Where were you in '62?

I went to the 20th California Hot Rod Reunion in Bakersfield October 22.

As a gathering with a meet, the reunion has always been unique in its presence as the get-together of get-togethers.

So many racers who haven’t gone to another race for decades come to this one for one reason: to see their compatriots. I can recall too many times, guys saying “I never go to the drags anymore, but I come here to see my old buddies and see the cars we used to race back then.”

Even with a recession, the reunion somehow always manages to draw wall-to-wall people and cars. People come from far and near. Nearly...