With veteran driver Jason Lee behind the wheel, Coast Packing Company’s ’69 Noonan Hemi ProCharger Pro Mod Camaro was back in action last weekend, May 16-17, for Wooostock in Darlington, S.C. – a test run ahead of PDRA’s East Coast Nationals on May 29-30 at GALOT Motorsports Park in Benson, N.C.
The weekend event will see the return of Coast CEO Eric R. “Goose” Gustafson, two months after his stunning win in Bradenton, Fla. – but it won’t include the usual legion of fans. As states begin to loosen restrictions set in place to control the spread of COVID-19, the Professional Drag Racers Association is preparing to start its 2020 season, nearly two months later than planned.
“We are thrilled to finally get back to racing, and to do it at GALOT Motorsports Park, the original season opener,” Gustafson said. Ben Liedel joined the usual crew team of Cameron Hensley and John Urgo in South Carolina.
To mark the inaugural PDRA event of the season, Coast has updated its special online gastronomic #FatMap919, showcasing local spots where fans can “Taste the Difference” that lard and beef tallow make in popular dishes – dishes now available exclusively by delivery or on a take-out basis (explore the #FatMap). The 34 eateries cities on #FatMap919 all feature dishes prepared with lard and/or beef tallow.
Nestled between Raleigh and Fayetteville, the Benson track (https://www.galotmotorsportspark.com/home.htm) is just a stone’s throw from spots offering take-out and/or delivery of classic North Carolina fare. Beef tallow fries are on the menu at two popular area chains, Bojangles Famous Chicken 'n Biscuits and Smashburger in Raleigh –. In Chapel Hill, Mama Dip's cooks its greens, black eyed peas, string beans with pork, Gonza Tacos Y Tequila in Raleigh prepares black charro beans and paisa beans with lard, and, not surprisingly, at Oh My Lard in Elm City, “everything is fried in lard at the grill!"
Absent from the take-out/delivery list are area mainstays Dickson Avenue Public House in Greenville, The Boiler Room Oyster Bar in Kinston (known for herb and beef fat fries) Fowler's Southern Gourmet in Fayetteville (hand-cut fries in Kobe beef fat), Chef & The Farmer (Brasstown ribeye with tallow confit) and Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen in Cary (skillet fried chicken pan-fried in locally-rendered lard). Here’s a Coast Packing shout-out to all and a wish that they re-open soon.
About Coast Packing Company
Now marking its 100th year in business, Coast Packing Company (www.coastpacking.com), a closely held corporation, is the number one supplier of animal fat shortenings – particularly lard and beef tallow — in the Western United States. The company sells to major manufacturers, distributors, retailers, smaller food service operations and leading bakeries. The company participates actively in diverse ethnic markets – from Hispanic retail chains, with its VIVA brand, to various Asian specialty markets. Based in Vernon, Calif., Coast Packing Company is regional, national and, increasingly, global. In some cases, supplier relationships are multigenerational, extending back 50 years and more. Coast is a founding member of the Healthy Fats Coalition (https://www.healthyfatscoalition.org/).
For more information about Coast Packing Company, visit: www.coastpacking.com. Follow us via social media on Facebook at www.facebook.com/coastpackingco, Twitter @coastpackingco and Pinterest www.pinterest.com/coastpackingco.
