The Aldridge family has a bevy of beautiful and fast cars to fuel their excitement for driving fast. Pictured top left is their dragster, on the right the 1932 Chevy Roadster and pictured below is their Corvette Roadster
Watauga County’s Tradition of Speed C.J. & Curtis Hodges • Frank & Matt Aldridge • Neil Church
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he Appalachian Mountains have held a long, colorful reputation for speed — from the days of moonshiners competing to show off who had the hottest, fastest delivery vehicles in what ultimately led to the formation of NASCAR, to the impromptu drag races that racers would schedule on the remote streets of Watauga County. So it comes as no surprise that nearly a century later that the High Country has become somewhat of a hotbed for a modern era of dragsters. While Jimmy Sharp has carved out his well-earned reputation as one of the top drivers in the National Hot Rod Association's Division II Super Comp ranks, there are a number of other racers who are constantly searching for speed in bracket racing. "There are so many tracks close to Boone, it makes it easy for drivers to compete as often as they want," said Stahl. Local drivers have easy access to the Wilkesboro Raceway Park less than 30 minutes from the heart of Boone and the worldclass facilities of the Thunder Valley Bristol Dragway, just across the border in Tennessee. Farmington Motor Sports Park is just off of the mountain, an hour away, in Mocksville, North Carolina. It is a sport that is first and foremost a family affair, with children as young as five-years old learning to drive under the guidance of their parents in an NHRA-sponsored youth program, with an emphasis on development and safety. Stahl's 19-year-old son, Landan has already had his share of
wins as an up and coming star, though he is currently taking a break from competition to focus on college work at Caldwell Community College. Frank Aldridge, known for his mechanical prowess and maintenance work at the Tweetsie Railroad amusement park before retiring, is a veteran of over 50 years of drag racing. He has passed that family racing legacy on to his son, Matt, and they eagerly await the time when Matt's four-year-old son will be able to start racing. C.J. and Curtis Hodges are two other local drag racers adding to the family aspect of the sport, while Sam Shannon has two daughters, Katrina and her sister competing regularly. Other prominent racers in the area are Neil Church and Tim Turbyfield. "If your kids are brought up around the race track … only one out of 10 will go bad," Sharp said. "It is a family sport. You go to Bristol and there will be 50 kids out there (racing)." Bracket racing is a unique form of drag competition where drivers match up with a handicap allowance over a standard distance of one-eighth mile, 1,000 feet, or quarter-mile tracks. and is extremely popular with racers who can best be described as weekend warriors. Ironically, two of the better bracket racers in this region live within walking distance of Sharp's shop in Foscoe. June 2016
High Country Magazine
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