The 33rd California Hot Rod Reunion roared to a close Sunday at Famoso Dragstrip, wrapping up a weekend packed with nostalgia, nitro, and non-stop excitement. Under bright autumn skies, fans were treated to the finest in heritage drag racing as champions were crowned across the NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Series.
In Nostalgia Top Fuel, Pete Kaiser muscled his dragster to victory, capping a stellar weekend with hard-charging consistency from start to finish. In Nostalgia Funny Car, Jon Capps lit up the scoreboards and the crowd, powering to the win with a strong final-round performance.
The wild Fuel Altered class saw Greg Leahy keep his machine straight and true to take home top honors, while NHRA superstar Sean Bellemeur flexed his trademark consistency in A/Fuel, adding another Famoso win to his impressive résumé. Alan Hull claimed victory in Junior Fuel, while Tony Trimp blasted his way to the 7.0 Pro title.
Index and eliminator racing was fierce all weekend. Dave Isley captured Nostalgia Eliminator 1, Tony Citro earned NE2, and Ashlee Ballstrehl came out on top in NE3. The Gas classes were equally exciting — Ray Padgett (A/Gas), Chris Tourek (B/Gas), and hometown favorite Beau Dyson of Bakersfield (C/Gas) all scored hard-fought wins, while Dan Schrokosch powered to victory in D/Gas. James Mahergrabbed the California Funny Car crown, Jeremy Smith triumphed in AFX, and Dan Rowley took the Hot Rod honors.
Capping off the weekend, Bakersfield’s own Jason Barta was crowned the NHRA Heritage Series Champion in Nostalgia Eliminator 1, bringing the title home in front of an enthusiastic local crowd.
With the Hot Rod Reunion now in the books, the nostalgia scene shifts gears to the ANRA Season Finals this coming weekend at Famoso — promising even more side-by-side thunder as racers close out another unforgettable year of drag racing history!
This story was originally published on October 29, 2025. 
