Drivers take to the drag strip Thursday at Beech Bend Raceway Park in practice runs. The runs will take three days so the drivers can prepare their cars for Saturdays races. Photo by Paul Conrad

The need for automotive speed transcends international boundaries and ethnic backgrounds. Italians famous for their culinary delights are perhaps equally acknowledged for inventing the Ferrari and Lamborghini. German engineering has given the world the Porsche and BMW Roadster. And the United States is no slouch when it comes to muscle cars. What red-blooded American hasnt fantasized about taking the top down and burning rubber in a Corvette, Mustang or Buick? Wait a second a Buick? The Gran Sport Nationals the largest Buick event in the world is taking place this week at Beech Bend Raceway Park. But the dragsters competing Friday and Saturday wont necessarily resemble your grandmothers four-door Buick Le Sabre. Ive driven a lot of cars, but when you get into one of these, its like having tunnel vision, said Richard Lasseter, founder and president of the Gran Sport Club of America. More than 1,000 participants hailing from New Jersey to Arizona are visiting Bowling Green for the weeklong event. Drivers will compete in five different classes, depending upon their race times. All cars must be equipped with V-6 Turbo or standard V-8 Buick engines. Ninety percent of the cars are street cars and the other 10 percent are race cars, Lasseter said. Well have a 280 ZX Datsun go up against a Caddie with a Buick engine. Well have other races that are handicapped. Its all heads-up drag racing, but there are certain rules with what you can and cant do with your car. The races, which were held in Columbus, Ohio, in 1999, have been a staple at Beech Bend since 1984. Lasseter said he chose to move the races out of Bowling Green because the 1998 event was a bad experience. In 1998, we had that El Nino thing where there was bad weather all over the world, Lasseter said. Bowling Green looked like a war zone with all the hail damage. We had five solid days of rain and everyone was in bad spirits. But that wasnt all. We had some competing groups that didnt get along and a lot of the vendors said they werent coming back, Lasseter added. We had a local television station come out here, put microphones in everyones mouth, asking, How much are you going to spend here this weekend? It was really crass. Lasseter decided to return to Bowling Green because many of the racers said it felt like home. Although Columbus treated us supremely, nobody wanted to go back, he said. Nobody liked Columbus. Everyone here likes Bowling Green and Beech Bend. We just had to get our ducks in a row and straighten everything out. Wednesdays swap meet allowed participants to get reacquainted and exchange ideas, parts and technology. This gives us an opportunity to meet with friends that we only see once a year, said Lawrence Conley, an instrument engineer from Humble, Texas. Weve established relationships and friendships here that have sustained for 14 to 15 years. The best part of the event is when you come here and say hi to your friends. Its like a family reunion. The race attracts people from all walks of life, Lasseter added. Youve got everything from mechanics to bankers to whatever profession, Lasseter said. But when they come here, their background is forgotten. It doesnt matter what color you are, how much money youve got or dont have. Its a common bond everybody helping each other. The race also helps dispel the notion that Buicks are for Sunday drivers. When you think about driving a performance car, you think about driving a Chevy, Mopar or Ford, Ron Joseph of Kenilworth, N.J., said. With Buicks, the image is daddys car. But we can take these cars and make them perform about as well as anything out there.