SUPER CREW EARLY DRAG STRIP MEMORIES

Here's where our individual members can fill us in on their racing, car building, or other exploits.
Zappy
SUPER CREW EARLY DRAG STRIP MEMORIES

Postby Zappy » Mon Dec 15, 2014 1:14 am

Funny story, but true. One Sat night I'm at Detroit Drag way with the VW bus. I'm in the staging lanes alone and a couple lanes over is a guy with
a dart. He has a couple buddies with him and they spot me, and the bus. Well they start laughing and saying "look he's racing a VW BUS!!!"

Now the dart was nice, no killer car, but it was all stickered up and obviously trailered to the track. Probably a 12 sec car. Anyway it was a
nice warm Sat. night and the lanes were full. So several hrs pass and I didn't see him, then as the cars are less & less we both wind up in the lanes again at the same time about two lanes apart. One of his friends spots the bus and starts again, "hey look the bus is still in" So I get up on my bumper and start hollering to the pairing guy at the head of staging "HEY GIVE ME THE DART-(and pointing at his car) I WANT THE DART!!!".

Well the diver must have realized I must know what I'm doin to still be in. Then all of a sudden the blood drains from his face when it hits him
how can I explain at home if I loose to a VW BUS. The driver starts yelling at the pairing guy, "NO-NO, he's not in my lane, I run the car in front or behind me." I'm yelling, "A 12 second spot, the crowd will love it". NO!!! NO WAY!! the guy screams.

Well they did NOT pair us, but it at least shut him up.

Zap

Who wants to be next?? Come on who's up

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draglist
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Re: SUPER CREW EARLY DRAG STRIP MEMORIES

Postby draglist » Mon Dec 15, 2014 5:51 pm

I love it. So one night I'm at MIR and I'm driving an '86 Audi... nice little car from my single days. There was a 5 dollar entry race. You put in five and the winner took it all. Just street guys. Tod Mack gives me five dollars and says, "I want to see that Audi run." So in I went... it was super fun doing time runs. I basically was just lapping... making my passes, then back up the staging lanes and right back to the starting line. That's when the sort of behavior Zappy mentioned kicked in among some of my fellow competitors. They were practically crashing into one another in the lanes in order to line up next to me -- during time runs -- so that they could 'win.' Weak.

I didn't win that night and don't even remember how many rounds I went, but about the only guy slower than me there was a fellow in an old MG. Pretty beat up. That was the only time run pass I won. Two or three days later I noticed an article in the Washington Post at work about drag racing. Turns out a reporter took his MG out to the drags to see what it was like to race his street car instead of street racing. In the article, he described our entire run, including some very generous assessments of my car and driving. Don't know if I have that saved around here or not. bp
Bill Pratt
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Zappy

Re: SUPER CREW EARLY DRAG STRIP MEMORIES

Postby Zappy » Mon Dec 15, 2014 9:32 pm

GREAT story BP. Ok gang this is a great thread idea, or it will be if we participate. We ALL have a story (or several). Your first time...your BEST day
at the track...your worse day at the track, it don't mater we're all friends here. Come on folks type away. :lol:

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Jack Redd
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Re: SUPER CREW EARLY DRAG STRIP MEMORIES

Postby Jack Redd » Mon Dec 15, 2014 10:45 pm

Oh, for the "good ole dazes"! Back in the early '60's I drove a '57 Ford (312ci-245hp) in E/SA.
Back when you could set the spark plugs and set the points with a matchbook cover. Close
the scews in the carb all the way and open two complete turns for a perfect setting.
No line-locks or electronics etc., back then.
While working at Aquasco Speedway and racing, all for fun and hoping to win a trophy.
No cash back then. Well, I am line-up and racing losing the race. On my way back to
the tower, a racer stop me. He stated that he wanted me and him to protest the guy
that won. I said why, I work there and it would not be right.
He said "I am running an Isky E-2 Cam and cheating and he beat me". I laughed and
went back to announcing.
Later Sonny Freeman from Baltimore, Md., and worked for A.D Anderson Chevrolet
of the Sonny & Theresa Chevy Team was found illegal.
I was awarded my first trophy. I won my "FIRST TROPHY"!
I won many more after that and Sonny got legal and won many more too.
Jack Approved!

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Re: SUPER CREW EARLY DRAG STRIP MEMORIES

Postby draglist » Thu Dec 18, 2014 10:30 pm

Great story, Jack. Here is another one. My mom and little brother and sister came to the drags with us one time. We were teenagers. My mom made us all sort of makeshift uniforms (for two wanna-be bracket racers in a 17 second Pontiac)... and the kids got them, too. I've always been pretty big but no badass by any means, either in practice or disposition. My partner Jeff was about 5 foot 7, 125 pounds soaking wet. So we are up making our run with Jeff doing the driving and me doing the trash talking in the staging lanes or whatever the hell I did. While we were there, some big guy in a 70 Chevelle pulls up into our pit space (a nice one, right against the fence facing the track). Before she could do anything about it, my mom relates that my little brother Fred (who would have been about seven at the time) said, "My big brother and his friend are racing right now, and you'd better get out of their pit space before they get back!" Little Freddie must have sold the guy on our "toughness" as he got back in his car and moved on... Jeff and I spent the rest of that day hoping we didn't run into the guy (who we had seen around and he WAS tough). :D bp
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Novel-T
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Re: SUPER CREW EARLY DRAG STRIP MEMORIES

Postby Novel-T » Sat Dec 20, 2014 10:58 pm

not such an old story. About 1995. Late on Saturday,I shattered the rear end in the Altered. Not a lot of parts readily available for a 59 Olds rear end. Mathematically I was 24th in points. I needed first round points.Sunday first round a friend loaned me his S10 Chev 4cylinder. Staging lanes was much like Zappy said. Everyone wanted me. Two weeks later,not all the parts had arrived. I drove out to Mission in the hopes of running my tow vehicle for round one. It would have been a bit faster than the S10. Sitting in the Tech lanes when my friend Brett walked over. Are you planning on running this steel brick? Yes I said. No,No,No, he said. I got to drive his 14 sec. 64 Chevelle ! Still slow for Super Pro, but I got my round one points. :mrgreen: .

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draglist
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Re: SUPER CREW EARLY DRAG STRIP MEMORIES

Postby draglist » Sun Dec 21, 2014 12:11 am

Cool. I remember when a fourteen second car was something... bp
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Wheelzman
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Re: SUPER CREW EARLY DRAG STRIP MEMORIES

Postby Wheelzman » Tue Mar 24, 2015 9:15 am

Thinking back to 65 and right out of high school I had a 55 Chevy 2dr post with a bored and stroked 283 and I think it came out to 318 cubes. I was running in C/Gas class and was running a guy in a 56 Chevy with a 409. He was claiming a 348 and I was claiming a 283 and even with my roller cam, Hilborn injection I still couldn't beat him as that big block pulled hard on top end. One day we were running time trials and I pulled up next to Doc Dixon in his Nova and he darn near blowed me off the track. He eventually drove for Knafel Pontiac with the Tin Indians and was way out of my league. I had scattered the rearend of 6:14 gears one night and someone loaned me a set of stock gears which was around low 3.0 ratio and when I left the line I only went to second gear at the lights and won a trophy as I was the only one in my class. I didn't win much but the enjoyment was over the top. Back then you could have fun on the cheap but not so much anymore. Well, except for Don on the J.A.M.B. 2 board up in Nova Scotia. :D

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Re: SUPER CREW EARLY DRAG STRIP MEMORIES

Postby draglist » Tue Mar 24, 2015 9:41 pm

That's great. Doc Dixon was a bad customer for sure! bp
Bill Pratt
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