Where did Nostalgia Eliminator (NE) get it’s start? When did it start? Why did it start? Is this a ‘History Lesson’ or should it start out “Once upon a Time”?? Well, lets go with this route - With just about everything that has been previously associated or connected with Drag Racing, it, under most instances, started right here on the West Coast.

Well, California to be exact. Back in the ‘good ole days’ when many racing innovators were just starting to do their ‘thing‘; many of which are the major names in Drag Racing today, got their start.

I guess you could consider going way back; well before all the current classes became classes. People showed up with a ‘run what you brung’ type vehicle, and gradually different classes were formed. Tracking back to the early 90’s, the old NDRA was probably the first to have this class however, back then it was referred to as “Nostalgia Exhibition”. Then about the 1993 time frame, ANRA was formed and their rule book had the class called ‘Nostalgia Eliminator’. Around that same time frame, Good Guys also came up with the ‘NE’ class and the index for it was 7.50. Although initially, NE was primarily a ‘dragster’ class. Later on the rules for it were written to include any Front engine, centered steered Dragster, Altered or Funny Car, blown or injected using either gas, alky or nitro.

With the entry of Good Guys into the Drag Race arena during the ‘93/94 time frame, and the formation of their Vintage Racing Association (VRA), the NE class was primarily a ‘filler’ class in order to give time for the Top Fuel cars to do their service and cool down between rounds. At that time, getting 8 - 10 NE cars to make up a class was the norm.

Around the ‘95 time frame Nostalgia Exhibition progressed to Nostalgia Eliminator where the class ran a heads up 7.50 index. After many meetings and discussions with Good Guys a small group of people did eventually become successful in getting an NE class as an entity, using an 8 car qualified field. Good Guys/VRA and ANRA rules for the class were pretty basic. Front Engine Dragster, Altered or Funny Car; blown or injected; 671 blower; single point Magneto; Electronics of any kind, and launch control devices were unheard of and were illegal. As more and more cars started to show up for the Nostalgia Drags, the class eventually enlarged to a 16 car field. Many of the competing vehicles were from the ‘old school’ and were constructed of mild steer chassis’s and roll cages. As speeds increased, breakouts of the 7.50 index were becoming a common thing and eventually, the index was changed from 7.50 to 7.60. Why?? 7.50 was the quickest ET allowed for any sportsman class, which included any car that was constructed with mild steel components. There was NO give. With the index at 7.50, and a class that was shooting for that number, there was no leeway for any mistakes. Hence, the index change to 7.60 which was greatly welcomed by the class participants.

As the class progressed into the late 90’s (ie 1999) more and more cars were entering into the NE category. Problem?? Many of these cars could not compete at the 7.60 index, so Nostalgia Eliminator 2 with an 8.60 Index and Nostalgia Eliminator 3 with a 9.60 Index classes were formed. Today, Nostalgia Eliminator is probably the most popular and heavily entered of all the classes, with the NE1 class drawing between 60 and 70 cars. This class has now morphed to a 32 car field at many events. NE2 is also following suit with car counts coming into the 30+ cars. NE3, which hovered at under 10 cars for several years has also expanded to 18 to 25 cars per event.

Nostalgia Eliminator also provides the spectator base with one of the largest varieties of race vehicles. Dragsters, short and long wheel bases; ½ bodies; full body’s; blown, injected; alky, Gas, Nitro; Altered’s with either roadster or coupe bodies; early 70’s style bodies fitted onto Funny Car chassis’s; and a sprinkling of both the old style “Modified Roadsters” and the AAC “Competition Coupes“.

As someone once said, “Variety is the spice of life”.. Nostalgia Eliminator must be the spice of Vintage Drag Racing.

Joel Gruzen