Steve Gibbs has never been one to walk away from unfinished business. Nearly a decade after parting ways with the California Hot Rod Reunion over a clash of vision and management, the man who helped make the California Hot Rod Reunion’s Cacklefest a nostalgia racing institution is returning to where it all began.
In 2016, a shift in NHRA leadership led to sweeping new rules for the Cacklefest — the crown jewel of the California Hot Rod Reunion [CHRR] at Famoso Dragstrip. The changes were so restrictive that Gibbs, the retired NHRA’s vice president of race operations, and his legion of vintage drag racers chose to walk away. That departure birthed the Nitro Revival, a traveling celebration of nostalgia nitro machines that found a home at Irwindale Raceway — until Irwindale itself closed this year.
With Irwindale’s gates locked for good, Gibbs and his daughter Cindy found themselves faced with a choice: move the event elsewhere or bring it back to Bakersfield. The decision was made easier when the NHRA and Famoso’s Blake Bowser extended an olive branch.
“Obviously when Irwindale closed up, we didn’t have a place to go to,” Gibbs said. “So it’s either just finish it off, or at that time, NHRA had already warmed up to a CHRR return. Blake Bowser and NHRA wanted to try to reinvigorate the Hot Rod Reunion.”
The reunion, once the epicenter of nostalgia drag racing, had suffered in recent years. Attendance dwindled, participation fell, and the once-electric atmosphere that Gibbs helped built from the ground up needed a spark. That spark, many believe, is Gibbs himself — and Cindy, who now oversees the day-to-day leadership of the Nitro Revival.
“I think it’s going to be a nice event,” Gibbs said. “I think it’s going to bring some fresh life into it. Hopefully that will pass into the health of the [NHRA] Museum and keep the doors open in that place. We’re reasonably optimistic, and we’ll take a look at it when it’s all over and see if we’re doing well.”
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For Gibbs, returning to Bakersfield is more than a logistical move — it’s a homecoming.
“I’ve been going to Bakersfield since 1957,” Gibbs said. “It is Mecca when it comes to just being involved in the sport. The golden years in the sport. There’s so much history in Bakersfield. Everybody likes to go to Famoso. And to feel that we can continue to keep it going, it’s a good feeling.”
That feeling comes with a hint of vindication. Many of the executives responsible for Gibbs’ 2016 exit have since departed NHRA’s management ranks. The sport, in a sense, has come full circle.
“It has served a purpose by keeping the [historic] social end of the sport going,” Gibbs said. “So, we’re happy about that. I’m really happy we’re going back. I’d like to do it until the day I die.”
Even in returning, Gibbs isn’t one to sit idly by and watch others do the work. Though Cindy now handles the operational reins, her father can’t resist lending a hand.
“Well, I try to,” Gibbs said. “There’s no way I can just go up there and stand back and socialize. I’ll be in the middle, giving her a hand, whatever it takes. But it’s rewarding to go back here. It’s nice to have the NHRA kind of acknowledge that things should have been handled differently back in 2016. And I’ve got a good relationship with Glen Cromwell.”
The irony of the situation isn’t lost on Gibbs. The man who managed Irwindale Raceway — Nitro Revival’s last home — has now moved north to operate Famoso Dragstrip.
“Bakersfield’s going to be there a long time,” Gibbs said. “It’s not going to get moved out by housing developments or anything like that, so it’s important to keep that place open. And Tim Huddleston is actually running the track now.”
That permanence matters. To Gibbs, Bakersfield isn’t just a racetrack — it’s a sacred place for those who built the foundation of drag racing culture. Returning there feels like restoring balance.
Still, the Cackle Whisperer admits it’s hard for him to simply enjoy the show.
“I would try to do that,” he said. “But I’d probably keep one eye on what’s happening out there. I’d always have on my mind… I mean, is this thing on schedule? Is he doing the right thing? It’s just what I do. You know, for 50-some years you do that, you run these events. You know, you’ve got to stay ahead of things.”
Gibbs beams when speaking about Cindy’s role in the event’s resurgence. Like her father, she’s both organizer and caretaker — part cheerleader, part enforcer.
“Cindy. She’s great. My kid, she loves the people,” Gibbs said. “She grew up around it, and so she’s done a great job on the preparation for it, but it comes down to actually make these guys get in line, you’ve got to kind of push it a little bit with them.
“Some of these guys have always done it this way. You have to kind of stay ahead of the game on it, so it’s going to be a great event. I’d like us to be doing everything we can to make it work for us. I think we’re going to have a nice presentation out there. It’s just a bunch of old guys with old cars starting them up. We’re not racing.”
For Gibbs, the appeal has never been about trophies or timing slips. It’s about the memories — and the people who lived them.
“But it’s amazing how many people that brings back the memories of old cars and that time and that era,” Gibbs said.
He’s proud that Cindy has carried the torch forward.
“I’m proud of her. She loves it. And it’s all for her,” he said. “I’m not taking anything out of this. My life is comfortable. So it’s just hers to keep it going. I’ll be there to support her as much time as I can.”
Even at 85, Gibbs shows no signs of slowing down. His recent induction into the Motorsports Hall of Fame only solidifies what most in the drag racing world already knew — his legacy is unmatched.
“Marge and I were talking the other day about age,” Gibbs said. “And I said, yeah, I don’t feel any age. You know, I’m just thankful to still be pretty much, you know, intact at this age.”
For the man often called drag racing’s Pied Piper, this return to Bakersfield feels like destiny fulfilled — a circle completed.
Like Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s vow to return to the Philippines, Gibbs’ journey back to Famoso is less about nostalgia and more about restoration. He’s not just revisiting his past — he’s preserving drag racing’s heritage for future generations.
And in that sense, Steve Gibbs never really left.
