Your first drag strip?

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Wheelzman
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Your first drag strip?

Postby Wheelzman » Wed Dec 10, 2014 7:50 pm

Mine was Magnolia Drag Strip located just outside of Magnolia, OH. You will notice in the picture that they only run 1/8 mile now but waaayyyy over in the right side you will see the strip continues and when they ran 1/4 mile if you didn't get her woowed down you went into the swamp. Oh yeah there was a pothole about 100 ft past the finish line that would shake the fillings out of your teeth if you didn't swerve to avoid it. I ran about 118 MPH in a 55 Chevy with a water pipe roll bar and a kitchen chair bolted to the floor. Somebody was looking over me that's for sure.

http://www.bigalslist.com/pictures/neig ... gnolia.htm

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draglist
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Re: Your first drag strip?

Postby draglist » Thu Dec 11, 2014 9:57 pm

Wow, that's great! Mine was Thompson Drag Raceway in Ohio (or Dragway 42 in Ohio -- can't remember exactly!)

Both had a covered starting line a la Indy in the old days... had a lot of fun out there. bp
Bill Pratt
Draglist.com - Crowdsourced drag racing history.
Headlines and Results: http://www.draglist.com/
Drag Lists: http://www.draglist.com/draglist/draglist.php

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pro70z28
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Re: Your first drag strip?

Postby pro70z28 » Thu Dec 11, 2014 10:23 pm

Humbolt County Dragway, Humbolt IA. They have a website, so I have to assume it's still in operation. 1/8 Mile.
15th Annual DRAGLIST Nationals Sometime in 2020. Somewhere in the USA.

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Wheelzman
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Re: Your first drag strip?

Postby Wheelzman » Fri Dec 12, 2014 12:40 pm

Wow, that's great! Mine was Thompson Drag Raceway in Ohio (or Dragway 42 in Ohio -- can't remember exactly!)

Both had a covered starting line a la Indy in the old days... had a lot of fun out there. bp
bp you need to go to 42's website and see what they are doing. Wow! They tore the whole track out including the buildings and pits and moved the track back and twisted it so it has more length for shut down area. A new tower with suites and over track crossover is planned and I think it is to be concrete the whole way down. It was voted the worst drag strip in America a few years ago and it looks to rival Norwalk when completed.


http://www.dragway42.com/

http://www.dragway42.com/what-you-have- ... -drawings/

Zappy

Re: Your first drag strip?

Postby Zappy » Fri Dec 12, 2014 10:29 pm

My first pass would have been DETROIT DRAGWAY. Full tree (5 amber) full 1/4 mile. No walls, no guardrails, Asphalt then grass.
Went from slowest, to one of the quickest from one season to the next. Ran either 22's'or 23's in a VW BUS. yes a bus. 4-speed.
Next season showed up with a slingshot and ran 10:99 @ 126mph. 2-speed stick (yes a clutch)

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draglist
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Re: Your first drag strip?

Postby draglist » Sun Dec 14, 2014 9:13 am

That's great to hear about 42, Wheelz. I always loved going there. It had more of a 'big strip' feel than Thompson did in the 70s. Great to see the old place being resurrected.

Zappy, would love to hear more about your early racing days! That would actually be a fun thread. Drag strip memories by the Super Crew... things that happened when we were actually racing. bp
Bill Pratt
Draglist.com - Crowdsourced drag racing history.
Headlines and Results: http://www.draglist.com/
Drag Lists: http://www.draglist.com/draglist/draglist.php

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Wheelzman
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Re: Your first drag strip?

Postby Wheelzman » Sun Dec 14, 2014 2:27 pm

I would like to hear about Zappy's past drag racing too. I didn't know he was a digger
driver? Start a thread Zappy and we will all chime in. :D

Zappy

Re: Your first drag strip?

Postby Zappy » Mon Dec 15, 2014 12:41 am

Well ok, sounds like a fun thread. i'll start it off under "Super Crew".

Zappy

Re: Your first drag strip?

Postby Zappy » Mon Dec 15, 2014 1:43 am

I would like to hear about Zappy's past drag racing too. I didn't know he was a digger
driver? Start a thread Zappy and we will all chime in. :D

Oh yes Wheelz, I'm a dragster lover from way back. Front motor, rear motor, I love 'em all. I had my dream come true when I was able to
own and drive one for a season. I was BIG DADDY !!! (I thought) had to get a NHRA Competition License an all.

But the dragster is a whole other story.

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Jack Redd
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Re: Your first drag strip?

Postby Jack Redd » Mon Dec 15, 2014 3:31 pm

My first trip (attending only) was at Old Dominion Speedway in Manassas, Virginia.
It was the first drag strip on the East Coast built in 1953 and was a dirt track.
Racers used (then) mud & snow tires for traction. It was built by Mr. Al Gore (of Va.,
& now is 95). It was paved in1954 and is now gone. I had a foolish experience racing there
once. A friend asked the drive his '57 T-Bird, put it in the wrong gear (by mistake) and lost.
My next track was Aquasco Speedway in Southern Maryland. I raced on Sunday May19th
1957 and was in the U.S. Army on Monday. However, gone two months I was station back
in Arlington, Virginia. I was a starter there and later an announcer and racer. In 1963, I
won the AHRA Summernationals and was third in the '63 AHRA National Points Championship.
It was a '57 Ford running E/SA.
Don Elliott, who was an AHRA photographer and raced was 1st, Charlie Therwanger 2nd, me 3rd,
Dickie Harrell 4th (yes, the Dickie Harrell) and David Yocum who also worked at Aquasco was 5th.
And, I didn't not know it until I read about it in the November magazine issue of Modern Rod.
Great AHRA Press back then huh(?)! No money and no trophy.
Later drove B/D, C/A & pick-ups. No wins, just fun.
Now how about "Winning Your First Trophy". Mine is a funny story, went on too win many more.
Jack Approved!


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