2017 Hot Rod Dirt Drags Pt 1

2017 Hot Rod Dirt Drags

2017; Hot; Rod; Dirt; Drags; Friday; 125; colorado; hot rod dirt drags; monte Vista

The 2016 Hot Rod Dirt Drags were so much fun I just had to come back for a second helping this year. Nick’s Hot Rod Garage puts on the Hot Rod Dirt Drags and the Hot Rod Hill Climb in Colorado each year and they’ve quickly become two of my favorite events in the country. This year the 2017 Hot Rod Dirt Drags had some surprises, but we’ll get to that tomorrow.

The rest of the formula stayed pretty much the same, bring together about 100 amazing mostly traditional hot rods to recreate the drag races of the old days in Colorado when the racers were drag racing on dirt for lack of many concrete tracks, then add in the amazing location of the Best Western Movie Manor in Monte Vista, CO and you have a recipe for an epic weekend.

Thursday evening I was supposed to hook up the Galaxie to the camper and head west, but the passenger side exhaust manifold had other plans. So a couple of quick phone calls later I had a ride lined up to pull the camper the nearly 600 miles out to the San Luis Valley community of Monte Vista. In the 1955 a drive in movie theatre was built on a property adjacent to an old dirt airstrip, it was big enough for 300 or so cars to enjoy a movie. The snack building and projector room were also part of the same structure that the owner’s family lived in. 9 years later a 14 room hotel was added at the back edge of the theatre and built in such a way that the rooms could all see the drive in screen. Later another section of hotel was built bringing the total up to around 60 rooms that were all filled this weekend. A 2nd movie screen was added in 2003 as well.

When Mike “Nick” Nicholas was talking with some of the old guard of the Colorado hot rod world he heard stories of them racing on dirt air strips and came up with the idea to revive Colorado dirt drag racing and the Hot Rod Dirt Drags was born. When researching dirt air strips he found this location and it’s the perfect spot for the event.

More on the story in tomorrow’s post, if you’re reading this on the website you can subscribe and get all of the car show coverage updates delivered right to your email inbox.


The coverage of the 2017 Hot Rod Dirt Drags is brought to you by Nick’s Hot Rod Garage and the 2017 Hot Rod Hill Climb to be held in Central City, CO Sept. 15-17th

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

 As you can see, this is not the dash and buggy windshield of a 1963 Galaxie 500. The passenger side exhaust manifold let me down at the last minute so I had to improvise and borrow an F250 to pull the camper up to Monte Vista.
As you can see, this is not the dash and buggy windshield of a 1963 Galaxie 500. The passenger side exhaust manifold let me down at the last minute so I had to improvise and borrow an F250 to pull the camper up to Monte Vista.
 People joke that Kansas is flat, but the first couple of hours of the drive after you cross the border into Colorado look a lot like this. Off in the distance you can finally see the mountains!
People joke that Kansas is flat, but the first couple of hours of the drive after you cross the border into Colorado look a lot like this. Off in the distance you can finally see the mountains!
 I just had to pull over and do a phone panoramic of the great view east of Walsenburg, Colorado.
I just had to pull over and do a phone panoramic of the great view east of Walsenburg, Colorado.
 Well, the F250 didn
Well, the F250 didn’t get the same thumbs up at the gas stations as the Galaxie but I also didn’t stop at nearly as many lol
 The Spanish Peaks
The Spanish Peaks

2017; Hot; Rod; Dirt; Drags; Friday; 001; colorado; hot rod dirt drags; monte Vista

colorado; hot rod dirt drags; monte Vista Troy Hastings built the tower on the left for the Hot Rod Hill Climb last year and hauled it down to Monte Vista for the Dirt Drags this year.
Troy Hastings built the tower on the left for the Hot Rod Hill Climb last year and hauled it down to Monte Vista for the Dirt Drags this year.

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colorado; hot rod dirt drags; monte Vista There
There’s a pitching a tent joke to be made… but I’ll refrain.
colorado; hot rod dirt drags; monte Vista A flathead powered T running 90% Nitro... yup that happened!
A flathead powered T running 90% Nitro… yup that happened!

2017; Hot; Rod; Dirt; Drags; Friday; 013; colorado; hot rod dirt drags; monte Vista 2017; Hot; Rod; Dirt; Drags; Friday; 015; colorado; hot rod dirt drags; monte Vista

colorado; hot rod dirt drags; monte Vista Deluxe Speed shop rides rolling in to the event. That
Deluxe Speed shop rides rolling in to the event. That’s one heck of a trailer!
colorado; hot rod dirt drags; monte Vista Rain in the distance and some California hot rods rolling in!
Rain in the distance and some California hot rods rolling in!

2017; Hot; Rod; Dirt; Drags; Friday; 021; colorado; hot rod dirt drags; monte Vista

colorado; hot rod dirt drags; monte Vista Yes those are sheep, they were coming over to check out the track, and yes there was 1 black sheep.
Yes those are sheep, they were coming over to check out the track, and yes there was 1 black sheep.

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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

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