When was your first time at a dragstrip?

Okay, we're HAMBers here, when was the LAST time you were at a Drag Strip?
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Summer of 1966. I was around 19 year old.
Took a chick from my French class to Orange Airport for the drags.
Afterwards she took me to her home to share in a fresh cherry pie. Really enjoyed that summer!

 

First time I was 59...........

 

First time 1971 Cornhusker Raceway Park in Omaha, [Millard] Drove my 64 Catalina. Been hooked ever since.

 

Wow some of you guys are older than dirt,,ha

 

CHRR 2012 and my head still hurts

First was Famoso ~ 1972. Few years before that Dad would take us kids cruising at night thru the hotel parking lots to see the cars being worked on in parking lots. Bakersfield Inn and The Rancho mostly what I remember

 

in the 60's, York US-30 dragway.....
I remember they stopped the races so a plane could land. I was really little.

Dad and his buddies never went to shows.....it was always the drags or Sprints at Williams Grove, Indy cars at Long Pond, Hershey hill climbs.....

 

Really?...
I think I may have a clue...
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My first time at a dragstrip was at Atco (NJ) right after it opened in 1960. My best friend's dad had a Henry J gasser we used to take to either Atco or Vargo from that time on through the next few years until my buddy joined the service in '67. Last time I went was this past summer, to Atco, Cecil County, MIR, and Maple Grove.

 

1967 at Lions, I was in the 7th grade at Jefferson jr. High in Long Beach.

 

1960, White City Drag Strip, ( Agate Rd.) outside of Medford, Ore. Southern Ore, Wheelers meet, Slo Poks from up North put on a GREAT show. Also, met Ed Cortopassi with the Glass Slipper and got to "help" him in the pits. Haven't been the same since !

 

I was nine years old when my older brother started racing. We went as a family, Mom, Dad, Bill, and I. My first pass down the strip was with our S/S Max Wedge Dodge...

 

I think it was the US Nationals in the late '70s.

 

I really can't tell if there's a sexual reference here or not but either way it sounds like a great time!

 

First time at drags, Camp Wheeler drag strip in Macon Ga. 1958.
Last time at drags, New England Dragway, Epping N.H. Oct. 2012.

 

First time was summer of 1964. My dad took me and a buddy to Detroit Dragway and saw E.J. Potter, the Michigan Madman, ride his corvette engine motorcycle, smoking the back tire the length of the strip.
The last time was at Mid-Michigan Motorplex couple of years ago, took my son and his buddy and saw Pro-mod cars.
Red

 

My last time at a drag strip was the Hot Rod Reunion at Bowling Green KY 2012.

 

the summer of 1984 in my 66 chevelle i just graduated from high school. the track was great lakes dragway in union grove,wi. i went there with a group of buddies that are all still into cars. i went there with my girlfriend. we met in the 66 a few months prior. two years ago i was able to repurchase the same car. i still have the girl now my wife and we are in the process of restoring the 66 and plan to take it around the country and race it again.

 

1955 at Oswego, I raced my dad's new 55 Ford. The top stock elimination was between a Chrysler 300 and a 55 black and white Pontiac, the Pontiac won. My dad foumd some pictures I took of his car with a number and no hub caps, I was busted. I have some pictures to scan and will post them later. I guess I was 16 or 17. I ended up winning a few trophies at Oswego in Super Stock and C/Sports.

 

Firsttime 12 seconds in a allmost regular 1970 Dodge Challenger in 2006 at Mopars at the strip.
So havent raced for real like you all, well did a try with a sleeper 1969 Dodge Charger and ended up i hospital after crashing it...

 

First time to the drags 1967 I was 10years old, went to dragway 42 to watch my cousin race his brand new olds 442.

 

Hatfield Penna, 1961

Dragstrip was the front straight of the oval - extended out into the parking lot!

Saw Art Arfons 'Green Monster'

 

I was 9 years old. My uncle came to our house and said let's go to Allentown and see the drags. We went to the airport and I saw drag racing for the first time. It was 1956.

 

Back around 1963 I was 13. I saw a little Bridgestone 2 stroke street bike, maybe a 175cc, totally thrash a 650cc Triumph Bonneville. For what it's worth, I own a '69 Bonneville and a bunch of other motorcycles but I've never owned a 2 stroke bike.

 

About 15 , there was a long flat 2 lane road between pensacola beach and navarre beach that almost seemed abandoned after dark. This was in the mid 80s we would end up with 50 or so cars ,most were some serious iron. 1st legal strip was Atmore dragway I was 17, it has been closed for many years but will reopen next month.

 

The earliest wouldve been at SIR but mostly i went to Renegade Raceway. Started going (spectating) when I was about 8 and racing "high school class" in '89 when I got my first car- 64 Malibu 283/4speed. I remember lining up against a big block mopar (it was some kind of mopar day at the track which I now understand is kinda like the special Olympics). My lil mouse trounced that 383 charger, chirping the tires in every gear. Great fun!

 

Around 1958 or 1959 best I can recall.

A new strip out of town aways was having it's grand opening one night. I tagged along with my older brother, as I was only in elementary school. My brother didn't want to chance breaking the 1953 Chevy family car, so we just watched from the spectator side.

The 1/4 mile track was basically like an old 2 lane road with some guardrails. The bleachers were wood, the restrooms were out houses, and the races were flag started. Two men on either side of the finish line were the win judges and hung out a checkered flag for the winning lane.

I can't remember the classifications, but I remember the announced ET's pretty well.

The time trials were just finishing up when we got there, and a little altered type roadster was pushed off and got the fans all excited. The roadster limped down the track spitting and sputtering.

First, the street type cars started to run each other. Most were running 18-20 something seconds. The faster stock type cars ran 16's and 17's and chirped rubber on gear changes.

Then the gasser type cars came out and many of them broke right off the start, keeping the track workers busy with push brooms. Several of those cars let out big smoke clouds and oil from blown engines as well. Most of those cars ran 13's, 14's, or 15's.

Near the end of the night, the little altered roadster came back out sounding good & crisp. He flew down the track, and the announcer said he had the low et of the night at a 12 something.

Man have times changed since then. The bleachers were uncomfortable, the soft drinks watered down, the hamburgers tasted like cardboard, and nerve racking tinny distorted music played over the loud speakers all night.

I loved ever minute of it anyway.

--- Steve ---

 

1964 Cecil County Drag o way, I was 14

 

1966, ran a 17. something and got a trophy on my Honda 160!

 

I was 8 or 9. Went to the US Diesel Truckin Nationals with my dads dump trucks. Easily the coolest place I had ever seen, cars came later, but I was hooked that day. PS- my dad had some wicked fast Macks!

Edit- was at englishtown in jersey.

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