2011 Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion Honorees

June 16-18, Thurs – Sat at Beech Bend Raceway Park
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monique Valadez, mvaladez@nhra.com, 909-622-3389

Hi-Res photos available on request.

CALL 1-800-884-6472

ONLINE www.nhratix.com

Bowling Green , KY. – Legendary Funny Car Champion Bruce Larson will be leading an extraordinary pack of NHRA legends to Bowling Green , Kentucky for the 9th annual Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion slated for Father’s Day weekend, June 16-18, 2011. Joining Grand Marshal Larson will be former Super Stock sensation Dave Boertman, former drag strip manager Jack Doyle, Pro Mod legend Jim Oddy, Top Fuel Championship team Bill Pryor and Jim Naramore, and multi-talented racer Tom Raley.

“The Reunion Honorees are what makes the Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunions so unique,” said Tony Thacker, executive director of the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum , which produces and benefits from the annual event. “As part of our ‘living museum’ focus, we’re bringing together these legends in the sport with fans who may not have seen them for many years, as well as honoring these heroes for their contribution to the sport.”

Also, the Justice Brothers Car Care Products Reunion Spotlight will shine on the Cluster Busters Hot Rod Club of Indianapolis, IN, founded in 1948. In 1950, the Cluster Busters became affiliated with the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) advocating safe driving and organized racing. The Cluster Busters is the third oldest, still active, car club in the United States . This amazing lineup of Honorees and drag racing legends will be honored at a special reception on Thursday, June 17, 7 p.m. at the Holiday Inn University Plaza , host hotel for the event. Admission to the Honoree Reception is always free and open to the public.

Grand Marshal Bruce Larson began his drag racing career as a 16-yr. old in a chopped fenderless ’32 Ford coupe. He was a consistent winner on local strips in a ’54 Olds and a ’32 Chevy A/Gasser. He first gained national prominence in 1965 when he won the NHRA Winternationals, Springnationals and U.S. Nationals driving a Ford Cobra. In 1966 while working at Pennsylvania ’s Sutliff Chevrolet he built his first match race Funny Car, an injected ’66 Chevelle. It was the first of his familiar red, white and blue Chevys. In 1969 he won the prestigious Super Stock Nationals in York , Pa. driving a Camaro Funny Car. In 1985 Larson teamed with Joe Amato and raced with his first major sponsor. He won his first NHRA national event in Funny Car at the Cajun Nationals. In 1989 he led the points from beginning to end to become NHRA Funny Car World Champion. From 1992 to 1995 he drove Don Garlits Top Fuel cars. Now retired Larson enjoys restoring race cars, and has even restored his first ’32 Ford hot rod.

Dave Boertman is a household word in the ranks of Sportsman drag racing. He got his start when he and friends visited Central Michigan Dragway in 1962. It began his lifelong obsession with drag racing. Along the way he won 17 NHRA National events in Stock and Super Stock, five NHRA World Championships, and 15 IHRA national events all while acting as his own engine builder and tuner as well as driver. He was named to the Car Craft All Star Drag Racing Team four times as well as numerous regional honors. He has been a National Class Record holder more than thirty times. After a seven year retirement, he returned to NHRA competition and earned his fifth World Championship, this time in the Super Stock category.

Jack Doyle has been actively involved in hot rodding and drag racing in New England since the early 1950s. He was one of the founders of the New England Hot Rod Council made up of car clubs in and around the greater Boston area, southern New Hampshire , and southern Maine . The NEHRC rand races at the airport at Sanford , Maine and brought in big time professional racers to the area. As a competitor he was a consistent performer driving a competition coupe at the NHRA Nationals as early as 1959. He later turned to Top Gas dragsters winning Top Gas honors at the AHRA Nationals in Long Island with Don Roberts driving. When the NEHRC was dissolved his focus turned to New England Dragway in Epping , New Hampshire one of the premier tracks in the Northeast. He became the first strip manager then general manager. Content to stand in the background while others took the spotlight, Doyle is a giant in the history of east coast drag racing.

Now a legend in the Pro Mod category Jim Oddy has dominated just about every way possible on the drag strip. Since his first National event win in B/G in 1965, he’s won races, broken records, and earned championships. He’s been a champion driver, crew chief and team owner. When he wasn’t winning races, the chances are his engines were. After his unblown gasser, he showed his talents as a Renaissance man building a blown Chrysler-powered ’48 Austin on which he did the bodywork, paint, built the chassis, the engine, and drove. In the ‘70s he won Comp Eliminator at the U.S. Nationals driving his BB/GS Opel and started Oddy’s Automotive specializing in supercharged engines. In the 1990’s when the Pro Modified category was created his entries driven by Fred Hahn began to dominate. In 1996 they won six consecutive Super Chevy events and in 1997 they won ten. In their fifteen years together Oddy and Hahn won countless events and championships in both IHRA and NHRA. In 2005 Al Billes became Oddy’s driver running in the 6.0s at 238 mph until Jim’s retirement from drag racing in 2006. He moved from Buffalo to North Carolina and enjoys building street rods.

Pryor and Jim Naramore were three-time NHRA Division 3 Top Fuel champions in 1975,’76 and ’79 regularly giving fits to drivers such as Dick LaHaie and Shirley Muldowney. Bill started his drag racing career in the early ‘60s with MoPar stockers, a ’57 Corvette and ’55

Chevy C/Gasser. In ’68 he competed on the Midwest fuel circuit and in ’72 decided to go racing full time with a new Woody Gilmore chassis and an Ed Pink engine. Appropriately, he did his final Top Fuel licensing at Beech Bend Raceway Park . Following lots of match racing, he won Top Fuel at the AHRA Nationals in St. Louis and advance to the semi-finals of the NHRA Springnationals by beating Don Garlits and Clayton Harris. Jim Naramore bought out former partner Chuck Hurst in late ’74. In 1975 they had an unforgettable season culminating in the Division championship over Dick Rosberg, Dave Settles and Jim Bucher. Seeking a new challenge the team bought a former Plueger and Gyger Funny Car to match race while running the Top Fueler at National events. They were Division 3 runners-up in 1978 before winning again in ’79 while finishing sixth in National points. They parked the car after the ’79 season and Pryor worked throughout the industry and is now with a top NASCAR team. Jim returned to his motorcycle dealership in Illinois .

Maryland’s Tom Raley is one of the most skillful and versatile drivers in drag racing history. He actually began his career in oval track racing winning the 1963 Maryland state Modified championship. The following year he competed in the Autolite 250 Sportsman (now Nationwide) race at Daytona the day before the Daytona 500. In 1965 and ’66 he won NASCAR Top Fuel championships when they had their own drag racing program. He also raced in the NASCAR Grand National (now Sprint) series against Petty, Pearson, the Allisons and other greats. In 1968 Jim and Allison Lee offered Tom the seat of their first class Top Fuel operation. He drove for the Lees for six seasons winning 1969 and ’70 Division 1 Top Fuel championships and recording some of the sports quickest times including a 6.51 to 6.54 win over Steve Carbone at Indy in ’69 and a 6.53 No. 1 qualifier at the World Finals in 1970. In 1973 a car in the other lane drove over the top of his roll cage and broke the car in half ending his drag racing career. After recuperation he returned to stock car racing until accidents in Charlotte and Daytona knocked him out of racing for five years. He continued to run short track events until his retirement and move to Florida several years ago. Of racers today he says, “My quickest e.t. was in the high fives at below 250 mph. I’d love to go in the fours at more than 300 just once.”

NOTE: This year the Reunion has changed the days of the event to give spectators a day off to celebrate on Sunday for Father’s Day. The new days are Thursday through Saturday. No need to worry, the same great activities will remain including the free Honoree Reception on Thursday night and the sensational Cacklefest on Saturday night.

The 9th annual Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion is a 3-day festival of speed, hot rods and American automotive enthusiasm featuring loads of family-fun activities such as Hot Heads nostalgic drag racing, the sensational Cacklefest and SoffSeal Show N Shine. The Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion brings to life the sights, sounds and people who made history in the early days of drag racing.

Three-day credentials ($60) are available at 800/884-NHRA or online, www.nhratix.com. Credentials purchased before May 29, 2011 will receive a complimentary “goodie” bag which includes a glossy Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion program, a commemorative dash plaque and a collectible souvenir credential. One-day adult tickets will be available at the gate. Children 15 and under are free when accompanied by an adult.

For National Hot Rod Reunion Information, please call 909/622-8562 or email themuseum@nhra.com. Proceeds of the Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion benefit the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum®.

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