The Antique Nationals have been put on by the Four Ever Four Cylinder Club for 47 years. The event was held at the spacious Auto Club Dragway, Fontana, CA. on May 13 2017 and provided a day full of exciting racing with a variety of unique high-quality builds. For the first time the drag race vehicles must be older than 1959 and the show and shine cars must be 1974 or earlier. Considering their antique status, all the race cars go through mandatory tech inspection.
This has to be the largest single-day drag racing event for antique cars in the country. Many of 120+ vehicles are shown only at this annual event. The weather couldn’t have been better, clear and sunny at about 75 degrees. The “Show and Shine” area was full of fine-looking vintage rods. The pits were packed. The gathering included Ford four bangers, flatheads and inline engines. The unique brands on-hand were Studebakers, Hudsons, Datsun, Buick, Crossleys, Nashes and a nice mix of Ford model T’s, A’s, and B’s.
The pits are open to the spectators. A day full of exciting racing provided by high-quality builds. This is a must-see event. The mood was laid-back, because this event was more about having a good time and visiting with fellow enthusiasts. The totally relaxed atmosphere meant crowds hung around all day.
This was the first year the drag race cars must be older than 1959…
Many of 120+ vehicles are shown only at this annual event
… unique brands on-hand…
Winner: Don Ferguson, Wilmington, CA., ’71 Woody dragster/nitro fueled straight
7.872et 170.39mph
Winner: Fred Hulton, Meadow Vista, CA., ’23 Ford Altered, injected Flathead
11.466et 116.22mph
Runner Up: Rex Soulsburg, Palmdale, CA., 27 T Coupe, small block Chevy powered
11.254et 119.82mph
Winner: Bill Freeman, L.A. CA., ’57 Chevy, 406 Small Block Chevy
10.918et 122.00mph
Runner Up: Mike Reynolds, Joshua Tree, CA., ’37 Chevy Coupe,
12.35et 107.54mph
Winner: Chris Lee, Phelan, CA.
13.161et 96.98mph
Runner Up: Bill Walker, Perris, CA.
14.286et 101.54mph
Winner: Chuy, Moreno Valley, CA.
15.633et 83.70mph
Runner Up: Tom Spencer, Santa Clarita, CA., ’47 Chevy Suburban, Chevy powered
14.617et 93.56mph
Winner: Geo. Gerberick, West Covina, CA., ’37 Buick Century
17.704et 80.58mph
Runner Up: Ken Jones, Long Beach, CA., ’50 Hudson, stock power
18.196et 74.84mph
Winner: Clark Crump, Alta Loma, CA., ’30 Ford, stock 4 banger
20.015et 61.87mph
Runner Up: Tom Scardina, Pebble Beach, CA., ’29 Ford, stock 4 banger
22.093et 49.39mph
Winner: Keenen Tarro, San Diego, CA., ’42 Harley-Davidson, stock power
16.911et 75.42mph
Runner Up: Steve Peterson, Mesa, AZ., ’50 Schwinn Whizzer, stock power
24.087et 56.14mph
Editor’s Note: A version of this article first appeared in the September 2017 print issue of the Drive Magazine.
