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Fans and Racers Gearing Up for the March Meet
With 7 days to go for the famed Mar. 1-4 nostalgia drag race, motor homes and campers are already filling up Auto Club Famoso Raceway Parking Lot

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Rob Gibson, Auto Club Famoso Raceway, autoclubfamosoraceway@gmail.com

Editor’s Note: Online media credentialing link: http://famosoraceway.com/marchmeetmedia

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (Feb. 23, 2012) – Racers and fans alike are getting ready for this years' March Meet. Motor homes are lined up three rows deep and more than 450 racers have been entered into the four-day event, March 1-4 at the historic Auto Club Famoso Raceway.

Gates open Thursday, March 1 to the public, but that hasn’t stopped the die hard fans from getting a early start from coming to the track. "Campers started lining up a month early," said Blake Bowser, VP and general manager of the Kern County Racing Association, operators the iconic raceway and producers of the world famous March Meet, now in its 54th year. "Some fans have been coming here for years and want to get that ‘special spot,’ so they show up with their campers and motor homes several weeks before the event.”

Bowser said the camping grounds are always running close to capacity for the race. “It’s a March Meet tradition and fans from all over the country want to be a part of it. There will be hundreds of motor homes and plenty of after-race parties with music and food, so if fans want to camp out and join the celebration, they better act fast ‘cause there aren’t many spots left.”

Race teams have been in preparation over the short winter making sure their race cars are ready for competition. Returning Funny Car winner Kris Krabill and Top Fuel winner Rick White will be back to defend their 2011 wins.

Last year's winners will face stiff resistance from other top drivers looking to take home a Wally trophy. Top Fuel dragster driver and four-time March Meet winner Jim Murphy and the WW2 team can never be counted out, and with Tony Bartone, Howard Haight and High Speed's Bill Dunlap in the mix, it's going to be a battle to reach the winner's podium.

The Funny Car side of the pits is just as competitive. Krabril will face a gauntlet of 34 other top-notch drivers including John Hale, Paul Romine, Brad Thompson, Dan Horan Jr., Mike Halstead and Mark Sanders. Each are determined to be the first to the stripe in the finals.

Said Bowser: "We expanded the race to four days because of the demand -- we want to accommodate everyone and the racers and fans are responding. Advance ticket sales are way up. The vendors have responded, too. We have several new vendors this year because they realize it's not just a 'old guys' event. There is something for everyone:kids, wives and girlfriends. It's going to be huge."

Now celebrating 54 years of racing, the March Meet has been expanded to a four-day speedfest that enthusiasts call ‘the jewel of Nostalgia Racing.’ It attracts drag racers and spectators from around the world and also includes a hot rod car show, swap meet and a vendors’ midway. The 2012 March Meet will be held Mar. 1-4 at historic Auto Club Famoso Raceway. March Meet advance ticket sales, as well as tickets for car show registration and camping, are now available on the Auto Club Famoso website and at www.TheFOAT.com.

Father and son drag racing legends Larry Dixon Sr. and Larry Dixon Jr. are the 2012 Grand Marshals.

The Kern County Racing Association operates Auto Club Famoso Raceway (just north of Bakersfield, Calif.) and promotes a full schedule of races year round, including the world famous March Meet, which is recognized as the Mecca of nostalgia drag racing. For more details, visit www.autoclubfamosoraceway.com.

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