, the shirts were off and it was just an excuse to flash off the Tattoos and do some air guitar.. Yep Bakey instead of keeping me sensible.. I was now on about my 8th can of Stella remember.. so I was Lord Numpty for sure... Bakey was going.. go on.. go on .. take ya shirt off and join Dusty.. er so I did.. so much for staying sensible eh!
Actually it was the sight of Paul Nichols with his shirt off that clinched it.. if he will get his shirt off then so will I.. This is Paul's famous Stan Laurel impression.. "That's another fine mess I got YOU into".. ha ha.
 
I eventually made it over to the Disco, when the band had finished and after a long conversation with Odgie who is really enjoying the Rod scene at the mo. The disco did have some good Rockabilly sounds coming from it when I first got there and later went into a Sca session. The Sca music got a few up and jigging about. I had now run out of Stella and was hitting the Grolsch hard.. whooo my head was starting to do funny things! I had a good old natter with a few of the people I have gotten to know now and some of them are real Hot Rod building heroes of mine and I get a real sense of how privileged I am to actually know these guys well enough for them to speak to me. I respect and revere some so much, I really don't want to come over as a numpty and I think sometimes I may just try a bit to hard and do the opposite.. hey ho!! ;o) Then all the next day I get flash backs... oooww boy.... one time I may try staying sober see what happens, ya never know I may enjoy it all more *hum?*..
Pike and Suzy must be the most photographed Hot Rodding couple in the Uk along with there so right 36 Pick-up that Pete Dempster put together and Suzy and Pike have put their mark on... they look so right together.
Well the night was drawing to an end for me, I was proper puddled in the head what with all the heat and hi percentage alcohol I had consumed I thought it best I retire and get some kip... One funny thang that sticks out in my mind was Danny Stephens asking who I was to Jason Springate and then Danny introduced himself to me. "Hi I am Danny Stephens from Danny's Chevy Truck parts".... er " I know who you are" he didn't think I had heard him, so he told me again.. it made me smile anyway.. ;o) mind you it don't take much!
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