Living legends who defined the golden era of drag racing will once again be part of the 2026 Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals (MCACN). These individuals forever changed drag racing and were innovators in the respective classes they competed in. Once again, you’ll be able to listen firsthand to living history as the racing legends share their stories during the one-hour seminar held on Saturday, November 21, hosted by drag racing historian and noted author Geoff Stunkard.
MCACN’s Drag Racing Living Legends seminar have become a fan favorite over the past years as attendees can hear first-hand accounts of an era when Detroit’s automakers pulled out all stops to dominate NHRA, IHRA, and AHRA races across the country. MCACN attendees can hear directly from the drivers and owners who were there during this bygone era.
Some of these legends scheduled for this show include the following racing icons.
Arnie “The Farmer” Beswick
Arnie “The Farmer” Beswick has had an incredible career spanning back almost 70 years and has plenty of stories to share. From his early roots racing his fiercely competitive Pontiac Stockers and Super Stockers that included a 1962 Super Duty 421 Pontiac and a ’63 Swiss Cheese Super Duty 421 Catalina, to his ‘Tameless Tiger’ 1964 GTO Funny Car. By 1966, Arnie acquired a pre-production GTO so a fiberglass Funny Car body could be molded. Arnie was forever the underdog as the Funny Car class evolved in the late-1960s, but his reputation for innovation and hard work cemented his legacy, especially among the Pontiac faithful.
Buddy Martin (Sox & Martin)
Buddy Martin, the well-known co-owner of the Sox & Martin drag team, needs no introduction. Buddy became a legendary team owner when he met Ronnie Sox back in the early 1960s. With Ronnie’s incredible driving skills on the dragstrip and Buddy’s ability to oversee all of the business end of racing, including sponsorship, they would join forces. The Sox & Martin team was a dominant force armed with Hemi-powered Super Stockers. In late 1969, Buddy would campaign the NHRA to create the new heads-up Pro Stock class for 1970. The red, white, and blue Sox & Martin Pro Stock ’Cudas dominated the first two seasons while the business acumen of Martin took professional drag racing to the next level.
Herb “Mr. 4-Speed” McCandless
Herb McCandless may have begun his drag racing career in a Chevy, but his dominance as a driver and tuner can be traced back to 1965 when Herb purchased a brand new Plymouth A990 Super Stock Hemi Belvedere. That lit the fuse, and Herb would march his way across the drag strips of the South, grabbing gears in a myriad of Mopars while match racing and defeating many competitors. Eventually, Herb moved up the ranks, which included a 1968 Super Stock Hemi Dart. Herb’s career path would take an even bigger turn when he was tapped to drive for the Sox & Martin Pro Stock Hemi Duster in 1970. Herb’s skills as a driver would earn him the first-ever Pro Stock victory at the NHRA U.S. Nationals and solidify him as a valuable member of the Sox & Martin racing dynasty.
Butch “The California Flash” Leal
Butch Leal scorched a path across hundreds of drag strips throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and well into the 1980s. The numerous vehicles he raced to numerous wins included a Ford Thunderbolt, Boss 429 Mustang, 427 Camaro, Plymouth Hemi Dusters, and even a Pontiac Firebird. Known as the California Flash, Butch had the reputation of a tough competitor with his great reaction times, powershifting skills, and an overall connection to the car he was racing. Butch was feared and respected by many of the racers he lined up against.
Paul Rossi
Paul Rossi began his racing career in the early 1960s racing Hemi-powered Super Stocker Plymouth sedans. By the start of the 1970s, he moved up to a SS/AA 1968 Hemi Barracuda. However, as the 1970s rolled on, it was his Direct Connection-sponsored wheelstanding SS/FA 440 Six Pack Challenger that made Rossi even more famous. Paul diversified his racing endeavors in the 1990s with a fleet of highly successful Eagle Talons that competed in the IMSA sports car racing series driven by some of the best road racers in the business.
About the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals
The Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals is one of the country’s premier indoor car shows. It celebrates a wide variety of manufacturers, brands, and nameplates of American performance vehicles that have shaped the car culture for over 60 years. The annual MCACN show, held at the massive Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois, is scheduled for November 21 and 22, 2026.
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