Beech Bend Raceway

World's Fastest Backhoe to Appear at 6th Holley NHRA National Hot Rod
Reunion

Race fans will get to see 150-mph JCB GT blast down the track during 3-

day speedfest, June 13-15

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (May 21, 2008) - And you thought nostalgia
dragsters were fast! The JCB GT, the world's fastest backhoe loader
dragster, with driver Neil Smith behind the wheel, will be speeding
down the track, June 13-15, at the 2008 Holley National Hot Rod
Reunion at Beech Bend Park in Bowling Green, Ky. Powered by a 1,300-
horsepower engine, the "backhoe on steroids" is capable of speeds more

than 150 mph and lights up the sky with its flame-shooting exhaust.

"The JCB GT is an absolute thrill to watch," said Tony Thacker,
executive director of the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum,
producers of the Reunion. "People will be cheering---they've never
seen anything like it. The Reunion will be packed with drag racing
action, including Top Fuel, but this is something special that the
whole family will love."

The JCB GT was introduced in Las Vegas at the 2005 Con-Expo, the
world's largest construction industry exhibition. The idea for the
machine came from JCB Chairman, Sir Anthony Bamford, the son of the
company's founder, Joseph Cyril Bamford. Irish comedian Frank Carson
spurred the idea in 1985 by regularly delivering a joke about a JCB
backhoe loader that whizzed by at 100 mph. The first JCB GT was
created three years later and was debuted to the public at Donington
Race Park in England on Aug. 1, 1988. The JCB GT wowed audiences for
many years after its initial launch and has entertained crowds at
major racing events the world over, including the British Formula One
Grand Prix and the Australian Formula One Grand Prix.

And now the Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion can be added to the
list.

The 6th annual Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion, June 13-15 at
Beech Bend Park in Bowling Green, Ky., is a 3-day festival of speed,
hot rods and American automotive enthusiasm. Produced by the Wally
Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum and presented by the Automobile Club of
Southern California, the Reunion is part of the museum's "living
history" philosophy, which works to bring to life the sights, sounds
and people who made history in the early days of drag racing, land
speed racing and the golden age of American car culture.

Unique among motorsports events, the Reunion honors some of the top
names in hot rodding from the past and features a fabulous array of
cool drag cars, street rods and customs of the historic and present-
day hot rod eras.

_________________________________________________________________________

'Fast Five' with Dick LaHaie

Grand Marshal of the 6th Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion talks about his racing
experiences

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion, June 13-15, Beech Bend Raceway, Bowling Green,
Ky.

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (May. 19, 2008) - Dick LaHaie was arguably the most humble, yet
fiercest competitor around. Selected No. 31 on the NHRA's all-time Top 50 drivers list, it's no
surprise the Lansing, Mich. racer/owner/crew chief was named Grand Marshal of the 6th
annual Holley National Hot Rod Reunion, June 13-15, Beech Bend Raceway Park. LaHaie
has proven himself worthy of numerous honors, and is a member of The Drag Racing Hall of
Fame. In a career that has spanned nearly 50 years, LaHaie won The NHRA Top Fuel
championship as a driver in 1987 and as the crew chief for Scott Kalitta in 1994 and 1995.
LaHaie joined Don Prudhomme Racing and guided Top Fuel ace Larry Dixon to NHRA Top
Fuel world championships in 2003 and 2004. LaHaie retired as Dixon's crew chief following
the 2005 NHRA season but decided in 2007 to return as a tuning consultant for Kalitta
Motorsports. In addition to his professional racing accomplishments, LaHaie, 66, and wife
Claudia own several show quality street rods.

1. How does it feel to be named the Grand Marshal for the 6th Annual Holley NHRA National
Hot Rod Reunion? What does the Reunion mean to you?

Dick LaHaie: At first I was shocked, but I'm extremely honored. I never looked for recognition
like this - I was doing what I loved to all my life. I was just a guy out there trying to win. I guess
as it turned out, I was pretty successful. Maybe I'm just dense, but it (recognition) never
crossed my mind. I was never one of those guys who walked with their chests out, like (Tom
"the Mongoose") McEwen-ha-ha. McEwen's an old friend and I was telling him and (Don "The
Snake") Prudhomme recently, 'the older you get, the better you were.' But seriously, we all
had a lot of fun back when and I made a lot of great friends in drag racing. Many of my old
friends will be congregating at the Reunion - that's why it's so special to me. I can't
communicate with everybody so it's great to see them at the Reunion. I look forward to
seeing all the Division 3 guys - Pat Dakin, G.L. Rupp, Dale Funk - we used to compete
against each other, racing pretty damn hard.

2. When you started racing back as a teen in the late '50s, did you think you'd be honored
years later? Are you surprised that people remember your racing exploits?

LaHaie: I never had a clue: I only wanted to run a car down the track. I always wanted to win,
but that wasn't the biggest thing. If your number was still on your windshield at the end of the
weekend, that meant you did ok. I guess I'm not surprised people still remember me - it was
something I did for 47 years. What does surprise me is that people will come up and talk to
me about a '55 Olds that I ran in Stock Class the late '50s. But that's what racing is about:
camaraderie. Racing brings people together.

3. What are some of your fondest (and funniest) memories about drag racing in the
'60s-'70s-'80s? What do you miss most about the "old days?" Do you keep in touch with a lot
of your old drag racing friends?

LaHaie: Drag News used to have a Jr. Eliminators list and in 1965, the Heidelberg Roadster
from Springfield, Ill., was No. 1. I took my Fuel Roadster and drove down from Lansing, Mich.,
to Alton, Ill. and submitted a challenge to match race it. I had the No.6 spot at the time. In the
first round - it was a best of three format - I whipped them handily. I was really excited to be a
win away from the No. 1 spot and I got cocky. But I learned quickly how humbling the sport
can be. My crankshaft broke - I was devastated. My mind was going 100 miles per hour
thinking what to do, but it was over. I didn't have extra parts. It was the hardest thing in the
world to watch him run single to keep his title. Two weeks later, though, he came up to
Michigan and I whipped him two straight like a stepchild to win the title, which I never
relinquished. This was all about the agony of defeat and the thrill of victory.

My most exciting time in my life was in '87. That was the first year of major corporate
sponsorship and I won the championship as a driver with just my family as the crew. It was
just my daughter Kim, my son Jeff and my wife Claudia. That was the highlight of my career.

What I miss about the old days was the camaraderie and the fact you had to do everything
yourself. It wasn't like today and the 'UPS cars' - where if something breaks you just order
another part and they overnight it to you. I miss the challenge of out-thinking my opponents.
It wasn't who had the most money - it was about who built the best car and ran the fastest.

I do keep in touch with my friends, but many of them are dying off, and that's scary. It's sad to
see the heroes of the sport dying off.

4. Are you surprised at the popularity of nostalgia drag racing? Why do you think people
enjoy it so much?

LaHaie: I think it's popular because the nostalgia races are places where old guys like me
can enjoy themselves. It's like going back to another era, and I think younger folks like that
too. In my day it was more of a rogue era, not as commercialized. There were no set
schedules. There were more race tracks and you could race everyday of the week. There
were 12 to 14 tracks in Michigan. You went to the people instead of the people coming to
you. But nostalgia is big today in everything from cars and boats to coins and guns. It brings
the interest out in people. It's human nature to be interested in times past. I know I am. Even I
am amazed when I see the old-time cars. I still can't believe we raced those things. Because
we did, things are much safer today, though.

5. Since you were a driver, owner and crew chief for many years, what do you think of drag
racing today compared to when you were on the circuit?

LaHaie: The drivers are much more professional and polished today. That started with all the
corporate sponsorship stuff in the '80s. Today's drivers work out a lot and are more
physically fit. We didn't do any of that. They also know how to speak in front of a TV camera.
But the basics are still the same: two cars on the line, first guy to the end of the track wins.
Today you just have better tracks and equipment. There's not as much on the driver to get to
the finish line. In my era, we were all green and didn't know how to do something until we tried
it. Today it's more scientific. You can map out an ignition curve. In my day, we were lucky to
have an ignition!

The 6th annual Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion, June 13-15 at Beech Bend Park in
Bowling Green, Ky., is a 3-day festival of speed, hot rods and American automotive
enthusiasm. Produced by the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum and presented by the
Automobile Club of Southern California, the Reunion is part of the museum's "living history"
philosophy, which works to bring to life the sights, sounds and people who made history in
the early days of drag racing, land speed racing and the golden age of American car culture.

Unique among motorsports events, the Reunion honors some of the top names in hot
rodding from the past and features a fabulous array of cool drag cars, street rods and
customs of the historic and present-day hot rod eras.

Those purchasing their credentials at least three weeks before the event receive significant
added value including a "goodie" bag, Reunion program, commemorative dash plaque and a
colorful and collectible plastic souvenir credential. Three-day credentials ($55 each) are
available at 800/884-NHRA or through an application on the Museum's web site
athttp://museum.nhra.com. Individual tickets are available day-of the event. Cost per person:
Friday, $20; Saturday, $20; Sunday, $15. Children 15 and under are free when
accompanied by an adult.

The Reunion features a wide variety of activities and events, including:
- Hot Heads Eliminator NHRA vintage drag racing, featuring some the sport's most famous
and historic cars and drivers, racing in such classes at Nostalgia Top Fuel, Funny Car,
Altereds, Supercharged Gassers, Classic Super Stock, Hot Rods and others.
- Street rod "show 'n shine," presented by SoffSeal, with thousands of gleaming pre-1972 hot
rods, custom cars, classics and muscle cars. "Memory Lane" will have a display of nostalgic
race cars.
- Open house at Holley, Thurs., June 12, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., followed by the Heacock Classic
Insurance Show 'n Shine cruise to the Holiday Inn University Plaza, the host hotel. A
ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at 5 p.m.
- National Hot Rod Reunion Reception, held at the Holiday Inn University Plaza's Sloan
Convention Center ballroom on Friday evening, June 13. Open to everyone at no charge,
it's a tribute to the Reunion's Grand Marshal and Honorees and a chance for fans to meet
some of drag racing's heroes.
- Cacklefest on Saturday evening, where nitro-burning historic, front-engine top-fuel
dragsters and other classic race cars are push-started just like in the "old days."
- The Swap Meet and Reunion Midway filled with manufacturer exhibits and demonstrations
- A separate amusement park with rides and games for all ages adjacent to the park.

Beech Bend
Raceway