Engines booming, people bonding

Colonels find their stride with big wins
December 5, 2018
Deputy layoffs tip of a bigger iceberg
December 5, 2018
Colonels find their stride with big wins
December 5, 2018
Deputy layoffs tip of a bigger iceberg
December 5, 2018

The combined power of 56,000 horses spewed flames and searing sulfuric smells from the throats of eight pointy-nosed drag racer engines Saturday, as a crowd of racing enthusiasts and the curious gathered at a Houma parking lot, paying homage to an unsung sport that retains popularity in the Bayou Region.

The parking lot behind Hooters was transformed into a makeshift crew pit, drag racing vehicles “cackled,” revved the engines to showcase their power, as gear-heads tweaked and showcased mechanical might to hundreds of people at the second South Louisiana Dragway Reunion.


Among the hundreds of onlookers, mothers were covering their children’s ears, while the children smiled with a combination of surprise and excitement.

“If it ain’t burning, you aren’t doing it right,” said Duane Dieck, laughing at a watery-eyed reporter retreating from the racecars.

Dieck, a serviceman for Southland Dodge, was standing behind the crowd appreciating the audible display of raw force.


Excited to show off a local sport, Dieck said the South Louisiana Dragway, for which thee vent is named, was a premier facility for its day. He said it was one of the first to have bleachers and a bathroom – previously they only had port-o-potties.

Southland Dragway was built in 1969 and lasted for 10 years before closing. Next year will be the 50th anniversary of its opening.

A previous champion of the sport was in attendance, Mark Oswald. Originally from Ohio, Oswald moved to Louisiana in the 80’s to drive for Candies and Hughes. In 1984 Oswald won the National Hot Rod Association’s Winston Championship.


Speaking about why, with so many people, the sport isn’t better known, he said it lacks publicity.

“These communities get to be sports-oriented – stick and ball sports – but there’s alot of other sports like this,” he said. “We like to talk to somebody like you because then you can get the story out and let people know that there’s a big racing community around here.”

Now a crew chief, Oswald explained that when he raced, his car hit 285 mph and finished the track in about 5.8 seconds. Now the cars could get to about 330mph and clear the track in 3.6 second range.


His old vehicle was one taking part in the demonstration. He climbed inside to crank it up and Jim Dupuy, also a crew chief, sprayed gasoline in the top of the engine to prime it. As the engine exploded to life both men gleamed with satisfaction as the looked at it.

Like Oswald, Dupuy has been part of the drag racing culture all of his life. He was first introduced to drag racing by his father, who he said instead of fishing, they would go to the drag strip. Eventually he began maintaining the vehicles in the races and travel the circuit.

Dupuy said that the travelling is difficult on a family, and so he has given the travelling portion up, but this event allows him to reunite with many of the friends from those days.


“When you see those people all the time they become like family,” he said reflecting on a past life. “All those memories are worth more than money.”

While the family-like atmosphere of the drag racers is brought together over the love of sport, elsewhere in the car show, the love of cars brought a couple together as a family in a more literal sense.

Showing off their 1965 Nova and 1967 Cargo Van, Frank and Carol Matis, along with their dog Clairence, were meeting and greeting with others in attendance.


Frank, a self-employed cabinet maker, said he restored the two vehicles. Not only are the parts no longer produced, very few of the vehicle still exist, so Frank said he crafted the pieces himself.

He estimates he has spent $26,000 on the vehicle, and that it is now worth double – though he doesn’t intend on selling it.

“They were used for, like, phone companies had them and stuff like that. They just got beat up, banged up, over the years and destroyed,” said Frank. “I told my wife, ‘if you wreck it I have to make it all over again, so don’t do it.'”


Carol opened the doors to the van and pointed to the triming under the seats and said Frank had curved the wood to fit the corners. Afterwards, she pointed to other nearby cars owned by others, that Frank had worked on.

Married for 31 years, it was Carol’s love of vehicles that sparked the marriage.

According to Carol, the third time frank visited her family’s residence, she was under the hood of her mother’s car:


“He asked, ‘what are you doing?’ I said, I was … giving it a tune up and changing the valve cover gaskets,” she said. “He goes, ‘we’re getting married.’ and so we did.”

Drag racingCOLIN CAMPO | THE TIMES