A lot was happening in the Summer of '66. The Troggs topped the music charts with "Wild Thing", Star Trek made its premier on television, super model Twiggy became an international sensation and drag racing was governed by a team's imagination and quest for speed. Now, some fifty years later, racing fans from around the world are headed to Byron Dragway outside Rockford, Illinois for the 7th Annual Meltdown Drags. Originally founded to help support a waning dragstrip, the Meltdown Association is expecting full parking lots with some 550-plus dragsters pre-entered into the classic event.
Since its inception, the Meltdown Drags have remained dedicated to taking racers and fans back to the summer of 1966. A time when nitro-fueled dragsters and funny cars were in full swing and the average Joe could stop by the local dealership and drive off in a stock muscle car that was capable of laying down impressive burnouts. With an array of 400-horsepower engines available, straight axles and racing slicks were a top the list of must have speed shop accessories. It was a Golden Age when traditions were broken and "anything goes" was the mantra that ruled the pits.
Seven years ago, when most drag racing fans had accepted the fact that the Summer of '66 was a time in American racing history that would never be repeated, the Meltdown Association dug out an inch-thick rule book and said "Let's go racing the way we used to do it." By restricting the technology and severely limiting the rules, cars hit the dragstrip decked out and looking like they did some five decades ago. E3 Spark Plugs wants to thank all of the officials, spectators and competitors for their joint efforts. And, a special thanks to Byron Dragway for keeping it real.
