Nathan and Howard Bugg love drag racing. In the fall of 1975, a seven-year-old Nathan and his Dad attended the drag races at Orange County International Raceway.  Dad, known as "Bugsy" to his friends, had been away from the sport and was impressed by how it had changed.   Young Nathan, after seeing "Jungle Jim" Leibermann do a three-quarter track burnout, would begin a life-long love affair with the Funny Car.      Since that day at OCIR, this family team, "Bugsy and the East Side Gang," have campaigned a half-dozen race cars ranging from a carbureatored 1948 Fiat Topolino to supercharged Funny Cars.  As Nate grew older he and Bugsy began to switch roles with Nate progressing from crew member to crew chief to driver.      During the early 1990s, due to an illness in the family, the racing team was semi-retired.  Following the death of Nathan's mother, Bugsy and Nate both felt there was something missing in their lives and that they would return to the sport the both love.  Using a supercharged methanol burning 1934 Austin Bantam Roadster, the "East Side Gang" staged a comeback.      Without an official class for the blown roadster and a true love of "things old and times gone by," they decided  to campaign their car on the nostalgia circuit.  Racing on the nostalgia circuit, the father-son team began to create a reputation as the new "old style" of showmen with burnouts to three-quarter track and guard rail to guard rail on-track antics, many competitors would wait to start their race cars until after Lil' Nate did his burnout.      Prior to the 1998 season, a decision was made to locate some type of early 70's funny car body.  The younger member of the team being uncomfortable in the roadster and with Funny Cars his first love any way, the call went out.  After months of searching, and a little luck, a 1971 Dodge Charger body was found and promptly mounted on the existing chassis.  The car debuted at the 39th Annual Bakersfield March Meet and was met with rave reviews.  Whether it was the long burnouts or the fact that it was the only supercharged Funny Car in attendance isn't known, but Lil' Nate driving the Eastside Gang Funny Car was a tremendous hit with the Bakersfield crowd.      If you remember the days at Lions and OCIR and would like to re-live those days again, stop by and say hello to the guys when the nostalgia circuit comes to your local track.

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