A deeply emotional moment unfolded Friday night at the California Hot Rod Reunion when NHRA President Glen Cromwell surprised longtime racing pioneer Steve Gibbs with replicas of the three Wally trophies he lost in the devastating 2024 Camarillo wildfire.
The presentation, which took place on the starting line at Famoso Dragstrip, symbolized far more than the return of hardware. For many, it marked a healing moment in the relationship between Gibbs and the NHRA—an organization he helped build from the ground up over nearly five decades before their highly publicized split in 2016.
According to Famoso Dragstrip’s Blake Bowser, Cromwell personally led the effort to recreate Gibbs’ missing trophies after learning that the fire destroyed the veteran promoter’s home, vintage shoebox Ford, and a lifetime of memorabilia. “Glen worked with all his staff, and they replicated what was on those Wallys,” Bowser said. “They replaced the Wallys he lost in the fire.”
Bowser said Cromwell wanted the presentation to take place at the Reunion, the same event Gibbs helped launch in 1992 alongside Greg Sharp and the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum staff. It was an event that, for decades, celebrated drag racing’s golden era—and one that Gibbs was instrumental in shaping before his departure following disagreements over the event’s direction.
In a fitting bit of symmetry, the 2025 Reunion not only welcomed Gibbs back into the fold but also united two institutions he helped build: the California Hot Rod Reunion and Nitro Revival. The combined weekend marked the first time the Gibbs family’s push-start “Nitro Revival” program joined forces with the Reunion, bringing the sights, sounds, and smells of classic drag racing full circle.
“The whole thing just felt right,” Bowser said. “Glen and I walked the grounds on Friday, and everyone who came up to talk to him was just thankful—thankful for being here, for the event, and for seeing things come together again.”
That atmosphere of gratitude reached its emotional peak when Gibbs and his wife, Marge, stood center stage to accept the recreated Wallys from Cromwell. It wasn’t a publicity stunt or a press conference—it was a quiet, powerful moment of respect between a sanctioning body and one of its most influential figures.
Gibbs, who had dedicated 46 years to NHRA before founding Nitro Revival in 2017, remains a revered name in the sport for his role in shaping the organization’s modern identity. He was instrumental in the creation of the original California Hot Rod Reunion, the development of nostalgia drag racing as a national phenomenon, and the preservation of the sport’s history through the Cacklefest program.
Hall of Fame journalist Dave Wallace described the presentation on social media as a defining moment for drag racing’s ongoing evolution. “With the addition of the Gibbs family’s Nitro Revival program, the California Hot Rod Reunion is BACK,” Wallace wrote. “Credit to independent promoters Blake Bowser, Steve Gibbs, and Cindy Gibbs for simultaneously saving one event that had lost its home and another that had plainly lost its way.”
That synergy wasn’t lost on the thousands of fans in attendance, many of whom saw the gesture from Cromwell as a bridge between the NHRA’s corporate leadership and the grassroots foundation from which the sport grew.
For Gibbs, who rarely seeks the spotlight, the evening was both a tribute and a restoration—of memory, of legacy, and of connection. After nearly a decade apart from the Reunion he helped create, his return felt like a full-circle moment for the nostalgia community.
The exchange also carried personal weight for Bowser, who worked closely with Gibbs to rebuild the event following NHRA’s decision to move away from direct management of the Reunion in 2023. “It’s been about rebuilding trust, rebuilding the foundation, and bringing back the feel-good that this event always had,” Bowser said. “Friday night was proof that it’s working.”
As the lights dimmed over Famoso Dragstrip, the applause from the crowd carried more meaning than words. It wasn’t just about trophies—it was about respect, resilience, and reconciliation.
“After all these years,” Bowser said, “seeing Steve back on that starting line where it all began—it just felt like drag racing made things right again.”
