Meltdown Drags And Byron Dragway–A Weekend Of High Octane Nostalgia

We were lucky enough to attend the first two Meltdown Drags at the Byron Dragway in Illinois.

To say we were stunned at the growth over the past 2 years would be a huge understatement.  Arriving at 7:30 a.m. found us about 20th in line to get in. I thought getting there 90 minutes early would be way early–boy were we wrong.

Words & Photos: John Wells

The swap meet was run by the Tin Butchers CC and they made sure that only vintage parts were allowed in. This part of the show was hopping and many parts were going out the door.

The drag races started right on time, and this was due to the crew that ran the show. The Meltdown Drag Association along with the crew at the Byron Dragway made sure this was a smoothly run show and it seemed everyone had a smile on their faces all day long.

Gassers, front engine dragsters, and altered wheel base cars totaled over 500 entries. Add in the normal car show area, and there were over 600 cars on site.

What makes the Meltdown Drags so unique are their entry requirements. They only allow cars that are 1966 or older. They also specifically state that if you have the wrong type of wheels, tires, paint schemes, hoods, billet valve covers, nitrous, etc. that you should come back another day.

The MDA is trying their best to bring back the time when guys in their garage would be able to wrench on their rides without the aid of any kind of computers or specialty shops.

This dedication to keeping these strict guidelines enforced are the key to the success of the event. There are only a few events in the country that maintain these type of guidelines. And as a result, there were entries from Washington, Maine, Florida, and California. People from all over the Midwest came out to see the sights and with the perfect weather, the crowd was at capacity all day on Saturday.

The question on everyone’s mind for next year–how does the Meltdown Drags limit the entries? There were SO many people talking about bringing their own rides next year it could easily surpass 600 entries plus the car show.

Guess we will just have to wait and see.  There is no doubt after the success of 2014, that the 2015 entries will be coming in even earlier.  Congrats to the Meltdown Drag Association for a job well done. Stay up to date at: www.meltdowndrags.com

About the author

Andrew Almazan

Andrew Almazan is a graduate of CSULB with a degree in English and a passion for traditional kustoms and hot rods. His first exposure to out of this world vehicles was through the prevalent low rider, baja bug, and kustom culture of LA county.
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