Your First Dragstrip Pass

I kicked back in my chair in the MoKan timing tower, basking in the air-conditioned luxury. A steady stream of machines dueled down the half-century old asphalt, disappearing from sight in a miniature smoke plume or ribbon-chute flash. It was apparent – the 2013 H.A.M.B. Drags were in full swing.

Suddenly, a knock on the door jostled my euphoric state of observation. After stifling a whirlwind of questions, I found a set of keys in my hand and a vague understanding of my mission – to make my first pass down the hallowed 1320.

Ryan looked at me and said something along the lines of “We’ll be watching,�? which translated in my head as “I better not screw this up or else he’s canning my ass before I can finish typing next week’s post.”

Without a second thought, I shuffled down the tower’s wooden staircase and trudged across the gravel to Steve Bailey’s1964 Pontiac Catalina. I fired up the healthy 400 and threw B&M shifter into gear, slowly rolling to the staging lanes. Needless to say, I garnered more than a few quizzical glances navigating the massive Pon-Tanic into position.

Steve greeted me in the lanes and gave me the rundown of the necessary steps. Burnout, pre-stage, stage and launch. He graced me with a few final words of wisdom before departure:

“If you only remember one thing, leave on the last amber. Don’t wait for green.�?

I feathered the gas and brake, letting the tires break free. My hands quivered on the heavily worn dimples of the Pontiac’s translucent steering wheel as I watched the ominous tree. Creeping from pre-stage to stage, I began to sweat.

Amber.

Amber.

Amber. RPMs rising.

“GO MAN GO!�? The window badge urged. I mashed the gas pedal to the floor and launched down the strip. Glancing at the bullet-shaped side mirror, I could make out the glaring Red scolding me a dozen feet back. Undeterred, I kept my foot in it and hurdled the Big Cat down the length of the track, ticking off a 16.07 at 88.22 mph.

Sure, my first pass down the drag strip wasn’t particularly fast or flashy. It was, however, exciting to have the opportunity to charge down the strip in a machine originally manufactured in 1964. And perhaps most importantly, I’ll gladly admit that I have been bitten by the infamous drag racing bug.

So I’ll ask you this – how was your first pass down the dragstrip? What were you driving? What kind of numbers did you post?

-Joey Ukrop 

Note: Lead photo by an unknown photographer, found on the H.A.M.B.