Las Vegas Cruisers

Car clubs are a lost chapter in U.S. history books. Love of personalizing the automobile weaved together varying strands of society in the United States. The Sinners and Crapshooters are thought to have been started about 1955 as racing fever was fueled by the new organized races. A couple of years later came the Butchers, Cherry Tears, Trimmers and Roadrunners. "We lived `American Graffiti,' " said Steve Kirby, a 60-year-old retired welder who was a member of the Hustlers. Memories of former car club members recall friendly rivalries. "There was mutual respect between the clubs," said Bruce Bartlett, a Hustler. "There weren't any fights." Although Gibbs was a member of the Crapshooters and Fredi wore Butchers' colors, they worked together on Gibbs' roadster. The Hustlers were known for holding regular dances at the National Guard Armory at 25th and Stewart. Revenue from the dances funded the club's race cars. Bartlett said alcohol wasn't permitted inside the Armory, but prohibition wasn't part of any club creed. Memories of Lucky Lager beer and nights cruising drive-ins such as the Round Up or the Tip Top brewed fond memories at a recent gathering of Southern Nevada's first drag racers. "The town was so wide open then," Fredi said, "your beer bottles would fall off the trays hanging on your door when you were at the drive-in."