May 2021 • Presented by RatTrapRacing.com & USAutomotive.co.uk

If you want to travel back in time and watch drag racing as it was in the 50s and 60s— with rail jobs, hot rods, straight-axle Gassers, Super Stocks and the like— then the Eagle Field Runway Drags is for you.

They said Eagle Field is a portal into the past and whoever they are, they were right. Joe Davis purchased the decommissioned WWII pilot training base, located near Firebaugh, 250 north of Los Angeles, in 1980 with the intention of preserving its history. In 2009, Rocky Phillips came along with the idea of running flag-start, eighth-mile drags twice a year on what was left of the runway.

Short and narrow, the strip is in fairly good condition, but the rest of the Field is, well, dirt. The dust is not for everybody (they do hose it down) but if you love ol’ timey drags then this is for you. I just love the diversity of machinery: everything from Bo Nielsen’s supercharged Toyota 22R-powered ’60 Rambler that he drove to and from the event to the fleet of rad rides ‘Fielded’ by Portland’s Estranged car club to the wicked ‘Street Outlaws’ SS Camaro of Frank Azevedo.

Some of the cars that made an impression include John Barkley’s ’57 Chevy that won Stock Eliminator at the ’68 Winternationals. Then there was Joe Hickenbottom pulling some wild wheelies in his impressive ’57 Thunderbird. Dave Cecaci’s ’29 Roadster that was raced in the late-60s and early-70s under the C&W Motor Parts banner when it ran 10.4-second quarters at 129mph. Finally, there was the Estranged’s Steve and Theresa Dykman in their ’63 Dodge 330 that Steve painted more than 30 years ago and which he still races (a full feature on this car coming soon). Indeed, there we so many cool rides it’s impossible to list them all. 

My prize of the day, though, was hanging with Grand Marshall Ed ‘Isky’ Iskenderian who, at 100 years old, still attends numerous events, knows what day it is, and can work his iPhone. In fact, the last time I saw Ed at Eagle Field he was working two iPhones at once. They had a birthday party for the ‘iPhather’ in the hanger on Saturday night.

 It’s only $20 to spectate and the next event is in October. Go here to learn more: www.EagleFieldDrags.com