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2025 Oldsmobile Nationals Drag Race Registration & Info Thread
Hey all some of you know me some don't but I'm one of the fellas that sets up the drag races for the OCA. I figured I'd get ahead of the curve and post correct race info here for all to see and answer any questions you may have. I'm going to attach photos of the flyer and registration to this post and will also add the article below that Bob Lang wrote for the JWO that has all race info in it. That should answer any questions you may have but if it doesn't feel free to reach out to me and I'll help any way I can. One thing not included in the info below is our 1st time OCA member deal. If you have never been a member of the OCA and would like to come race we will give you a FREE 1 year e-membership to the OCA when you register for the race! This is only available through the race program and only to folks that have never been an OCA member. We are also still collecting sponsors for the program so if you have a business and would like to be one of our race sponsors let me know!
We have put together what I believe will be another great program in 2025 for our Olds National Drag Race! Our last two races in Dayton and Springfield were successful building blocks for us to create another fun and exciting event this year in Bowling Green, KY. The event will be closely aligned with the OCA Nationals held just a few miles away in Bowling Green also. Of course, each event has its own set of issues to deal with, based on dates, location, track availability, capabilities and costs. As a result, each National Race will be somewhat different. Our goal is to make each event special, build on experience, grow the participation of club members and hopefully attract new members each year. We want the race and party to have something for as many members as possible, and of course be exciting and fun for the racers and show goers.
This year we have the advantage of having a great race facility within minutes of the show host hotels in Bowling Green. The track is Beach Bend Raceway which has been in existence since 1956! The track is NHRA certified and has been the location of many NHRA national races over the years. It is a very large facility and can handle large events without a problem.
Because the track is so busy throughout the race year we had to book a Wednesday race date, July 16th. Mid-week races have advantages and disadvantages. In this case I believe there are more pluses than negatives. Some of our advantages are: We don’t have to compete with other races, we have the track totally for our use, we won’t have to interfere with judging at the show, and all the racers can enjoy being part of the show after the race also, which we really want to happen.
An added feature to Beech Bend Raceway is it also has 400 Campsites, and a full-size waterpark! More things to do before or after the show or race!
The Race Day and Race Party schedule is as follows for Wednesday, July 16th:
· The track opens at 9am, tech inspection will open, and the pits will be open for race cars. Track concessions will be open all day.
· The Race time trials will start at 10am and run until approximately 12:30pm.
· Racing in all 4 classes will start at 1pm with finals happening about 4:30-5pm.
· The OCA race dinner buffet will be served between 5pm and 7pm at the indoor air-conditioned pavilion.
· Race awards and prize money will be awarded during the dinner at 6pm.
· Live music will start after the awards have been presented, targeted for about 6:30pm. Music will play for 3 hrs.
· Rain date for the race is July 17th in the morning. We will do all we can to get the race in on Wednesday should it rain.
· The charge for race SPECTATING and entry plus entry into the RACE PARTY is only $24 for the whole day! Don’t miss the fun and excitement with all your fellow club members. This is the main off site show event for our Nationals this year! It’s as inexpensive as we can make it and a great time to mix with all your fellow club members and see some great racing at a great track, Beech Bend Raceway.
Racers traveling to the track can park on the roadway into the track on Tuesday night and Wednesday night after the race if they desire at N/C. Fun Rocket racers and spectators can get a Tuesday night reservation at one of the host hotels for the show so they can get to the race early on Wednesday if they desire. The track is only about 15 min. from host hotels for the OCA Nationals. Of course, racers are welcome and encouraged to be part of the show also! Spectators are welcome at the track anytime on Wednesday, but remember races start at 1 pm!
We have a special paved area for the Olds show cars to park at the track whenever you get there. It is a short walk to the race starting line and the covered grandstands to watch the races from. Food and refreshments will be available all day.
As mentioned earlier we have reserved both an indoor and outdoor pavilion at the track. These are very large pavilions and are equipped with lots of seating and tables! The indoor pavilion is our safety valve should it rain and a place to cool off if necessary. The outdoor pavilion is great and should provide us with a great place for the party, if need be, we can move inside should we get rained on like last year. The show will go on!
As I stated earlier in this article, the dinner will be served over 2 hrs. hours and everyone that buys a dinner will get a ticket with their reservation either with the show or with the race registration. The menu is as follows; Fried Chicken, Smoked Chicken Quarters, Hickory smoked BBQ, and hot dogs! The 3 sides are baked beans, potato salad, and coleslaw. Iced tea and lemonade are included with an open soda fountain during serving! All this for only $25 per person!
This will be the main off-site event of the show but there are some other neat things planned by the show committee, and we hope you take in as much as you can. We have kept the price of this event as low as we can so we can provide a healthy payout for the racers and still provide a great day of entertainment for all. It will be a great way to kick off the 2025 OCA Nationals and have a super show week in Bowling Green. We are now taking reservations for the Race, Party, and Dinner. See the attached flyers in this JWO.
If you should have any questions about the race or the event in general, please give me a call or email me.
See You at the RACES July 16th!! Bob Lang
2025 Flyer
2025 Registration
Last edited by Gbobby; Feb 8, 2025 at 01:38 PM.
Reason: update info
I’m very happy to hear that a race event is becoming a priority for the OCA Nationals.
i think that for too long the racers weren’t given enough credit for keeping the badge alive and well.
So Thank you!
it’s a bummer that the race is BEFORE the judging. I worry that a lot of entries won’t want to participate as the race might sully their treasured cars.
Can you ask the judges to give a little leniency on undercarriage cleanliness if their cars partake in the drag event?🤣
But 2 days is enough to clean off all the grime I guess.
I hope the event draws more people into the club!
Looking forward to it.
I’m very happy to hear that a race event is becoming a priority for the OCA Nationals.
i think that for too long the racers weren’t given enough credit for keeping the badge alive and well.
So Thank you!
it’s a bummer that the race is BEFORE the judging. I worry that a lot of entries won’t want to participate as the race might sully their treasured cars.
Can you ask the judges to give a little leniency on undercarriage cleanliness if their cars partake in the drag event?🤣
But 2 days is enough to clean off all the grime I guess.
I hope the event draws more people into the club!
Looking forward to it.
--Can another thread be added to Classic Olds in the general section? Reason I ask this is-- many may not be interested in racing may never look at this in the Racing and High Performance section. But they may be very interested in this part of the 2025 Nationals- As I am!!
-- This is great!! I have been to a couple events at Beech Bend and it is sooo cool!! I am especially excited about being able to camp there. I wonder if I could tow my vintage trailer behind Olds and stay there? I know that would reduce attendance some at the host hotel. Don't know if that would be good or bad... Bob- Thanks so much for doing this!!
I’m very happy to hear that a race event is becoming a priority for the OCA Nationals.
i think that for too long the racers weren’t given enough credit for keeping the badge alive and well.
So Thank you!
The problem in the past has been that the race program did not make any money and in all reality lost money every year due to the low car count and little spectator participation. I will not point the finger to blame at anybody but changes needed to be made. The main 2 pieces to the puzzle were we needed a dedicated "in charge" guy at the track that was not in competition (not racing) and we needed someone that was more in touch with the current drag racing scene. That is where Bob and I came into the picture. The very first thing we did was setup some classes that cover everything from a show beauty all the way to the "super pro" type bracket car. Then we put together a more aggressive payout structure which in my mind was the main reason we didn't see a car count. The last hurdle was really figuring out how to actually make a profit on these races because really in order for the OCA to embrace the program it has to at least break even but really needs to be profitable. If you are even remotely involved in setting up any kind of racing you'd know that the profits does not come from racers (most registration $ goes to payouts), it comes from spectators and sponsors. So the last 2 years we have been cultivating sponsors for the program and building a "race party" which has started to check those boxes. I can honestly say that Bob and I along with all the great race attendees' & drivers have shown the OCA that the racing program can be very successful if given the right time and ideas by the right people. We went from the OCA thinking about killing off the program to them putting us up front and center in the nationals program. For example this year none of the events were planned until we got the race track booked. The nationals committee was fully ready to work around whatever date we could get to go racing. Last year they rearranged judging because the only track day we could get was judging day. We still have a long way to go but they are definitely taking us seriously!
it’s a bummer that the race is BEFORE the judging. I worry that a lot of entries won’t want to participate as the race might sully their treasured cars.
Can you ask the judges to give a little leniency on undercarriage cleanliness if their cars partake in the drag event?🤣
But 2 days is enough to clean off all the grime I guess.
Unfortunately there is no perfect day for everyone and this year it was Wednesday or nothing as the track was already booked for the rest of the week. I know that if you are showing your car in a race class these details don't matter or shouldn't. But either way you are correct we will have 2 days to clean all the fun off these rockets.
I hope the event draws more people into the club!
Looking forward to it.
Me too! Thats our main objective to bring more diversity to the club and to bring the show to the race and vice versa!
--Can another thread be added to Classic Olds in the general section? Reason I ask this is-- many may not be interested in racing may never look at this in the Racing and High Performance section. But they may be very interested in this part of the 2025 Nationals- As I am!!
-- This is great!! I have been to a couple events at Beech Bend and it is sooo cool!! I am especially excited about being able to camp there. I wonder if I could tow my vintage trailer behind Olds and stay there? I know that would reduce attendance some at the host hotel. Don't know if that would be good or bad... Bob- Thanks so much for doing this!!
I'm not sure admin would want a 2nd post on this but if they do I can make one or maybe just move this over to the general section. I don't think there will be any lack of interest in the host hotel so do what you want and don't worry about it. If you want a campsite you would have to arrange that with Beech Bend. I'm not sure of the cost etc.
I shot an email to the address listed on the "form" (which is actually a picture) requesting a pdf, as there is nothing on the website listed pertaining to the race.
I'm interested in signing up; it may be a donation if I don’t survive Summit Midwest Drags the week before. Should be fine, but Ol' Murphy likes to show up to the party unannounced.
I shot an email to the address listed on the "form" (which is actually a picture) requesting a pdf, as there is nothing on the website listed pertaining to the race.
I'm interested in signing up; it may be a donation if I don’t survive Summit Midwest Drags the week before. Should be fine, but Ol' Murphy likes to show up to the party unannounced.
I got it in PDF format. I'll attach it to my original post and pm it to you. I posted photos here so people could see these forms without downloading. Its not on OCA website yet because the OCA doesn't officially release anything until next month. We get started a little early with the race program to give you all that are planning race season a little early heads up. There is also a 2025 Oldsmobile National Drag Race event page on FB. BTW my 69 f85 is also named "Murph". Named it after a close friend passed away. Hope to see you there!
EDIT...I cannot get PDF files to attach to my original post or in a pm. If you emailed Bob I'm sure he will reach out today.
Last edited by Gbobby; Jan 16, 2025 at 09:43 AM.
Reason: forgot something.
Judy and I are hopeing to fit this into our "race schedule" , and make the tow down from Canada again this year. We were not able to make it to last years race, but did make the tow down to Dayton OH. for the 2023 OCA Race/Show and had a GREAT time!
Anyone that has not attended this race in the last couple of years, should seriously consider giving it a try, and attending,.........you don't need any "drag race" experience to enter the Fun Rockets Class, and I'll personally gaurantee that you'll have a Blast!.
Bobby and Bob L. have put a ton of time, and effort into getting these races organized the last couple of years,...... and are doing an awesome job!
Quick question, does the admission for 1 driver & 1 crew member include admission for both to the Race Party or does the Crew Member have to buy a separate ticket to the Race Party, thanks.
Quick question, does the admission for 1 driver & 1 crew member include admission for both to the Race Party or does the Crew Member have to buy a separate ticket to the Race Party, thanks.
For the classes that include a driver and crew member your race entry gets both into the race party as well. The only exception to this is Fun Rockets as the race registration does not include a crew member. Remember when registering that the party does not include food so if you want in on the food being served thats a separate cost. Also I saw where you were asking about Thursday and Friday in my other post. Thursday evening we have a welcome party at the host Hotel with a DJ and food option again. It is right under the trolley info on the registration. This will be kind of an outdoor based parking lot deal. Its a new kind of event we are trying to kind of bring the welcome party outdoors near the cars. Similar to parking lot parties other automotive venues have. Should be a good time and a nice change of pace from whats been done previously.
I'm confused. The race registration fee is listed on the show/membership application, as well. Do you need both forms, or will one cover it?
EDIT: I just spoke with Bob Lang, and the race registration is covered in the class entry fee. No OCA membership required.
Also, I might run 3 classes. Is the Super Rockets open to drag radials? It seems to be more of a bracket and track prep issue than ET.
Last edited by fleming442; May 28, 2025 at 07:21 AM.
