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Difficult as it may be to believe,
the annual East Coast Drag Racing
Hall of Fame Weekend will be
entering its 6th
anniversary this Fall. Begun as a
backyard reunion of former drag
racers, the Hall of Fame Weekend has
grown in spectacular fashion. The
most recently completed 5th
Annual event attracted more than
50,000 spectators and 1,200+ entered
race cars, street rods, muscle cars,
trucks, antiques and specialty
vehicles! When this year’s 6th
Annual Hall of Fame Weekend cranks
up, October 19-21, 2007, in its
permanent home of Henderson, North
Carolina, the forecast is for an
even greater number of cars and
participants than in 2006!
“We are amazed at how
quickly the time has passed since we
did the first reunion. We began as
a backyard barbeque gathering of a
few old racers, and just six years
later, we’re expecting a small city
of spectators and specialty cars of
all sorts”, observed Nancy Wilson,
Director of Tourism for the Vance
County Tourism Department, in
Henderson.
“I’m even more amazed
at how quickly we passed the 1,000
mark for entered cars. With the
kind of growth we have been
experiencing, it’s possible that our
tenth annual Hall of Fame Weekend
could be attracting nearly 80,000
people and 3,000+ cars. Our growth
has been absolutely astonishing, and
we’ve been very fortunate to have
tremendous support from Vance
County, North Carolina, the City of
Henderson, North Carolina, and the
people of this entire area who have
been exceptionally supportive of the
event since its inception. As we
have since we began, we will
continue to focus all our efforts on
presenting a first class event and
weekend that addresses the needs of
our participants, entrants,
spectators and families who make our
Hall of Fame Weekend an annual date
on their recreation calendars”.
“Another part of our
success has been with the
outstanding support we’ve received
from our sponsors. Of course, Vance
County Tourism Department has been
integral in our success and
continued growth, and we would be
hard pressed to have moved as far
forward as we have without the
support and sponsorship of Superior
Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep, here in
Henderson. The folks at Superior
have been over-the-top fantastic in
opening up their entire dealership
to us on Friday, for the Show,
Shine, Shag and Dine barbeque and
show. I cannot thank them enough
for their total support of our
event”, added event Director, Ms.
Wilson.
This year’s event will
again begin on Friday, October 19,
with Superior Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep
hosting the annual free barbeque and
a car show display that has itself
grown to attract more than 200
specialty vehicles. All car show
participants are welcome and the
barbeque and entertainment is all
free of charge, courtesy of
Superior!
Friday evening the festivities moves
to the Hall of Fame Weekend Host
Motels, Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn
Express, Jameson Inn and
Ambassador’s Inn. There racers and
enthusiasts gather to meet and greet
and share memories of old as well as
recent drag racing events. For fans
and former racers it’s a special
chance to meet and talk with many of
the greatest names in drag racing.
Saturday morning, October 20, the
Hall of Fame Weekend kicks into high
gear with the 6th annual
Show & Shine car show, hosted along
Henderson, North Carolina’s Historic
Downtown District. Cars of all
descriptions line the main street of
Henderson as well as all side
streets and municipal parking lots
that serve the area. It’s a car
enthusiast’s dream come true with
1,200+ vehicles showing off their
chrome and glitter as they compete
for trophies in 50 different judging
categories. The atmosphere is
geared for car enthusiasts, but
family fun abounds as car show
participants provide a family
“tailgate party” equal to that found
at any college football game.
There’s also “dancin’in the streets”
with live music from The Castaways
and The Attractions Band, both
belting out a variety of 50’s and
classic rock favorites that fills
the streets of Henderson with
rhythm.
Saturday night the action moves to
Henderson’s Raleigh Road Drive-In
and The Sonic Grill, where the
nostalgic fun of cruising local
drive-in’s brings you back to an
easier, simpler time when hot
rodding meant weekend Cruise-In’s
and visiting with your pals.
On Sunday, October 21, the 6th
Annual East Coast Drag Racing Hall
of Fame gathers at the
Vance-Granville Civic Center, Exit
209 off I-85. This free event
begins with a pre-induction “meet
and greet” at 10:00 AM, providing
everyone with the chance to meet the
2007 Hall of Fame inductees, view
personal displays, photos and
memorabilia provided by current
inductees and former honorees, and
get to personally know these drag
racing icons. The induction
ceremonies begin at 12:30 PM. Each
2007 inductee will be honored with a
video presentation outlining his or
her drag racing career achievements
produced by noted drag racing
historian and video producer, Jim
Amos and his Bee On Video. At 3:30
PM the ceremonies wrap up and all
inductees gather for a photo session
for fans, families and friends.
Overall, the 2007 East Coast Drag
Racing Hall of Fame Weekend is an
outstanding opportunity for drag
racing enthusiasts or even casual
fans to drink in the entire hot
rodding experience, and at a cost
that is exceptionally affordable for
singles, couples or families! Make
your plans to attend now. Contact
the Vance County Tourism Department
to secure motel reservations and
special Hall of Fame Weekend
packages at: 1-866-438-4565,
252/438-2222; e-Mail at;
vctourism@gloryroad.net; or on
the web at
www.eastcoastdragtimeshalloffame.com
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