'It Was An Off Year'
Hot Rod|January 2020
RAIN, THEN RACERS FLOODED THE BONNEVILLE SALT FLATS FOR SPEED WEEK 2019
John McGann
'It Was An Off Year'
Without exception, everyone who learned that this was my first time at the Bonneville Salt Flats informed me, “You should have been here last year.” Apparently, 2018’s racing conditions were the best ever—or at least the best in recent memory, depending on who you were speaking with—and that was the benchmark used to judge this year’s event. What went wrong? Mother Nature exercised her indifference to man’s best-laid plans, as usual. Bonneville Nationals Inc. Chairman Pat McDowell penned the following in September 2019’s Straight Away News, “On Thursday afternoon, we had three well-groomed courses ready to go when out of nowhere, gale force winds, rain, and hail swept across the Salt! In just a short amount of time, all of our hard work was almost for naught.” You can feel the anguish in his words.

He wasn’t exaggerating. Photographer Wes Allison arrived the next day. His pictures from Friday afternoon show thick, salty rooster tails kicked up by cars slowly driving through the pits, there was that much standing water. Officials announced there would be no racing until Monday at the earliest, yet the staff and volunteers doggedly continued to groom the track, dragging large, heavy sleds of angle iron behind their diesel pickups in a futile attempt to scrape, smooth, and wring the excess moisture from the salt.

This story is from the January 2020 edition of Hot Rod.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the January 2020 edition of Hot Rod.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM HOT RODView All
Making Connections
Hot Rod

Making Connections

Project T-top Coupe: We install a Terminator X Max for big power.

time-read
7 mins  |
February 2024
LET IT BREATHE!
Hot Rod

LET IT BREATHE!

Project X’s new ZZ632 big-block needed to breathe, and this do-ityourself stainless exhaust kit was just the ticket to make it happen.

time-read
2 mins  |
February 2024
TUNING OPTIMIZED
Hot Rod

TUNING OPTIMIZED

VARIABLES WITHIN FUEL-INJECTOR CONSTRUCTION CAN LEAD TO POOR ENGINE OPERATION. HERE'S HOW TO TUNE YOUR FUEL INJECTORS.

time-read
7 mins  |
February 2024
Re-Flange It!
Hot Rod

Re-Flange It!

We check out the fab skills needed to run a flat hood on a 1970 Mustang with a very unique and too-tall engine.

time-read
5 mins  |
February 2024
THE TRIBUTE FOR THE WIN
Hot Rod

THE TRIBUTE FOR THE WIN

Ron Capps wins the NHRA U.S. Nationals driving a Don Prudhomme-Hot Wheels tribute Funny Car.

time-read
3 mins  |
February 2024
So Close
Hot Rod

So Close

Following a nearly flawless performance, a pít lane penalty kept the C8.R off the top of the podium in the IMSA Sportscar Weekend.

time-read
3 mins  |
February 2024
A RADICAL SHIFT
Hot Rod

A RADICAL SHIFT

When you're a teenager and the police know you by name, it's not usually because of your volunteer work or class-topping GPA. Not at all. That was especially true for Jeff Kainz when he was behind the wheel of his 1975 Camaro. In the '80s, while cruising his hometown in North Dakota, his buddies with police scanners often heard the police tell one another: \"Kainz is out on Main Street.\"

time-read
5 mins  |
February 2024
WILD MASH-UP
Hot Rod

WILD MASH-UP

Built to long-haul the 2023 HOT ROD Power Tour, this 1984 Monte Carlo’s facade hides a performance secret!

time-read
5 mins  |
February 2024
6 TIMER!
Hot Rod

6 TIMER!

Tom Bailey captures his 6th HOT ROD Drag Week Unlimited/Overall title with his Sick Seconds 1.0 Camaro.

time-read
10+ mins  |
February 2024
JIM MCFARLAND'S INFLUENCE WENT WAY BEYOND HOT ROD MAGAZINE.
Hot Rod

JIM MCFARLAND'S INFLUENCE WENT WAY BEYOND HOT ROD MAGAZINE.

Jim McFarland, the multitalented, multifaceted Texan who enjoyed several careers in the automotive performance industry, passed away in October 2023 at the age of 88.

time-read
3 mins  |
February 2024