When was your first time at a dragstrip?

Kansas city timing assn. In 1956.

 

First time at a drag strip - Cayuga Ontario,
May 1974, racing my brand new CB450 Honda.
A year later I was racing my 64 Chevelle - 283
4 spd, running mid to high 13s at both Cayuga
and St. Thomas (London) drag strips.

Most unlikely thing I ever raced - circa 1978
when I won a trophy for 2nd place in 'Street
Eliminator' at Cayuga Ont., in a rented 17
second 1970 472 Cadillac Sedan De Ville that
I rented for the weekend from a local "Rent
A Wreck" type used car rental place! (LOL)

mart
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It was around 1957 at San Gabriel Valley Dragstrip in soCal, I was about 9 years old. I can remember there were a lot of Corvettes' and T-Birds , and on one of our trips , they had a special exhibition by some guy named Don Garlits . It was a big deal at the time.

 

I begged and pleaded with my pops to take me to Connecticut Dragway on my 12th birthday way back in 1961. Pops wasn't a "Car guy" but he finaly gave in to my little kid rantings and we went. Can't remember much but still have a photo of some unknown inline dual SBC injected dragster. The trip to Connecticut Dragway became my default birthday present until I was old enough to drive myself.

 

Hmm, somewhere around 76-77 when I was about 4 or 5.

 

Fremont, Dragstrip, 1963 , I was 8. Good stuff back then.

 

It was 1965 & I was 10 yrs. old.My Dad took me to Kil-Kare Dragway in Xenia,Ohio.The rest is history. Giz'

 

There were always occasional drags on the extended main straight at Killarney in Cape Town. My dad took me there, probably 1972 so I'd have been nine. There weren't any cars in the conventional drag-racing classes to speak of, but lots of weird stuff, including a FED built around a Mini front subframe.

First "real" drags? Probably around 1975, somewhere in Canada. I can remember it was a fairly important event, quite a number of big names. Somewhere in Quebec, I think.

 

My first time at a dragstrip was 9.39 in the 1/8th in a '69 Charger500, 440 Magnum, 1976, Lawrence Dragway, Lawrence KS. My first time going to a dragstrip was 1968 Kansas City International. A guy named Maverick was there with a wheel standing Dodge truck. The Little Red Wagon. -Mike

 

That dragster you saw was most likely George Dawley, from Lincoln RI. He was the only guy in New England at that time running a twin engine dragster.

 

it was 67-68 at Oswego Drag Raceway in Oswego Illinois, I can remember seeing the Coca-Cola Cavalcade of cars, a lot of funny cars and dragsters. and door slammers. There are still a lot of those old door slammer race cars around this area. we were able to see a few at the Road-Block this year held in Yorkville just outside Oswego. The track is gone but the memories live on for ever.
Here are some of the fliers that we used to get placed on the windshield of the cars in the spectator side.

 

1974 Spring Nationals at National Trail Raceway near Hebron, Ohio. On his final pass of the day, Gary Beck in the "Export A" top-fueler broke the then-track record with a run of 5.98. The crowd went crazy.

Of interest, also in the top-fuel running thta day was a dragster powered by tandem 392s. They ran in the mid- to low 6s, but not as fast as the Milodon & Keith Black Hemis. So, by this time, the famous old Chrysler Hemi was on the way out.

Incidentally, Beck, misnamed "The Quiet Canadian," was born in Seattle, definitely not Canada. In his lengthy career, Beck won two top-fuel titles and 19 events.

 

Don't know about a drag strip but I was on the salt before I had Polio (last year of the epidemic). I was born in June and had Polio for Xmas.

I don't ever remember not going to some sort of a race on a regular basis. I did a major portion of my growing up @ abondoned air strips, dry lakes and etc.

 

my 2 oldest sisters boy friends took me along to the drag races. i was 13-14 in about '69..wow i bet i was a pain in the a$$!!!!!!!!!

 

1972 Miami / Hollywood international speedway I was 13

 

Don't remember the date but remember the action. My dads friend Jack Tice owned San Gabriel Dragstrip and invited us to see T.V. Tommy Ivo race a jet car. Dad took some 8mm home movies, not sure where they are today. That first smell of nitro hooked me for life.

 

Fall of 1957

 

I don't remember the exact year,early 60's,Dragway 42 in Ohio.I do remember my first run though,1974 at Tampa Drags,on Black Cow Dairy Rd.(now gone),not far from Hwy 301.I was running a 59 T-Bird with a 63 390,ran in the 15's.Got runner up for the street eliminator class.Anyone remember that strip?Any pics?
Kustom Jim

 

7-7-1961. Great Lakes Dragaway. For kids in northern Wisconsin it was like going to Disneyland. Garlits, Karamesines, Pete Farnsworth, Mike Marinoff, etc. Even today when I'm standing in the staging lanes I can still smell and taste the wonder of it all. Thank you Bob Metzler.

 

My Dad bracket raced in the '70s, a '55 Chevy then a '70 Z28 with L88 427. At 6 yrs old I'd hang with him in staging 'till it was him turn. I remember being close enough to often get pelted by debris when the guy before Dad was doing a burnout. When Dad got in the car I'd take off running around the stands to meet him coming down the return road, hop in the car, sit on the floor (just one bucket in it) and ride back to the staging lanes.

Bet they don't let little kids hang out near the bleach box any more!

 

1950 Old Akron strip at Derby downs..Arfons was running a radial engine before the jets..Moved to Texas in 51.Caddo Mills and GreenValley never had a race that I did not attend.Was in Bobby Langleys "Scorpion "crew in the late 50s.still attend the cacklefests with Bobby,RuthAnn and Don and the Scorpion 1
I count many famous names in drag racing as personal friends
I am one lucky "old man"

 

In 1974 when I was 12 and it was at Fremont. I won two tickets through the Revell Master Modelers Club and my dad and I went. My recollection was that it was a night event on a weeknight. Funny cars only too, I think, as I don't remember any rails. All, or almost all of the Revell funnies that were kits at the time. Not a lot of people there either.

 

neat stories

my first time at a strip was 87 i was 17 it was friday night test and tune at EDGEWATER in cincy went back a couple weeks later and ran my friends 74 camaro i think it ran 17's woohoo
over the next couple years ran various cars off and on nothing serious just fun and something to do
the last car i ran i guess was a 73 satellite 318 2bbl ran 16's another stormer LOL

i enjoy drag racing its just i dont really have the funds to be as serious as id like to be

i dont like going just to watch

i saw gene snow run his top fueler at the mopar nationals in columbus i guess it was96-98?????? thats the only top fuel car ive ever seen go down the track

i have yet to attend a nhra or ihra nationals event

i have watched maverick, hemiunderglass, garlits and a few others run at various mopar shows i attended

 

Anyone else out there have a first time at a dragstrip story to tell?

 

Kind of wierd for a girl back then, there sure weren't many of us there. Went to Mid American Dragway in Wichita in 1964. I was 17 at the time.

Carrie

 

78- houston international.Went to the strip a lot in Porter as well.I used to love going to Porter the old man would most of the time get me a t-shirt or something out there.International at night was really cool.Miss both of them spots everytime I ride out to galveston I look to the side to try and memorize what it looked like back then.
Good times.

 

My first time was in 1955, I was 17 and raced my dad's new 55 Ford at the Oswego Drag Strip in IL. I took pictures of the car with the hub caps off and numbers on the window. Unfortunately, my dad picked up some pictures at the drug store and the drug store clerk told him I had some there too. He picked them up for me and looked at them...I was busted. I remember the SS final was between a 55 Pontiac 2 door and a Chrysler 300...the Pontiac won.
Paul J.

 

raisan city fresno fall of 1970 13yrs of age RD

 

Since I was first on the scene my Dad drug me along, that would be 1962.

 

1962 for me, too. That's when Niagara Dragstrip opened in Niagara Falls, NY. Can't remember how we got there that first time but I know we hitched a ride with older friends, asked our parents to take us or rode our bikes out there many times. I was 14.