NHRA icons including, from left, Bill Jenkins, Shirley Muldowney, and Don Garlits, will share racing memories with fans at a special Legends Dinner Feb. 13.

It’s one thing to read about history. It's another to watch accounts of it on the History channel. But nothing quite compares to hearing stories from the men and women who actually lived and breathed the history.

The NHRA community, from race fans to sponsors to drivers to crewmembers, will be afforded that rare opportunity when NHRA hosts the Legends Dinner Saturday, Feb. 13, in the Avalon Room at the L.A. County Fairplex as part of its weeklong celebration of the 50th running of the iconic Kragen O’Reilly NHRA Winternationals presented by Valvoline, which will be held Feb. 11-14 at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

The Legends Dinner will feature drivers from each of the five decades that the Winternationals has been contested. NHRA track announcer Bob Frey will serve as the event’s emcee, steering the discussion from Don Garlits’ unveiling of the Swamp Rat to local-boy Larry Dixon’s Winternationals wins in 2002 and 2003 that propelled him to his two championships and not missing a moment between.

Legendary announcer Dave McClelland will conduct roaming interviews with some of the assembled NHRA stars as well as facilitate a Q&A with the audience.

This autographed Eric Clapton guitar will be among items up for auction.

The drivers slated to be formally involved in the panel discussion include Garlits, Dixon,  Bob Glidden, Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins, Shirley Muldowney, Kenny Bernstein, John Force, Joe Amato, and Tony Schumacher.

At the Legends Dinner, the first of its kind, cocktails will be served from 5 to 6 p.m. (no-host bar) and dinner from 6 to 7 p.m., and the panel discussion will run from 7 to 9 p.m.

Tickets are $125 per person, and tables (10 per table) can be purchased for $1,100 by calling 800-884-NHRA (6472).

The event will also include a charity component in which money will be raised via a premium-item auction for the NHRA Wally Parks Motorsports Museum presented by the Automobile Club of Southern California. Among the items for auction will be an Eric Clapton autographed guitar.

For more information on the Legends Dinner or to purchase tickets to the 50th annual Kragen O’Reilly NHRA Winternationals, call 800-884-NHRA (6472).