My friends and I argue about which was the more popular destination for weekend high school Bakersfield drag racing. Was it out in the north side of town. Zerker Road, or was it out in the south end past Pacheco and towards Pumpkin Center? I’ll argue against the claim that it was Zerker Road because I distinctly remember going to the taco truck in Pumpkin Center after the fact.
Generation X didn’t wait for permission. They slapped headers on hand-me-downs, bolted nitrous to wagons, and headed for the boonies. Out on Zerker Road, under the cover of the Bakersfield night, the real championship began. It wasn’t sanctioned—but it was sacred.
Generation X used to make hotrods out of any car they could get their hands on. Sometimes they would soup up a classic muscle car. Sometimes they would just use their mom’s station wagon. Either way they would head out to the edge of town, the boonies, and race. In Bakersfield the March Meets were held on Friday nights out on Zerker Road, or was that Taft Highway.
We’re working on ways to honor the tradition and memory of those warm spring evenings filled with the smell of burnt rubber and high octane exhaust.
Found in a Surf Co member’s scrap book. Keep an eye on what’s happening here. We’re looking for that commemorative shirt. Until then, you can pick-up a Truxtun Lakes Yacht Club 2019 Shirt.
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