ON THE ROAD: Southeast Gasser Association|

When I telephoned Quain Stott in November, the twenty-four hours earlier the season finale of his Southeast Gassers Clan event, I was fairly astonished at his predicament. "Van, I've got more cars than I've got room!" he shouted. Though inappreciably surprised at the turnout, Quain sounded completely out of breath from running around parking trailers and race cars in the pits of Greer Dragway, the vintage 8th-mile drag strip in South Carolina where the flavor's final SEG barn burner was virtually to unfold.

So what was all the fuss about? Well, similar so many entertaining success stories, Quain's original thought wasn't supposed to fly either—and plenty of people told him as much.

The concept was to form a "gasser group." Big deal, it'south been done, correct? Well, sort of. There are several groups in beingness with "gasser" in their championship, simply many of them simply take nostalgia bodies and drape them over modern chassis. Quain's idea was to build period-correct gassers employing engineering science that'south five decades erstwhile! So, after he drew upwardly the rules for this bargain, people couldn't believe he was really serious.

"That's why people told me information technology wouldn't piece of work; they swore that nobody was going to go to this much trouble to build a automobile incorrect on purpose," he laughs. "Incorrect" in everyone else'due south stance was exactly how Quain thought these cars should be synthetic, though. In a nut shell, here's how this deal works: to exist a member of the Southeast Gassers your race car can't exist newer than 1967 in production model. Things that are not permitted include four-link suspensions, two-pace rev limiters, ringlet-over shocks, long wheelie bars, and unless you lot're one of the very few grandfathered in with an automatic transmission, yous've got to employ a four-speed manual transmission. "And none of those sissy clutchless transmissions!" barks Quain.

If this all sounds far-fetched or even unreasonable, you lot're non alone, and honestly, I've barely even scratched the surface of what it takes to comply with the rules of this bunch. The truly remarkable part to all this is the listen-boggling amount of people who are ringing Quain's phone off the hook to tell him their cars are currently nether construction, and how they can't wait to join his gasser cult! Only talk is cheap, and that's why y'all must actually send Quain pictures of the said construction earlier he volition even put you on his official "built listing."

So how many existing members does this band currently have? Attempt 32 active members. If that number doesn't impress you, it's considering y'all just don't realize how few period-correct gassers are actually in existence. "Oh, certain, at that place's authentic gassers out there; just none that anybody wants to race. They're all restored show cars!" Quain declares.

When he launched the Southeast Gassers just a few years ago, Quain constitute roughly six suitable cars within a 400-mile radius of his Columbus, North Carolina, base that met the requirements. So I asked legendary drag racing announcer and historian, Bret Kepner, who was in attendance and on the mic at the season finale to verify the rarity of these vehicles.

"Look, Quain is going to describe this race as the largest gathering of menstruation-right gassers ever assembled and he'south absolutely right," Kepner said. "I don't know of a single grouping that has more than than almost 15 members; and I'm talking nearly true, period-correct gassers here." All told, of 32 SEG club members, 29 of them actually showed up at Greer for the flavor-ending race, including Volition Bailey (pictured in near lane) along with the wheel-standing Dodge of Tony Turner. "The overwhelming departure in appeal in Quain's program is that these cars are simply the real deal. He'southward such a stickler for realism, if Quain could observe a mode to brand these cars run on 40-year-erstwhile dry-rotted tires he'd brand information technology a rule," chuckled Kepner, obviously relishing the idea.

Does this outfit sound entertaining so far? Well, check this out: this is no bracket racing deal; these cars really compete in gear-jamming, heads-up eliminators with the clocks turned off! And speaking of realism, Quain doesn't even permit modern decals on these cars. Believe information technology or non, he's even turned downward sponsorship money when the proposed company declined to create a "nostalgia looking" sticker!

If Quain seems rather fanatical about the whole matter it's not your imagination, and he'll be the first to admit that anyone who's involved with the Southeast Gassers truly goes to keen and ridiculous lengths to do so. Another thing you'll notice if you e'er come to one of these meets is the majority of the cars have catchy names across the door, but even that decoration must exist hand-lettered!

So what's the upside to all this try? Well, to some people it doesn't mean squat, merely to a surprising, larger-than-predictable group of drag racing purists, this is the coolest affair since cantaloupe! And by "purist" I don't mean just a bunch of crusty onetime men—although admittedly Quain'southward club does accept its off-white share of them, as well! In fact, his 22-twelvemonth-old nephew, Donovan, won the points championship this yr, which was but separated by a few rounds and ultimately decided at the Greer flavor finale! Then there's a kid from California (yes, California!) who even commissioned the assistance of legendary 1960's-era chassis builder Don Long to oversee the building of his gasser, which is currently halfway complete. "I asked this kid if he was seriously going to tow this car across the entire state to race with united states of america and he assures me that we'll see him and his dad a couple times next season," says Quain.

Ok, so that begs another obvious question: is in that location anyone still alive who volition actually buy a ticket and sit down in the stands to watch this menses-correct stuff? Well, judging by the turnout the answer is a resounding Yes!—that is, if they could even observe a seat! All told, the full number of spectators at Greer Dragway that perfect November mean solar day was mayhap l tickets brusque of breaking the all-time attendance tape—and nosotros're talking about a runway that opened in 1958! "And we're gonna' shatter that number next year," promises Quain, who too anticipates upwards of 40 period-right SEG race cars in attendance at several events on his 10-race circuit in 2022.

So folks, if you happen to accept missed this era in drag racing the get-go time around, don't miss it this fourth dimension. Thank you to Quain Stott and his Southeast Gassers Association, revisiting the by just got a whole lot easier!