Speaking of 'almost primitive... Traction control devices... It was ‘63 - just after fuel came back ... and there was some pretty wild stuff goin' on - - I mean 'Trick Stuff'...

So one Saturday night the guys from Howard's shop show up at the Beach with their digger - which was pretty much a rat - - I mean it was the first 'Rattler' ... and they didn't call it that because of the paint job! And hangin' off the back of this really grimy digger is a bicycle wheel ... ya know - with spokes and everything - - looked like the thing they use in "Mechanic's Illustrated" when they do road tests, or maybe like the deals M/T had on all those cars they ran in the 'Mobil Gas Economy Run' ...

Well there was a sprocket on the wheel - and a chain running to a sprocket on the side of a little black box on the back of the car ... From the black box protrudes a shaft that runs under the seat to a little hole in the clutch can ... and a coupla wires that ya can't tell where they go - but it's somewhere up towards the engine for sure - maybe up towards the throttle... Well we all figured out what they were up to right away - - it was an automatic race car - didn't even need a driver... Well this had to be breaking some rule - 'cuz we didn't have one... I mean - - how ya gonna run against that?

The Howard's guys proceeded to wade thru the field that night - - mostly 'cuz everybody spent so much time worrying about 'the black box', that they either red lighted - or were way late ... And ya know what - I watched them when they loaded that ugly car on it's equally ugly trailer at the end of the night ... well the trick 'fifth wheel' and very trick 'traction control system' hung too low in the back to go on the trailer - so one of em' just ripped it off - and thru it in the back of the pick up...WE'D BEEN HAD...!!!