When was your first time at a dragstrip?

York US30 when I was 16 (1964). I attended weekly as often as I could hitch a ride (didn't have a car) until I got my Honda CB160 and could get there on my own. I also got rides of friends, including school mate David Birmingham who had a '66 Chevy II Supersport with the 350 HP/4 speed package.....

I once held a torque wrench for Conrad Kalitta as he was running the valves on his cammer Bounty Hunter. Can you imagine an F/D pro asking some skinny kid to help him today? No barriers, fences, tents or any of that other crap we put up with in NHRA today back then. The pits were't even paved!

Spirit

PS: If anyone out there has a US30 jacket patch, please message me!

 

to watch in 1958--to run 1959--- Madera Drags. Also ran at Raisin City, Ballico, Famoso, Marchbanks and Half Moon Bay from 59 to 65. Then started playing again in the 80's at Sears Pt and Fremont. Now just go help on my friends C/Gas Chevelle in the 9.60 class.

 

Thirty years ago+, Houston Freeway Dragstrip, sitting on top of Grandpa's motorhome in the parking lot watching Prudhome and McEwen's funny cars. Never realized back then it would never get any better than that! I miss those days.

 

1967 at the Surfers Paradise Raceway,I was 18. Ran my first car at the opening of the new Townsville Dragstrip about 1969

 

I uhh... I've never been.

woke the blood up in my head at the cackle fest in long beach, but never actually been to a drag.

 

I was in my early teens; Fremont with my dad for a swap meet.

I think it was still operational, but close to being shut down.

 

To race MOKAN 1963 place hasn't changed much.

 

The year I was born. 1957.

Blind Elwood

 

1960. Presque Isle Dragstrip,near Erie, PA. I cut my teeth on dirt track racing. My brother-in-law took me and two of my friends to a points meet at Presque Isle. When I saw all the chrome and beautiful paint,I was hooked. George Montgomery,Joe Hrudka,Eddy Schartman,Gabby Bleeker,and on and on. In 1964 we flat towed a "62" Corvette to Indy from Pittsburgh. We where waiting in the tech line at the shopping center and I saw this candy apple Willys coming in on the trailer. It was the same one that had just been on the cover of Hot Rod magazine (John Mazmanian). As I was standing by the Covette,Dave Strickler pushed up beside me his "64" Dodge. What a great time for a 18 year old.

 

Oswego, Il when I was about 2. My uncle ran an SBC injected jr fueler.

 

beech bend, 71 or 72, i was 3 or 4. all i remember is "the little red wagon" v/s an army tank called "hell on wheels". seeing the sparks comming off that tailgate made me a hot rodder for life.

 

Santa anna 1953 (c.j."pappy" hart) the Bean Bandits, Art Chrisman, Dunkin's(?) "doodle bug" AND very little safety equipment !

 

1969, Union Grove, WI, 62 Vette, won class, 13:35/110 in street trim. 65 fuelie short block printed and balanced, Z-28 heads port matched, roller rockers, edlebrock/holley 850, fenderwell exit headers, 4:88 posi........during my "dark side" days.

 

Early teens...somewhere in Western NY. A red 409 took Top Eliminator.

 

It was Pomona or Carlsbad California early 80`s, so load thought my head would explode. Got to take my boys to Winter Nationals at Pomona recently, my boys loved it.

 

First time was 1977, Beeline drag strip in Phoenix. I went with my brother in law, he raced his 4 banger Pinto, 17 second ETs I believe.

 

OCIR in 1970.

I found out they offered bracket racing on Wed nights and I quickly became a semi regular which played hell with my grades. I ran a boat of an Olds Jetstar I with a 345 hp 394 in it. Ran high some 14s with that whale.

One of my fondest memories is having two women in a big Merc 428 pass me at the top of the track with a little boy in the back seat waving at me. Safety rules were much more "flexible" in those days.

 

1954. "Little Bonneville". I was 12. Soon was 'adopted' into a local car club, never missed a Sunday at the drags.
Fremont opened up and we went there...

 

Lets see....1964 I think....I was 6 yr old and it was IRP. My job was to look out the back window and tell my brother if the race car we were towing quit following us. That was his way of keeping me busy and making me stop talking.

 

1959 when I was 12. my dad and his friend took me to Quaker City Drag Strip near my hometown to see the friends son race. My neighbor also raced a 53 Olds DSA.
that did it, Iwas hooked. The track is still in operation since 1957. I think it is the
longest continualy operating strip east of the mississippi. DRAG ON>>>>>>>

 

I don't remember my first time but,I do remember when I took my son Chris. He was about 8 or 9. That was when you could stand at the starting line when they took off. We went to a Funny Car Meet. This was at the Fremamt Drag Strip. You could smell the fuel and the vibrations the cars made. It was great. He still remembers it and he is now 47 years old. Rickters and Masters was the dragster to beat.

 

I went to Riverside in January or February 1959 with a friend and his dad who knew Art Chrisman. We watched Chrisman run the Hustler I with the first top mounted 6-71. He black tracked the entire 1/4 mile...I was sold!

 

1975 Minnesota Dragways I was 18 the at 55 years old made 50 passes at a local dragstrip with my own 55 Gasser over last summer! took a couple years!

 

1955..............Rich

 

6 or 7 years old in 1964 or '65, Magnolia Dragway in Magnolia, Ohio. It was still a quarter mile then. My Dad took me to watch a friend run his Willys gasser. It was so cool, I'll never forget him banging gears down the track. I was all in on anything fast with wheels from that point on.

Kevin

 

1966 at Drag City in Springfield IL, I was 10 years old, I saw blown gassers and rails and lots of stockers... I was hooked... every model car I built after that was built as a drag car.
I saved enough money to buy my first dragster when I was 16 (cheap back then)
After all these year I'm still racing.

 

It was around 1963, I think and it was Lions drag strip in Long Beach. I was permanently hooked after that. I would have been 13 years old. Like BobG, I started building drag car models then and have ever since.

 

I got my dear old mum to take me to the old Calder drag strip just west of Melbourne when I was about 15 - must have been back in about 1972 or 73.
Mostly street cars, and the ignition breakdown at high revs on just about everything sounded like rubbish.
Nothin' much was all that fast, but hell, it seemed like the best thing.

 

1966 12 years old Vargo Dragway Pa. I believe it was a private air strip on a farm! still has a cars show ever year in November. Pete

 

i was 19 in 1964 and tun the sabin MN strip and turned 62 MPH and just did not get into it, such a failure i never tried again, later raced bikes and stock cars and that went much better but that was ovals and such