Happy birthday, March Meet.
Bakersfield born and bred in 1959, the drag race that helped put the
city on the map is turning 50 during its 3-day run, Mar. 7-9 at
historic Auto Club Famoso Raceway.
“We’re celebrating 50 years of racing here,” said Blake Bowser, vice
president and general manager of the Kern County Racing Association,
operators of Auto Club Famoso and producers of the fabled March Meet.
“It’s a historic occasion that all of Bakersfield, Kern County and drag
racing can be proud of.”
Half a century ago, Bakersfield was a sleepy oil town best known as the
last stop before climbing the “Grapevine” road to Los Angeles. Things
changed rapidly when local country singer Buck Owens rose to fame in
the late 1950s. At the same time, drag racers from around the country
began pouring into Famoso for quarter-mile runs.