Riders Roll Out to Corvette Land for Big Harley Drag Competition
Hundreds of riders head out to Bowling Green, Kentucky, proving the Harley community is as strong as ever.
Bowling Green, Kentucky, is first and foremost in the minds of many the home of every Corvette to roll off the assembly line, and of the museum built to honor the American icon. There are other things that Bowling Green is known for too, of course. For starters, it’s the global headquarters of Fruit of the Loom underwear, home to Western Kentucky University, and legendary film director John Carpenter grew up in the city after his family moved from New York in 1953.
And recently, it also welcomed hundreds of Harley riders to Beech Bend Park’s drag strip for the AMRA Summer Shootout, sponsored by Harley-Davidson Bowling Green. Dual CBS/NBC affiliate WNKY-TV reported on the gathering, which shows that the Orange & Black community is still going strong.
“I watched the pioneers of this sport like Jim McClure, Ray Price in their 60s and 70s riding thousand-horsepower nitro bikes, and I always told myself, ‘if I can stay healthy, I should be able to street ride till I’m 90,’” Joe Perry of Kingsport, Tennessee told WNKY-TV.
Perry adds that working on his Harley keeps him young, especially when others his age prefer the retiring life over the open road and the excitement it brings. It truly is a way of life, one another attendee at the Summer Shootout, Jeff Gregory lives to the fullest.
“It’s freedom, like a bird when you’re flying,” said Gregory. “You’re there, you have the wind in your face, the sun to your back. It’s therapy. With this, you have the freedom of the air, the view, everything. Sometimes, it’s explainable.”
Not to mention that events like the Summer Shootout are an excellent opportunity for the non-riding public to check out what Harley riders do for the community, while also offering the possibility of attracting a few into the fold.
“We all ride for good causes (such as) charities, the teddy bear run, veteran runs, stuff like that. It’s all a good life,” Gregory told WNKY-TV.
The Harleys will return to Bowling Green September 19-22 for the AMRA Fall Finals, filling the air with the sound of V-Twins and Milwaukee-Eights instead of the usual LT and LS V8s heard daily in Corvette Land.
