When was your first time at a dragstrip?

How old (or young) were you the first time you visited a dragstrip?

A lot of us got hooked on cars at a young age. Being at a dragstrip for the first time was just a natural step in your evolution of becoming a true gearhead. Let's hear some stories of your youngest introduction to the world of drag racing.

 

about 1954 some friends and I went to a dirt airfield/drag strip. I was 13/14 yrs old. had not seen drags before, but it got me interested, still at it.Bessemer, ala.

 

1983 I was 13 years old -Atco dragway

 

i would say i was probably 1 or 2 ....i do remember looking out the rear window while towing my dads car to the track. its a neat memory that i am lucky to still have.

 

3 years old, one of the last times my Pop raced at Old Dominion Raceway in Manassas, VA. 1967 Chevelle SS. Went to various tracks throughout my childhood, but Pop was always spectatin' along side me from then on...

 

1963 Tyler, Tx at I-20 Raceway. Saw Bobby Langley and Vance Hunt in one of there many shoot outs.

1964 Whitehouse, Tx Whitehouse Drag Strip. Saw the Michigan Mad Man E.J. Potter run. What a guy! Also seen a red 40 Willys Coupe run that was owned by Pete Porter. A few years later I owned that car and still do today!

1965 Green Valley Raceway. Saw Gene Snow match race Kelly Chadwick

Those were the days!

Gary aka 1940 Willys Coupe

 

I was 12 or 13 at the time. It was a Sunday afternoon and I saw the newspaper ad for Drag Races at the Clatsop County airport near Astoria, Oregon. My parents were out, so I asked my Grandmother to take me.
She was the coolest Grannie that anybody ever had. I always think about her when I go to the drags.

 

I got you all beat big time.
My mom was still six months pregnant with me and still racing while my dad was wrenching...
r

 

Spring/Summer of 1973. Less than a year old, at Fremont Drag Strip.

 

If my brother was 16 then I was 12 in 55 when he took me along to "Little Bonneville" dragstrip in San Jose, Ca. I liked it.

 

i was 6 or 7 at Bristol

 

1949 at Arlington,Wa.
I was the 2nd one to test the new track.

 

you win!!!

 

9 Years old...Went to the US nationals, 1968

 

1956 at Maple Grove Drag Strip.

 

The first dragstrip visit was 1952 or 3 at Smart Field near St. Charles Mo. My dad that was a fisherman would drive myself and friend George Mertz to the strip then go fishing on the Missippi river and return to pick us up. We were about 13 years old but car nuts by then.
Our hero was neighborhood racer Wayne Arteaga and his modified and customized '41 Plymouth coupe. Later Wayne became mildly famous with cars featured in Hot Rod Mag. and racing exploits in the gasser wars,
The drags were featured in Hot Rod in 1952, very early for racing that far east.

deChrome

 

Dover, in upstate NY, 1962

 

Back in 1969, when I was 15, I would listen to KDWB am, broadcasted from St. Paul, MN. We lived in rural MN near SoDak. I would hear the "Sunday! Sunday Afternoon!" radio ads for Minnesota Dragways, near Coon Rapids, a suburb of Minneapolis. I talked my dad into taking the family to go watch the drags. It was about 160 miles away. The race we went to was a big race featuring alcohol injected funny cars. Most ran 8's, with a few getting into the high 7's. I was totally blown away by what I experienced that day. The drag racing sights and sounds made a big impression on this teenage farm boy. I've been racing off and on for 29 years now. I'm presently converting my Chevy II bracket car into an altered wheeibase car. I have strong memories of seeing straight axle cars at Minn. Dragways years ago. Life is good!

 

grew up in Fremont. you would have thought someone would have mentioned there was a dragstrip in town.

I'd have to say I was 16. (1976) me and my buddy took his 67 442. he ran an impressive 16-something. not sure why it was so slow. beautiful car though.

I don't remember ever going to real drag races... just the wednesday night drags and later the Hot Rod drags when that started.

wish I had a wayback machine.

 

I'm kinda new to this..... H.A.M.B. Drags '07 Mo-Kan Drag Strip, Asbury Mo,

I was 21... late start

Hell-of-a first time at the dragstrip. Started off on the right foot.

 

I was about 7 or 8 at Little River Academy in Texas. I guess that would make it around 1980.

 

In 85 or so. Went with my neighbor's brother, Howard Seal. He drove the red sled, a 69 sattelite, hot rod class. Went to Greer dragway in SC. Helped in the pits, ran trackside to watch him run.

 

I'd guess it was '78 or '79. It was a funny car event at SIR (Seattle International Raceway). I think it was called 64 funny cars or something like that. I was 8 or 9. It was loads of fun, I even saw the jet cars.

 

Born and raised here in Fremont,Ca. I grew up to the sounds of the Drags in the 1970's and 80's but I didnt actually get to watch a race there until 2 years before is closed down, I was 14 years old and it was a VW Drags and car show event..lol

 

too young to remember but i do have pictures of my dad taking me out of the back seat of his 57 and setting me up on the hodd of it before he went racing. so id have to say when i was 1-2?

 

My uncle took me to Green Valley Raceway in Richland Hills Texas (Ft Worth)1965.
I was 10 and it was probably the wildest thing I had seen since the Beatles in '64 at Dallas Memorial.

There was a jet propelled vehicle that "performed" in one of the 4 lanes.
I wish I had caught the name of the vehicle/owner.
It had a piercing sound that hurt. May have been the Green Monster or another rocket era competitor.
I went a few more times in the 70's when local Gene Snow was driving "Snow Bird". I started racing my '57 wagon at Texas Raceway in Kennedale, Texas in the later 70's. That's when 15s were fast
I havent staged in years. I need to blow the cobwebs outta the Belair....

 

My first visit to a dragstrip was also my only visit to a dragstrip.

Probably '61 or '62, somewhere in there.
Rode my motorcycle to the strip to check out the action. Ended up entering my bike.

Lined up with another rider, ran through the gears, beat him, got my trophy.
(Yawn ....!)
Sat around for another hour watching a buncha cars do the same thing.
(Triple, maybe quadruple yawn ....!)
Went home to read a book or somethin' else, (anything else!), that was actually interesting. Maybe watch some paint dry or somethin'.

My lesson for that day:
"Drag" racing is a very appropriate name for the "sport"!

I will admit I went back two more times over the years, but merely to spectate from outside the fence. (Damn sure wasn't paying money!).
Once to see E.J. Potter do his motorcycle insanity.
Once to see Art Arfons blow all the sponsor's signs off the fence and across the road with one of his jet powered Green Monsters. Now that was entertaining!

 

1957 Santa Ana ,Ca

 

Early 1962 -- Island Draway.

 

13 or 14 years old around 1963 Sunset Drag Strip I still run a couple times a year 1/8 mile