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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Governor tells grads about her former closeted life ... Lane County judge addresses concerns about 30-day sentence for dog-beater ... Unions submit signatures for Oregon corporate tax hike proposal ... Governor tells grads about her former closeted life ... Lane County judge addresses concerns about 30-day sentence for dog-beater ... Unions submit signatures for Oregon corporate tax hike proposal ... DRAG RACING Local driver wins big race Central Point's Hix wasn't sure he'd compete again Dan Hix's dragster sat in the garage for eight years before roaring back to life recently. By DAN JONES MailTribune.com By DAN JONES Posted Mar. 18, 2014 @ 12:01 am Updated Mar 18, 2014 at 2:25 AM By DAN JONES Posted Mar. 18, 2014 @ 12:01 am Updated Mar 18, 2014 at 2:25 AM » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Dan Hix's dragster sat in the garage for eight years before roaring back to life recently. The 38-year-old Central Point resident never let it build up too much dust — he had poured too much money into it to just to let it fade into a rusty relic — but his life seemed too busy with coaching Little League and doing basketball and dirt bikes with his two boys to get back into his speed machine. Plus, there just weren't many openings for his kind of racing. "It didn't owe me anything and there weren't any good opportunities, so I put it aside," he says. When a racing opportunity arose that Hix couldn't resist, he and his carefully crafted ride made the most of it. He took first in the fuel altered eliminator class during the 56th annual March Meet at Auto Club Famoso Raceway in Bakersfield, Calif., March 6-9. To make things even better, the large crowds there fell in love with the artistry on the dragster, Hix says. "It knocked people's socks off," he says. It was a week he won't soon forget. "It's the biggest nostalgic drag race in the world," says Hix, who is a welder and mechanic. Hix built the dragster "from darn near scratch" 12 years ago. It can reach 4,000 horsepower and goes over 240 mph, he says. Along with the dragster, Hix used to race sprint cars at Southern Oregon Speedway. His aspirations of furthering his racing career took a back seat to family though. His boys — 10-year-old Blaine and 12-year-old Donovan — kept him plenty busy. Blaine was named after a late professional drag racer, and Donovan after a racing engine. "More than once, I thought about it never happening," Hix says of resuming his hobby. "People would say, 'Man, why don't you get rid of it.' It's family, it's part of me. It's a really unique build. Nobody has one like mine." By DAN JONES MailTribune.com By DAN JONES Posted Mar. 18, 2014 @ 12:01 am Updated Mar 18, 2014 at 2:25 AM » Comment or view comments Terms of Service /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. fantasy football Stat Projections for Fantasy Football's Impact Rookies May. 9, 2016 at 1:00 am calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501