"My High Country Life" Reader's Photo and tale of the week

The most exciting and colorful "happening" in Ashe County the week of June 26?...the gathering of Candy Apple, fender spirited, chopped top hot rodeo, antique vehicles and scooters, all 43 of them. The folks that follow hot rods and auto racing are as colorful and unique as the Jalopies themselves, but a 700 horsepower snow white Vega isn't exactly a Jalopy and a MOPAR Duster printed in a gorgeous color not even in the rainbow will make you drool. And what about an all original never restored 1930s Plymouth Pick Up?...from New Hampshire, New England, an original cruiser. The cruiser body made one of the most beautiful original fuel coupe (funny car) bodies ever. Doug Thorley Headers Cruising won the 1967 Indy Nationals. Strong also was Pisans Bros. Cruising with such Matsumoto Driving and Ronnie Runyams Blue Heaven cowair and lets get one thing straight, there's nothing funny about a 300 MPH (funny car). That nickname comes from altering the wheelbase or moving the front and rear wheels forward on the rear to distribute the total weight of Race Car more evenly to bring about better traction and launches when leaving the starting line. This phenomenon made the race car look slightly "weird" but cool! "altered wheelbase" began in the early and mid 1960's generally on Falcons, Novas, Mustangs, Darts, Belvedere's, Chevelles and etc. These were the original "funny cars" and no one's figured out what that candy apple Blue and Tangerine LTD station wagon solemnly sat there with a spore '57 392 Chrysler Fueler Engine strapped to the roof. Weird? No! That was a vintage Fuel Dragster Push Car! The Dragsters in the fifties, sixties and seventies had to be pushed off by a wagon or pick up to fire up. "The King" Don Garlits used to pull his original Swamp Rat around the US behind a beat up, 4 door 1955 Chevy with a single axle homebuilt trailer. Next hot rod Cruise and Party at Smokey Mountain is Thursday, July 24 from 5 until 8 pm. Remember! Race Cars (including trick trackers), sports cars, motorcycles, custom bicycles, go-carts and model cars are welcome. Next cruise is 1950's to 1960's Dress Night! Free chicken dinner to the winner. So be there, not square! Remember the old fifties phrase...Kool Kars - Square Roll bars!!

On my final note, Mac and Missy Pressleys' 1948 Candy Apple Red Anglia A gasser made Mince meat of 14 other vintage classic gasser dragsters at Wilkesboro Dragway the other weekend. This Anglia is the Historic Gasser East of the Mississippi, dating to 1965 when built. Mac defeated "Vega Tom-Tom" Lumleys Scott Shafiroff powered a gasser 1940 Chevy Coupe...the "ol skool outlaw" out of Pineville. This '40 Coupe is one of California's most historic gassers to survive, making its way to North Carolina. Mac Pressleys Anglia is the famous "Hartsoe Bros" racer out of Kannapolis.

Butch Hurst