Found out my 17 year old is street racing!?

I did it, most of you probably have done it. Now that my boy is doing it, for some reason its kind of scary. Of course Mom don't like it at all! When she told me she had heard about it from one of his friends, my first thought was well I hope he won. Then it kind of hit me... He's got a '69 Mustang with a built 351W that runs strong but the stock brakes and handling are not the greatest, as we all know, so now my wife has me kinda concerned. Any of you dealt with a similar situation? My Dad knew I raced, but never said anything to me because he did it too, it was just normal. I think now-a-days its not so normal anymore. I want to encourage him to race and have fun- within reason of course, because its a great way to learn his machine, but if he ever got caught by the law, or got hurt, I would feel responsible. Lay some personal experiance on me. Thanks - Mike

 

I'd point out to him that the legal ramifications of street racing are about 100 times stiffer than they used to be and getting worse. Does he like his car? In a lot of states, they take the car. Period. Of course, the danger is a bigger deal than the legal issues, but when you're 17, you're indestructible...

 

Check your PM's.

Buy him a Yugo.

 

Time to take him to the local track. Test and tune is a good way for yungins to blow off some steam in a semi-safe environment. Enjoy...

 

mention that he can be charged as an adult, vehicular manslaughter (pound you in the ass prison, no country club) is an easy trial. you hurt someone, esp. a bystander, they come after you HARD and make an example out of you.

Do you have a track nearby?

 

Im 22 now i ran a 68 mustang similar setup when i was 17, I grew out of the go fast thing and got into cruising not to long ago. you wont be able to stop him from doing it, I dont know how it is where you guys are but up here in chicago moving violations are strict and stupidly enforced. Dont preach but let him know about how much different it is from then to today. the cars and the law. Most kids today aren't driving 5000 pound cars that can hit a pole and drive away.

 

He needs to be on the track. My son is currently driving my Suburban because we haven't got his Iroc Crapmaro together yet. He keeps commenting that he is going to drive the 34 to school and I keep reminding him we can take away his birthday permanently. My dad didn't encourage me to street race, but he didn't discourage it either. I survived but had several friends get caught and lose their vehicles or loads of cash on fines. I hate to think what the penalties are now for such behavior. Twenty years ago we would go to a remote location of abandoned highway to race now they go to the new strip of road in the middle of town dividing two residential areas, very not smart.

 

street racing today is nothing like when I did it... 10 or so years ago. The crowd is getting bad. Some gang bangers shot up the crowd in the spring because the street racers were bringing cops into area where they were selling their drugs. A guy I know got hit 3X.

 

if his street racing is the modern version of racing through traffic on a busy urban street, do whatever it takes to stop him.

if he's doing it the old school way, making a deal, then heading out of town to a deserted road to do the deed, just make sure he is safe and knows the potential outcome of his actions.

 

at least he is racing in a old steel car and not some fiberglass POS that will crumple up into a ball if you hit a bird on the road....

Hell I used to race my 72 Chevelle at 17, my dad knew but my mom was clueless, he said "if you get into trouble, its your own damn fault, don't come lookn' to me for help."

Luckily I never got into any trouble. Blew my radiator and spent a summer rebuilding the engine though, that taught me a lesson.....

 

Glad I have a girl.

 

The thing is that there's no way to do it safely. Even if he does everything right. Hell, there's accidents at dragstrips and that's a controlled environment with tech inspections. I'd do anything in my power to put a stop to it...

 

Try and keep him from racing in town or on highways, or "drifting" a lot of kids have died around here doing that. I remember not too long ago a newer mustang hit a bridge embankment, killed the kids in it.
Street racing in the country, though still dangerous is better then racing around SUV's on the highway.
That's why I'm gonna build my boy a 50 chevy pickup with a 216 six! The only thing he'll be racing is the mail man.....

 

I did a lot of drag racing on the street when I was his age, but that was years ago and things have changed drastically since then. We had deserted roads that we raced on, today there are few of them left.
I told my youngest, that if I ever caught him, the car would be put away and he could ride the bus to and from. The key word was "caught". I knew he was racing the car, all I had to do was look at the tires on the car and it was evident.
He has mellowed out since then and was only pulled twice when he was in school. I think both times he was pulled, they wanted to look at the car. He never got even a warning ticket.
I would definitely remind him of the strict enforcement for drag racing now and if there is a track nearby, get him to race on the track. It is a whole lot safer and its also legal.

 

I'd rather run my head into an airbag and have the impact lessened by modern crumple zones than be in a car that 'holds up' enough to bounce my head off the metal dashboard at full speed. It's just foolish to say that modern cars are less safe than old cars. Don't get me wrong, I LOOOOOVE old cars, but I'm not gonna fool myself into thinking they're safer or more survivable...

 

Build a race car. That way once he feels the adreneline rush from a "track only" car the street will seem tame. A father son race team. He'll dig it.

 

Here we have Tuesday night street legal drags at Raceway park. I think it has helped with some of the out of control street racing. You might lok into that. You might try detuning his car for street use.

 

Don't bet on it. In my post above, my son was racing his 65 Mustang with a 200 six cyl in it.

 

wait until she dates.



...is she single?

 

A friend of mine, to keep his son off the street, built a drag car, father-son project, when his son was 16, in 1990. They had so much fun, he built another one for himself. They've been racing together ever since: Sixteen years of fun together, safely, at a dragstrip.

If you have a dragstrip anywhere that you can drive to, do it. Street racing is not only illegal, it's stupid.

 

When I was that age the local poe poe had me and my friends on a list of cars to "watch" and keep tabs on. We raced, but out of town. Evwn had a cop come to the house and walk up inthe yard as I was mowing it and accuse me of speeding and out running him in traffic. HA HA HA. Didn't remember doing it but whatever.

One thing I can advise is take yer kid to a wrecking yard for a tour of smashe d up cars with those round bloody spots on the windshield with hair still attached to the broken glass, dried pools of blood in floorboards and bloody door panels.

Some of the things I remember from working in one at his age.

 

I think about the best you can do is try to scare him away from any big events where lots of people gather- more cops, more ruthless people, etc. A few months ago some girl got killed here when the cops showed up to a race and everybody scattered, she got hit by a fleeing car. The fear of losing a car or going to jail is about the only thing that will stop him, sadly enough. The thought of getting hurt or hurting somebody else won't cross his mind. I did some very stupid stuff when i got my license, it happens very fast but if you can avoid the big time stupidity you're doing OK

 

There is "Drag Racing" and "Street Racing" Two very much different definitions. One tries to do everything it can to keep everyone safe and still fun that is sanctioned and organized Drag Racing. The other Street Racing has inherrent risks, no safety inspections, rulebooks, ambulances, prepared surface, guard walls, long shut down areas.... well the list goes on and on.

 

Yea -- the reason accidents look so bad nowadays isn't because the cars strength, it's called crumple zones and controlled energy release. I'm much happier thinking that if my four wheel disks and tuned suspension couldn't keep me out of trouble that my car might be a foot or two shorter. No need to get this on a new vs. old thread though . . . so don't bother replying off-topic.

 

Sounds like its time for handling and brake upgrades on his old Mustang.

 

Definitely take them to a drag strip -- first time they launch on a groomed strip, they'll think twice on running on the street . . . think traction. Nothing like the safety of knowing there is a track crew ready to scoop you up to the awaiting ambulance in minutes if something does happen to go wrong. My son will be at two places . . . the drag strip and the local autocross when he's old enough. He'll know what it's like to go fast in a straight line, and then what the car can and can't do when there is nothing to injure but his pride and a few dozen orange cones.

 

Is the car registered in your name? Is he on your insurance policy? If I caught my kid street racing, he would be walking.

 

Have a friend who was shot and killed by this type of person. Get him out....fast.

 

take away the mustang & get him a moped.......

 

Another option is local Autocrosses or road rallys with the mustang.
Ga has a lot of road racing ( closed track ) clubs.
and the rush of an auto cross on a road course is greater rhan any street race.