Wildcat Drag Strip

Today on Horsepower TV.

I just, I just need a good crowd and drag race hall. I mean,

his name is George Ray and he's a cult hero of American grassroots racing.

You'll discover how a visit to his wildcat drag strip in Arkansas is to lunch back into time. It's like, it's like a, an icon. You know, if you say that anywhere in the Dadgum country, you say at Memphis or Little Rock or Dyersburg or any of these other tracks.

Let's go to Georgia's this weekend. They know what you're talking about. You don't even have to say George race in Fair

Arkansas. Just let's go to Georgia.

It's a wild, memorable afternoon at the last heads up Wildcats strip in the country.

So hang on for horsepower TV.

Hi, welcome to a special edition of Horsepower TV. As we salute the small town drag strips of America.

In fact, this is a horsepower homecoming for me. We're heading to a little landmark strip that's truly the last of a dying breed

be

down for

its

going to George Ray's wildcat.

Yeah,

while

a maintenance

and

you can see your train.

Got that.

Yeah,

here we are. My hometown Paragon,

Arkansas

a lot has changed here since I left

the old hospital where I was born. Shut down.

Most of the old family stores downtown have changed owners.

But I hear there's one place, a few miles out where nothing has ever changed.

In fact, turning in, you feel like you're turning back to a time when hot rods and racing were hitting their fevered pitch around the little towns of muscle car America.

And here's a place where time passed slowly while the cars have gone faster.

Where an unassuming former mechanic. Now, horsepower hero carries on a timeless tradition

every Sunday

the way he has since 1961.

He's a legend, you know,

I mean, as far as drag racing goes

and uh, oh,

we just love him. Everybody out here just love George,

you know,

and, and I'm gonna race here until, until he quits.

He is amazing. He's one tough old dude. That's what I tell him,

George Ray, like many of his friends was caught up in the hot rod hysteria of the late fifties and early sixties. What possessed you to open up a drag strip?

We go off other places and they wouldn't be nice to you.

You know, all they want to do is get your money when you came in

and uh

we was at this place and uh

friction come up and I said, well,

I'll just go home, build me a drag strip

and build one. He did change it.

He never did, at least very much.

That was the class trophy, big ass trophy.

That's all that was.

And of course, I thought I hung the moon when I won

my first trophy.

Steve Wallen raced his 34 Chevy Coupe back in the beginning and recently started racing it again.

Now I never got to run here. The parents made it off limits,

but now I was bent on making up for lost time

and a strip that itself got lost in time.

I just line them up here. This line here

and I had a man on the other end to judge who won

and I'd line them up.

Are you ready? You ready?

Pull the flag?

First came out here. I had a 56 Chevy two door hard top

and, uh,

it had a three speed transmission in it and we ran eight stock stick automatic

and, uh, we had a lot of fun racing out here and then we moved from eight stock stick automatic to G stock stick automatic. And that was the difference between 14 barrel and 24 barrels.

Yes. Uh, there was a little betting on the side and sometimes some pretty good scrimmages, but

it, uh, usually ended up pretty good,

but you'll find anything and everything at George Ray's.

It's always been that way

since day one.

We came to visit George Ray a day before the race only months after he broke both feet after falling from a tree.

Of course, he's always got his trademark hand belts, hot rod to get him around the strip.

They asked me the other day, what is that? And I said

to start off with, I had that 57 Moles motor and I licensed it is a 57 mole.

It's 50

M. Ok.

Time out to win that boy,

these are straight pipes back here, aren't they?

Yeah.

Sounds good.

Now, how'd you get the name? Wildcat? Drag strip

all along,

all along.

Like a wildcat, huh?

And people know all over the doggone country, you know, come to George Ray's and you get in, you run for like, six bucks and, and, you know, spectator or not. And it's just a lot of fun. We don't make a lot of money. It's just more fun for him than anything.

Now, for my part, I might raise the price a little bit.

No, I never had much money. I don't need no money.

I just, I just need a good crowd and glad race all, I mean, 40 years ago I wanted to come out here and, uh, didn't have a car and

parents wouldn't let me take theirs.

I got a car now I wanna take it down that strip just one time or you can do it.

Yeah.

Go up to the line. Come on.

That was a blast that I've been waiting a long time for that. Really?

Got to

do it. Got to do it

by now. I was getting ready to feel the history that soon will come to life between the pecan trees that

line this little track.

Yeah, it's a legendary place and maybe a quiet place now, but just wait till the racers and fans pile in here and you'll see what a typical Sunday at George Ray's is all about. Stay with us.

Let's go to Georgia's this weekend. They know what you're talking about. You don't even have to say Georgia in

Pergo, Arkansas. Just let's go to Georgia.

There are some people up here that will

kick your butt.

Well, coming up, you'll see what's really wild about Georgia's Wildcat strip here on Horsepower TV.

This is a good place to come race. Anybody ever ever been to George race? You come up at one time, he treats everybody the same.

He has no favorites

just, you know, everybody's on the same level.

Now, here's how it works at George Rays. Everybody leaves off this 4/10 Pro tree. That means they leave at the same time and while there are some index classes where you can break out, it's all heads up

the way it's always been.

Ain't no bracket racing when the, when the light turns green you better get.

Yeah.

Now, here are some quick observations we made at George Ray's first. A ball lights up over the lane of the winning driver

also in true run. What you run tradition. You see every kind of car and truck imaginable racing

for which you must furnish your own water for the burnout box

also. Seems here in Northeast Arkansas enthusiasts get the racing bug mighty early in life.

Somebody checked that kid's license.

Is this your car? Really?

You're not driving it. Are you?

Of course, the real racers come from many miles away like Terry Bennett who brought his homemade dragster loaded with a big block Chevy engine and it works good at this track.

It, it actually works better than anybody's car I've ever seen at this track as far as a dragster goes.

I, I come for the fun. It's not the money.

It's, it's the fun,

you know, and

this track

when you'll see when we, when everybody goes to leave today,

I'll have to wave at everybody.

You, you know what I'm saying? That's how friendly the people are at this track.

Nowadays, there are second and even third

generation racers here. Remember Steve Wallen and his 34 coup.

Well, his son, Kevin wouldn't miss a single Sunday at George Ray's.

We've been to a lot of tracks and here, you know, I don't pay very much money. We don't come to win the money but

the, the people up here, everybody's friends. I mean, everybody's

from far,

far away places. Everybody just helps everybody. It's like everybody's family.

If you're claustrophobic. A little eight mile track takes a little, getting used to,

especially if you offer for one of the all out wide open classes. Usually wide open is anywhere from 5, 10 to 5 forties. Man, that's pretty exciting. That's fun. And especially on the other end when you're sitting on up in the stand watching it, it, it, it's pretty, pretty interesting. We've had a couple of them hit the fence.

The driver of the Chevelle was only a little shook up after his contact with the Vince

and after cleaning up a few loose parts, the racing resumed.

Eight

automatic 23 and 83. While anyone with six bucks and a will to race can come and have fun.

Better bring some brawny power to the top wide open flat.

If you bring your car, you can

and you run just as fast as you can go. There's no limit on anything.

Just, just, just run

all you can get.

Ronnie Pritchard's winning weapon is a vet with a naturally aspirated 600 cubic inch engine.

It's got racing heads, a power glide and a 516 gear out back. I love going past let

go.

You still get a kick out of it.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah, I love them people.

They'll come up and hug me

and most of all is, are going to win it.

I like that

and there are a bunch of them and

they're all glad to see me hug them.

Oh, they act like it.

Well, as the afternoon wears on the cars get faster. The crowd gets wilder and the competition for Sunday's bragging rights at George Ray's heats up to a boil.

We'll discover what it takes to win today. And always here at George Ray's wildcat strip when we come back

and they drive back up here and stop and the first time they turn the tires over,

you better turn your back.

They drop and knock the head off.

Ok. Stand clear and hang on. We'll wind up our visit to the wildcat strip right after. This.

Ain't nothing changed much but the trees have gotten bigger.

If you go up here in the old drag races that were up here, they're up here, they're still here. But the only change is they're turning riches for their kids.

Welcome back to the show where it's hot here in Northeast Arkansas in more ways than one. Speaking of that, about time for finals, let's see what it takes to win here at George Ray's and a couple of our favorite classes.

Remember Steve and Kevin Wallen? Well, Steve's out of the running but his son, Kevin and his nova have battled their way into the finals of the 650 Flats.

In fact, it was a battle of the novas and Kevin's opponent broke out with a 624. So Kevin's 726 was enough to take the top prize.

My car is pretty much runs the numbers every time and

if they're a little bit ahead of me. I can play around a little bit and usually they'll run a little bit faster than I am and break

out, break them out or if I get them off the line, you know where the, that's where the race is all won.

Then in the all out heads up class. Terry Bennett from Little Rock rocked his way into the finals with his home built super comp tracks,

his opponents,

none other than racing. Vet veteran Ronnie Bridge.

And here they go

as Terry Trumps the vet chasing him down with a 530 to Ronnie's 548 here on this eight mile Wildcat strip. I'm real proud to win today.

Uh

I had a lot of fun and that's what George Ray is about mostly is fun.

Uh

You'll never go to another track that's like this track and, and, and people come from all over the country to race here.

My people where I work, they told me that if, if I got on TV, that I better,

I better get a haircut before I go and I did.

But, but, uh, I, I'm, I'm gonna get it cut when I get back home. Which would you rather do win and not have a haircut or have a haircut and not be able to.

No, I'd,

I'd rather win.

Well, it's about time for all of us to go home as the sun sets on yet another Sunday at George Ray's Wildcat Strip. A little piece of still living drag racing history that in some small way captures the whole spirit of high performance

only place to come in my

opinion.

Yes, sir.

This is it.

We run each and every Sunday weather permitted.

Well, for me, this horsepower homecoming has been a 40 year old dream fulfilled.

Coming back to this landmark strip that once represented just about everything about those rebellious car crazy, younger years here in my hometown.

And the best part finally getting to meet this icon of heads up down home drag race.

A legend if you will, who keeps an all American tradition alive here in? Terrible.

How much longer do you think George can keep this thing going

until the day he dies?

He's 79 years old and he's, you know, still going strong and we'll be here for him as long as he's here.

So you're gonna keep doing as long as you can.

Yeah.

And then what?

Yeah. Go poor folks home. I guess

what would happen to the strip though?

Now, that's gonna be a question.

Make sure you

feel

OK. We'll see you all later. Now

it

head

see George

Ray

drop it

and

one,

one more

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Well, I hope you had a good time this weekend. I know I did. You know there's an old saying that you can never really go home.

I think we proved them wrong.

Here's one thing I know I'm right about chuck returns next week and we take an inside look at a different kind of drag racing

and we'll see you then for more high performance fun.

They're the only four brothers ever to race in N hr A competition in four exciting classes. We'll take you to Columbus, Ohio for a rare exciting look at what it takes for this team to compete and win from the pits on to the finish line.

We're no different than an NFL football team. We, we all have our own positions and

we all complement each other so it works out really well.

It's a horsepower TV, special with the Jags team at National Trail Raceway

40

Saturday morning,

going to George Ray's Wildcat

and

close

while since

a

and,

and

your train

brother

for information about the products used in today's show and more. Check us out online at Horsepower tv.com

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