Sitting in the shade from palm trees at Flabob Airport, in Rubidoux, California, in mid-April, Diana Branch, fifty, was letting the engine on her 1929 Ford Model A roadster, nicknamed Honey Dew, cool between races. Wearing checkered Vans shoes, with pink Kinesio tape in stripes on her right ankle for a recent injury, Diana had raced all day Saturday, grudge matches on the one-eighth-mile drag strip set up on the runway, fun matches against casual challengers.
Their son, Thomas, twenty-eight, was helping in the pit on Sunday. Their daughter, Dalia, had turned twelve two days before the races. She’s worked on the cars, too—changed tires earlier that day. People say they have racing and hot-rodding in their blood, but Dalia’s story is singular. In 2010, Diana drove ten hours to the Bonneville Salt Flats, constantly hungry though her race suit fit unusually tight. She earned a land-speed record—unaware she was pregnant with Dalia.
Also racing on Sunday was Casey McWilliams in the Chico Nacho, built by his friend Charlie Hascall and five high-school students in Dayton, Oregon—they made the long journey to Rubidoux hoping for a win. Vintage Harley-Davidson and Indian motorcycles were lined up for heats as well—Randy Hayward, a former high-school principal, brought his 1929 Harley from his namesake native city.
Tom and Diana won their first heats, but she was knocked out by Tim McMaster. Tom made it another round, before being eliminated. Robert and Sherry each won their first two heats, but then came down the lineup for the quarterfinals, and they were pitted against each other.