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Attn. DRAG RACERS: When was your first time and do you still do it?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Waddayacare, Mar 6, 2013.

  1. Ryan
    Joined: Jan 2, 1995
    Posts: 21,633

    Ryan
    ADMINISTRATOR
    Staff Member

    My first pass was a 13.50 in a 55 Chevrolet. I was 15... And it was the 1990s.

    Drag racing was good for me. I got a Wally Parks trophy, went 300mph, and even taught the sport at Frank Hawley's in Gainesville, FL.

    At the end of the day though, I'm a road racer.

    ImageUploadedByTJJ1362706708.662510.jpg


    Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
     
  2. Baron
    Joined: Aug 13, 2004
    Posts: 3,636

    Baron
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Almost 41 years to the day between my first and last run at New England Dragway
    1970- my 1955 Chevy
    [​IMG]
    2011-my 1965 Chevy II (right lane/110)
    [​IMG]
     
  3. black 62
    Joined: Jul 12, 2012
    Posts: 1,895

    black 62
    Member
    from arkansas

    street racer since 1960 about 90% wins---first strip pass MOKAN ,1965 in the car in my avatar ---always gave the go on the street and it was a hard habit to break---can usually cut a 20 ---car was a 4 speed 50 years ago, 350 now---still like to race but i black out momentarily on the 1-2 shift so i have to let my sons drive---68 years old---footbrake---always went to drags with friends who had race cars---just liked street racing
     
  4. ADVANCE1
    Joined: Nov 9, 2008
    Posts: 270

    ADVANCE1
    Member
    from Ohio

    WOW, if you cut those kinds of lights consistently footbraking you must be one heck of a racer.
     
  5. ADVANCE1
    Joined: Nov 9, 2008
    Posts: 270

    ADVANCE1
    Member
    from Ohio

    16 years old, Orange County Int. 1970 mustang, still racing, avg. rt on a good day .520s to .530s, always automatics, always footbrake. I have won many track championships with these rt in both pro and street, once entered pro with 2 cars and made the final with both of them, won street and pro on same day more then once.
     
  6. I think I'm okay but a lot has to do with the setup. ;)

    Oh and those lights do come at a price. Let's just say that red really isn't my favorite color. :rolleyes:
     
  7. ADVANCE1
    Joined: Nov 9, 2008
    Posts: 270

    ADVANCE1
    Member
    from Ohio

    I have played with tire heights, Air pressure, role out and have always deep staged to get these rt. during my last championship in 2009 only red lighted 2 times all season.
     
  8. Did you ever play with front tire stagger? ;)

    It makes the 60' times on paper suck but it's the end result that I care about. :D
     
  9. clarks6
    Joined: Oct 7, 2010
    Posts: 3

    clarks6
    Member
    from idaho

    First time.Houston Intl Speedway.We called it the grease pit. 1967. My car was a 1957 ford ,with a 430 lincoln engine auto trans(got it at the junk yard I worked at after school).I dont even remember the "class" I ran in. This was way before "bracket racing. Every car was classed. Since this car wasnt born with this powerplant, it was a .........Gasser. Imagine that. My e.t. was 13.68.not exactly John Force...but hey. No special stuff to launch...hold brake torque up,cut a light,etc.
     
  10. Ryan
    Joined: Jan 2, 1995
    Posts: 21,633

    Ryan
    ADMINISTRATOR
    Staff Member

    Stagger should have zero effect on 60' times... That's the point of stagger - the clock doesn't start until the wheel profile clears the beams.
     
  11. ADVANCE1
    Joined: Nov 9, 2008
    Posts: 270

    ADVANCE1
    Member
    from Ohio

    I have to go deep to cut a light which does slow my et's by a tenth but its dial racing so it does not matter, I do not need to see more beam (I do not have a red light problem) so stagger will not help me, I need to see less beam to cut good lights so I go in deep and turn out pre stage bulb for good rt.
     
  12. I tickle the staged light. I can't tell ya' any more, I may have to run against ya'! :D

    I was always under the impression that because it takes longer for my tires to leave the start beam (due to longer roll out) that it effects 60' times as well as E.T. :confused:
     
  13. Ryan
    Joined: Jan 2, 1995
    Posts: 21,633

    Ryan
    ADMINISTRATOR
    Staff Member

    Nope. Technically, stagger improves your 60' times because you are gaining momentum at the expense of your reaction time.

    See, the beams don't trip the clock until they don't see any tire... And with stagger, you have more tire width from a profile perspective and, as such, you are in the beams longer.

    That's the whole idea of stagger - you are trading reaction time for momentum.

    Edit: Of course, stagger allows you to stage deeper which does effect 60' times technically, but in practice we are only talking about an inch or two of roll out - it's minimal.
     
  14. Correct, it provides more roll out to push you a little closer to the finish line.
     
  15. ADVANCE1
    Joined: Nov 9, 2008
    Posts: 270

    ADVANCE1
    Member
    from Ohio

    Yes it does, on a typical 10-11-12 second car stagging shallow as opposed to deep accounts for a tenth faster times in 60 ft and et. Remember stagging shallow gives you a running start to the starting line so therefore quicker times, But fast or slow rt. have nothing to do with your et.
     
  16. 1959, 14 years old-- I'm not kidding), AG Dragster with blown Ford engine, no reaction time (flag starters), mph was 140, was at the old San Antonio Double Eagle drag strip in Texas.
     
  17. Ryan
    Joined: Jan 2, 1995
    Posts: 21,633

    Ryan
    ADMINISTRATOR
    Staff Member

    Correct. RT only effects the finish line.

    Staggering is, in practice, just enlarging your profile to the beams. So, you can stage deeper and hurt your et/shorten the track or you can stage "shallower" gain momentum and hurt your RT.
     
  18. DG
    Joined: Dec 2, 2005
    Posts: 3

    DG
    Member

    Exactly.
     
  19. Larry T
    Joined: Nov 24, 2004
    Posts: 7,875

    Larry T
    Member

    Street raced and watched the Gassers as a teenager in the 60's, sorta got into "other stuff" for a while and got back into cars and made my first legal pass when a bunch of guys got together and reopened Cherokee Dragway in Frederick Ok. in the mid 70's. First pass was low 13's in my V-8 Vega. Soon got my obsolete Anglia/327/4 speed racecar and ran it quite a few years. It ran low to mid 11s at around 120 mph. Still have it in pieces. Played with a decent 34 International street car after that (7.20s-1/8th mile). Haven't raced in a few years, but hopefully I'll have the Anglia or 55 Chevy racecar back together one of these days.

    As far as lights go, all over the place but it's still a rush.
     
  20. cavman
    Joined: Mar 23, 2005
    Posts: 669

    cavman
    Member

    I did the street thing for a bit before I got drafted in '66 and in '68 the cops said I shouldn't do that anymore so I went to the then new "Amber-Green Dragways" with my brothers borrowed '54 Vette. It barely beat a grasshopper, but I had a faster ride in the works, and I was hooked. The most fun I had was with a '65 Chevelle L-79 4 speed, that I bought at a tavern on Saturday nite and went racing on Sunday. Narrow street tires, air cleaner still on, spare in the trunk, it ran a decent 13.01 @ 102+ I don't recall getting R-Ts on the timeslip. Foot brake, no electronics, no funny stuff, just racin' The engine and trans is still in my shop, destined for my son's '65 chevelle.

    I am building a '53 gasser to rekindle my wasted youth

    BTW the '53 IS 409 powered with a stir handle
     
    Last edited: Mar 7, 2013
  21. ADVANCE1
    Joined: Nov 9, 2008
    Posts: 270

    ADVANCE1
    Member
    from Ohio

    Good or bad reaction times have nothing to do with your ETs, say you have 2 cars both dialed in at 12.00, and they both run 12.00 as predicted, who wins the race? the guy who cut the better light, why? because he reacted to the tree faster then his opponent which gets him to the starting line sooner which starts the timer on his side before his opponents which is why he crossed the finish line first and wins
     
  22. Ryan
    Joined: Jan 2, 1995
    Posts: 21,633

    Ryan
    ADMINISTRATOR
    Staff Member

    Yeah, we agree on that point man.
     
  23. I just can't get my head around a tenth faster with a shallow stage, your car must have one heck of a launch to pick up a tenth over a couple inches of tire roll out.

    edit: just thinking of this and my own near 1.50 60 fts, I would travel 480 inches per second and in a tenth that would be 48 inches. Incredible that you can pick up a tenth of a second in 3-4 inches, what are you 60 ft times man ?
     
    Last edited: Mar 7, 2013
  24. black 62
    Joined: Jul 12, 2012
    Posts: 1,895

    black 62
    Member
    from arkansas

  25. Larry T
    Joined: Nov 24, 2004
    Posts: 7,875

    Larry T
    Member

    With folks talking double O reaction times, I was kind of embarassed to admit that I'm happy with anything better than .300 on a full tree.
    And I hate electronics.
     
  26. In 1966 i had a -31 ford truck chevy eng 4\88 s i was 16 tim
     
  27. ADVANCE1
    Joined: Nov 9, 2008
    Posts: 270

    ADVANCE1
    Member
    from Ohio

    I would go 1.56s shallow and 1.66s deep with my current bracket car, you gotta remember its somewhere around 8-10 inchs from those two points (tracks do vary). try it sometime. I have raced many cars over the years and they all do it regardless of running 11s or 15s, I have never raced anything faster then a 11 second car in brackets but as you know its not the fastest guy who wins. And by the way it also always amounts to 1 mph more. You can see my current race car on Hot Rod .com in the dare to be different section its the green jeep grand wagoneer, it was featured in the march 2006 issue of Hot Rod.
     
    Last edited: Mar 8, 2013
  28. chopped
    Joined: Dec 9, 2004
    Posts: 2,139

    chopped
    Member

    Detroit Dragway, 1965. 1960 Chevy w/348, was a dog but looked good losing. In 09 at Reynolds., here in Ga. I hit a 0000 lite, it was a bit of a thrill,Not bad for a 65 yr old fat guy.
     
  29. elba
    Joined: Feb 9, 2013
    Posts: 628

    elba
    Member

    Don't laugh. Raced my first car, a Nash Metropoltin , bought for $100, at Thompson Drag Strip in Ohio in 1964, 21 second time. Got beat by an Opel. Later raced a 57 Chevy. Don't race now.
    My wife and I will be going to the Gators next week. Cheaper being a spectator.
     
  30. In my foot brake car it's the exact same thing. The car has a 1.68 60' time, it was literally the slowest car in Super Pro wherever I ran in. Deep stage and lose a tenth. Some days I'd deep stage and not be able to run the class. Think of shallow staging as actually giving you a rolling head start, where as deep the clock starts at the moment the tire moves. Play with tire diameters and it'll be similar.
     

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