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When was your first time at a dragstrip?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Kentuckian, Oct 6, 2009.

  1. wreckfixer
    Joined: Jun 15, 2009
    Posts: 320

    wreckfixer
    Member

    My first time was at Alton Ill. 68 or 69. main attraction was the Little Red Wagon and the Thunder wagon. Was pretty cool when you are 10 years old.
     
  2. crashbox
    Joined: Dec 21, 2006
    Posts: 148

    crashbox
    Member

    1962, Half Moon Bay. I was 13 yrs old. Saw the Stone, Woods and Cook Willys coupe. My dad took me in his '53 Studie Commander coupe.
     
  3. SaltCoupe
    Joined: Jun 10, 2010
    Posts: 2,376

    SaltCoupe
    Member
    from Indiana

    1971 Youngstown's Drag City (also known as Meander). I was 12.
     
  4. mixedupamx
    Joined: Dec 2, 2006
    Posts: 513

    mixedupamx
    Member

    A friend of mine raced his 66 chevyII at Midstate dragstrip in Havana IL in the late 70's but I never got really hooked till I went to Indy and saw top fuelers WOW!!!!!:D
     
  5. Cap-n-Crunch was, and still is an Austin pickup and is still owned by the same Weakman family. Before that, it was the very famous C&O Hydro A/Gas Supercharged pickup campaigned by Gene Cambiella who owned C&O Hydro.
     
  6. Mitchell Rish
    Joined: Jun 10, 2007
    Posts: 1,884

    Mitchell Rish
    Member
    from Houston MS

    1979. Went to Blue Mountain drag strip in Blue-mountain (Ripley Ms).I was 13 at the time. Saw a little studabaker pickup about a 54 model take in all. It was all motor and all over the track every pass. Best 6$ I ever spent.
     
  7. 66tintop
    Joined: Nov 7, 2012
    Posts: 450

    66tintop
    Member
    from Canada

    1978 was the first time I went to Cayuga dragway, Nelles Corners ,Ontario Canada . Went there with a 1964 chevy11 nova , six cylinders of buzzin half dozen 230 cubic inch with a Muncie 4 speed , fun as hell - but slow as snap ! I think it went about 18-19 second range 1/4 mile if my memory is correct , only been a few times since, got bitten by stock car racing disease and carried on !
     
  8. DAVEG2
    Joined: Feb 27, 2010
    Posts: 332

    DAVEG2
    Member

    Dover dragstrip Wingdale N.Y. 1962
     
  9. Dave1946
    Joined: Dec 10, 2012
    Posts: 53

    Dave1946
    Member

    1959 or 1960 - Minnesota Dragways. I was about 11 and talked my older cousin into taking me to see Tommy Ivo make exhibition runs in his twin Buick dragster. That led to a addiction for me. Still manage to make a few passes a year at Brainerd.
     
  10. verno30
    Joined: Aug 25, 2008
    Posts: 1,148

    verno30
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    1986 Cordova Dragway for the World Series. Before you think I was a late bloomer, I was only 6.

    Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
     
  11. vtx1800
    Joined: Oct 4, 2009
    Posts: 1,709

    vtx1800
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    About 1960, our "drag strip" started where main street in Massena Iowa intersected with HWY 92 and ended at the bridge at the bottom of the hill. Driving dads early 55 Chevrolet pickup stove bolt six I raced a classmates 53 Ford v8 pickup. I beat him too:)
     
  12. papawlambert
    Joined: Oct 6, 2012
    Posts: 23

    papawlambert
    Member
    from poetry,tx

    Well, I was in the Wichita Falls, Texas area from 1956-1962. I watched Bobby Langley at the Caddo Mills Airport, Don Garlets at Red River Raceway in Wichita Falls, Helped a buddy run his Tri Power 58 Pontiac in GS/A at Little River, Whitehouse, Tyler, and Green Valley. I hung out at Eddie Hill's trailer house in about 1960 or 61. Eddie's first so called drag car was Olds powered and he drove it to the track. In 1958 he built his first Pontiac dragster. The one that he had in his shop was less than 1100lbs. The engine was part of the chassis and the tubing was aluminum. He also had a jet car, but don't know if he ever raced it. Eddie also had a 1961 Pontiac Ventura TriPower that ran S/S. First stock car that I saw going over a 100mph at that time. One of the prettiest cars that I saw in the somewhat olden days was Roger Caster's 66 Chevy 11 car called Sump "N" Else.
     
  13. ROADKING1950
    Joined: Dec 12, 2008
    Posts: 2

    ROADKING1950
    Member
    from NORMAN, OK

    I was 12 years old and Dad took me to Woodring Airport in Enid,OK for local car club drag races.
     
  14. In 1964 my father,a professor from Texas A&M University, "guest" taught in Denver for the summer.He dropped me off at Contintal Divide Raceway and picked me up at dark.What great fun for a 16 year old kid to walk around the drags all day unsupervised. That night we ate at a drive in hamburger place and parked right next to a Ford Thunderbolt(64 Fairlane) that had Rick Hern written on the side of car. Fast forward 50 years later and I still go to drags at least 4-5 times per year in south Texas. Flatheadjohn47
     
  15. V4F
    Joined: Aug 8, 2008
    Posts: 4,382

    V4F
    Member
    from middle ca.

  16. 1956 santa ana. c.j "pappy" hart in charge.
     
  17. dos zetas
    Joined: May 10, 2009
    Posts: 175

    dos zetas
    Member

    1965 Minnesota Dragways, Hoover Special fueler was my first experience with NITRO. My older cousin was making a deal there to trade his 46 Ford woody for a Curtis Jenny.
     
  18. nunattax
    Joined: Jan 10, 2011
    Posts: 3,052

    nunattax
    Member
    from IRELAND

    early eighties irish land speed record attempt at the straight road.200mph looked and sounded great on the day( 18 ish)

    later witnessed the first sub 5 sec run in europe and the first side by side sub 5 sec run in europe at santa pod uk.

    also been to avon park uk and bradenton fl.

    cant get enough ofit
     
    Last edited: Feb 2, 2014
  19. PandorasBox99
    Joined: Dec 1, 2012
    Posts: 186

    PandorasBox99
    Member

    8 teen the smell of the fuel , fast food,fast cars & did I mention fast cars!
     
  20. bobadame
    Joined: Jan 20, 2009
    Posts: 174

    bobadame
    Member

    About 1965 in Erie Colorado. I watched a little Bridgestone 2 stroke 250 completely thrash a Triumph Bonneville.
     
  21. GWK
    Joined: Jan 31, 2014
    Posts: 2

    GWK
    Member
    from Kentucky

    The spring of "58 .was when I started racing with my dad running a black "57 Studebaker Golden Hawk at Oswego Dragway and my 1st time at a drag strip at 11 yrs. old.
     
    Last edited: Feb 4, 2014
  22. dmorago
    Joined: Nov 18, 2012
    Posts: 228

    dmorago
    Member

    1st was Pomona, Ca around 1958. Got hooked and ending up racing there in the 60's. Other strips included: Fontana (orig), Colton, Irwindale (#2), Riverside Raceway (Hot Rod Magazine), Bakersfield, Half Moon Bay, Santa Maria. And, Long Beach Lions was our favorite. See attached photo....
    Morago & Hooykaas Lions Logo c.jpg
     
    Mick Coyne likes this.
  23. Rusty Heaps
    Joined: May 19, 2011
    Posts: 949

    Rusty Heaps
    Member

    My first time was circa 1980 at Thunder Valley near Bristol, TN. Loved the "thunder"!
     
  24. dusterdave173
    Joined: Dec 30, 2010
    Posts: 226

    dusterdave173
    Member

    Shuffletown Drag Strip near Charlotte, NC
    Dad took me, a guy he knew from work was running--we stood right beside the cars --right at the starting line--maybe 6-8 ft away--yea I know...a 56 Chevy wound his little small block up and when he laid it on the wood and dropped the clutch it exploded!!! It cut some of the flywheel teeth off and they zinged out like .38 slugs coming through the fenders--the windshield, the hood etc then a rod cap hit my Converse tennis shoe--I reached down as my pop yelled--NOOOOOOOOOO! Too late --I picked it up and well--did not take me long to look at it---- it was HOT!!!
    After that I was hooked for life!!!!!!!!! I was in grade school then and am now 57--have had a drag car in the shop for about 30 solid years of some sort. That day--that experience--Priceless!!! And..good thing I did not get wiped out--would have been so easy.
     
  25. In 1964,I was 16 years old and my family was vacationing in Denver from south Texas.I convinced my parents to drop me off at the drags at Continental Divide raceway and saw Rick Hern race a brand new Ford Thunderbolt; was a great day to be 16 all by yourself at the drag races!
     
  26. RmK57
    Joined: Dec 31, 2008
    Posts: 2,659

    RmK57
    Member

    Irwindale in about 1976 on a Wednesday night grudge race. Funny thing is I'm Canadian and drove my Boss 302 down there with my girlfriend for a vacation. I was around 18-19 years old at the time. Got to cruise Whittier and Van nuys to.
     
  27. Donald A. Smith
    Joined: Feb 19, 2011
    Posts: 272

    Donald A. Smith
    Member
    from Brook In.

    My parents took me to U. S.- 30 drag strip located in North West Indiana in 1964
     
  28. Those who haven't been you're cordially invited to Eagle Field May 15, 2015 to see what is was like, hell bring your hot rod and run it, better than watching anyway!!!!!..............
    [​IMG]
     
    Toymaker likes this.
  29. flux capacitor
    Joined: Sep 18, 2014
    Posts: 696

    flux capacitor
    Member

    1986 "George Rays WildCat Dragstrip". Paragould , Arkansas. I'm still a dirt tracker at heart but the good times I've had there are priceless. Drove my 4:10 geared 69 302 z28 there 1-1/2 hours & back each way ran it HARD in J stock stick quite a few times. In the late 80s early 90s. It's a 1/8 mile WW2 landing strip, in the middle of some good old bean fields. Awesome place, still looks froze in time!
     
  30. 327Eric
    Joined: May 9, 2008
    Posts: 2,116

    327Eric
    Member

    Baylands, aka Fremont dragstrip in 1983 with my dad. Nothing worth seeing there now.
     

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