In a country setting in Firebaugh, California, the Eagle Field Runway Dragstrip came alive on July 31 for the Dos Palos Lions Club’s Lions Drag Race. At this year’s event, a series of firsts occurred.
To start, this year’s Lions event was the first to use a “Christmas tree” and other timing systems to calculate track times for each class, and to make sure all participants get a fair start. This year’s event was also the first to allow American cars from all decades to participate, allowing for everything from Deuce Coupes to brand new Dodge Challengers to “run what they brung.” And while most of these drag race participants simply enjoyed some down-to-earth, “grudge” style racing, others were determined to smash records for their car’s performance class.
Among these was racer Joe Roseberry, who at this year’s event ran his 261 Chevy-powered rail against local Les Gomes and his mid-engine, 302-powered GMC. Gomes, however, would go on to dominate the “HAMB Dragster” category, with an event-winning ET of 8.801 at 75.22mph.
The category that seemed to be the favorite of the Eagle Field locals was the “Tee Dee Us Automotive Quick 8 Door-Slammer Shootout.” Among the most prominent participants in this category were the Cotta family with their Dos Palos Camaro and Fred Bruce of Exeter, California with his Nova. While the Cotta family and their Camaro put-up an impressive race, Bruce and his Nova still took lead with an ET of 7.474 at 97.02mph.
The Eagle Field Runway promises that the Lions Drag Race will continue to be an annual event, and as long as rodders continue to be interested in the old-school drag racing that was prevalent up until the early-to-mid 1970s, you can be damned sure that the Dos Palos Lions Club will always have a fanbase.
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