NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

The unmistakable sound of nitro-burning engines will once again echo across the hallowed grounds of Famoso Dragstrip as the California Hot Rod Reunion presented by Good Vibrations Motorsports proudly welcomes back Nitro Revival and the legendary Cacklefest.

Taking place Oct. 23-25, 2026, the California Hot Rod Reunion celebrates the history, heroes, and machines that helped create the sport of drag racing. And few experiences capture that history quite like the Cacklefest.

For fans of traditional hot rodding and drag racing, the Cacklefest is more than a display of historic race cars. It is a living piece of drag racing history.

The name says it all. They cackle. They roar. They shake the ground. And they smell like nitromethane.

“These cars aren’t just pieces of history, they’re part of the history of the people who built them, raced them, and followed them,” said Cindy Gibbs, who produces Nitro Revival along with her father, Steve. “This sensory overload experience gives today’s fans a chance to feel what it was like when these legendary cars ruled the earth. A ‘museum in motion,’ there’s nothing like it. It’s something you simply can’t experience anywhere else.”

The Cacklefest acts as an important reminder that the California Hot Rod Reunion isn’t only about watching today’s racers compete; the event is a celebration of where drag racing came from and the people who made it what it is today.

And for those who have never experienced a Cacklefest, there’s only one way to truly understand it.

“You just gotta ‘Be there,’ as the late, great Steve Evans famously announced,” Gibbs continued.

“The energy of Cacklefest builds. We fire a few on track to start the spectacle, and then you hear them coming. One after another, being push-started down the return road, just like they did in the 1960s and early ’70s. The newer drag racing fan never got to witness this. Well, we’re here to give it to them.

“The air thick with the sweet smell of nitromethane, there’s nothing like it. I’ve got goosebumps just thinking about it right now.”

The 2026 California Hot Rod Reunion will feature three full days of drag racing, a vendor row, a swap meet, and a car show. But Saturday night at sunset, all eyes will turn to the Famoso quarter-mile as Nitro Revival presents the unmistakable experience called Cacklefest.

Come for the racing, stay for the history, and whatever you do, don’t miss the Cacklefest.

For tickets and information, visit: nhramuseum.org; Call: (800) 759-8679; Email: CHRR@famosodragstrip.com