Event Coverage Your First Dragstrip Pass

1964 Mokan I had a 1960 Falcon with a 221 out of a 62 Fairlane it ran 1620 0n 7.00 13 tires. I remember that day spoting a 54 6cyl Ford 17 cars I thought they were never going to make him stop.

 

Ran a 16.98 in a rusted out '67 Plymouth Fury VIP 383 4bl. that my grandparent bought new and gave me. It was I think 1983 at 75-80 Dragway. I ran the trophy class and won first round so they gave me a trophy and a "class winner" decal. I still have them both. I've made hundreds of passes since then but I will never forget it...

 

My first pass was at Dragway Park in Cayuga Ontario in the mid 80's in an O/T car. Ran it often enough to eventually get a class win in 87.
Fast Forward to 2000 and I buy a 37 Dodge coupe to fix up. I meet a guy at a swap meet in 2005 that is selling a Willys and promoting the Ontario Nostalgia Drag Racing group so I end up joining.
A couple of years later and I'm back at the track running in the Nostalgia Street Class.
One year we were racing at the Nostalgia Nationals at Grand Bend and my wife asks if she can take the car down the track during the Test and Tune to see what it was like.
She was a little nervous but the track official let me ride shotgun on her first pass. I could tell she was excited by the big grin on her face in the staging lanes.The starter waves us up and asks her if she is going to do a burn out and she replied, "Oh ya"
I coach her through the burn out and we stage the car. On the last yellow I yell hit it and we were off. At the finish lines she is yellling "Woo hoo" and asks if we can do it again? A great experience for the pair of us. Afterwards she says to me " Now I get it why you guys like doing this so much".

 

Firebird Raceway 1976..... 1968 Camaro 4speed





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My first dragstrip pass didn't amount to much. I had just bought a 67 Fairlane with a 427 tunnelport/2fours/four speed from a former racer that had quit racing. The car had been sitting a couple of years so I changed oil, gas,etc and towed it to the local strip to see how it would do. Not being familiar with any car over 400 horses, I just decided to take a pass down the strip before the timing started. Well, I took off and couldn't believe the power that sucker had. So I went to hit second gear with the pedal to the floor. The tach looked like it hit 10 grand when my slow-handed shift went into second then wham! The clutch blew up. Good thing I had a scattershield. Next thing is it starts heading for the timing lights. I am wresting it back over and standing on the brakes because there isn't much of an area after the lights. Scared me good because one thing I forgot to check was the brakes and they really sucked. I towed it back to the pits with my truck and one of the track guys comes over to bless me out for nearly taking out their lights.
I was so poor from buying the car that I couldn't afford a new clutch for a long time. I found out that racing wasn't a poor mans sport.

 

At least 45 yrs ago MN DRAGWAYS I think it was the radio station spectacular they held there my 64 sport fury 383 4 speed it was like a 14 or a 15 I was (king of the world) man those were the days

 

Edmore Mi. 1961. Drove my model A coupe up there with open headers. Had a 324 olds engine (completely stock) First time at a drag strip didn't know what to expect. When I got to tech they weighed the car and factored the cubic inches, they put me in A/Altered. Made my first time trial run and ran a whopping mid 15. On the way back down the return lane the windshield frame about fell out of the car. I was told to install a roll bar if I wanted to return. I made one out of a bed headboard and welded it in with a little trindle buzz box. The weld looked really bad and burned thru so I lined it with dum-dum and worked a respectable weld pattern in it and painted it black.Anyway that first time there I got my first trophy because I was the only Altered there. The following week I pulled it with a tow bar to look more professional. That, and I had painted a name on the car and painted B/Altered on it. No one questioned it and I got another trophy. That worked for about 5 weeks till I showed up and someone from Flint showed up with a fuel injected 327 4 speed 34 chevy coupe.He ran a low 13 in time trials. In my infinate wisdom and need for fair play, I went to the timing tower and explained that I was really an A/Altered and it wouldn't be fair to run with this guy. They thought I was the greatest sport about this so they changed my class. During the race there was only two Altereds there. We lined up and when the flag dropped, I was shifting from low to drive when he went thru the lights. .........But, we both got a trophy. I didn't go back right away, but I'll never forget that day.

 

In 1961 shortly after I turned 16 my buddy Eddie, who's father owned a garage, and I took Eddie's 53 Corvette (yes, it really was one of the very early 1953 production models) from our home in eastern NC to the drags at Emporia, VA. Eddie was not yet 16, so I as the "legal driver" got to drive the Corvette over 100 miles from our town to Emporia and back.

Did I mention that the little Vette had a Stude V8 up front, cobbled to some sort of auto tranny (may have been the original powerglide). Who could have known at the time how valuable an original stock 53 Corvette would become. Back then it was just another car.

When we got to the strip, which was NHRA sanctioned, the place was teeming with gassers and rail jobs. I remember Chris Karaminses ( I know I butchered the spelling of his name) was running his Chrysler powered rail that day.

The other thing I remember was taking the Vette down the track and what an absolute thrill it was. It was so long ago that I don't remember the times or much else about the run...just that I did it and it made an indeliable impression on me that hasn't left yet.

I lost track of Eddie and the Corvette over the years. That car would be worth a fortune today.

 

First time was I think in 1971. 1970 Maverick, 6 cylinder automatic and I ran 18.81. I was 21 at the time. Two years later I had put a 289 (ford lemans cam, hooker headers edlebrock intake with carter afb), 3 speed and 3.00 open rear in the maverick. Did all the work myself and was 1st engine I had built. It went 13.86. Five seconds quicker than with the 6 cyl. Next weekend I came off the line and couldn't find second gear and coasted to a 18.80. Quicker than the 6 cyl. Installed a ford top loader and the second night at the strip I blew the clutch. Busted everything including block and headers. In 1973 I put in a 351 Windsor, stock except for offy intake. Went 14 flat with 4 speed and same rear as earlier at drag strip in Macon, Ga. Other times were at Phenix City drag strip in Alabama. Also at strip in Alabama I ran a 67 mini with 850cc and went 20.50. Later I ran a moped to a blistering 34 seconds. Moped went 17 secs before the end of the night(did I mention it was in the back of a pick up?) If I could get to 30 secs I could have run et bracket. My only trophy was with a 55 ford victoria with 272 and automatic a week after buying it. I ran 20.50 with it. The fellow I beat for the trophy wanted to know if we could re run the race because he missed a gear. I said too bad. It wasn't long til auto trans gave up and I put in a 3 speed. Went to the strip and tore out 1st gear coming off the line. That 55 ford is why I bought the 55 ford on a shelf gasser. I didn't have a front bumper on the first one either. Sorry, a little long winded and couldn't stop with just my first time. Sure enjoy reading all the other stories.

 

Slow pass? who cares? BEAUTIFUL CAR=WINNAH!

 

Thanks, I really appreciate that!

 

My 1st pass was at Irwindale, mid 70's in this. Roller SBC w/clutch turbo

 

'57 ford 300 custom 312c.i. 3 spd. 3.50 gears- 15.65@ 89 mph. in 1967 at McGuire strato-rods . The perfect track for us locals, Really miss that place. Later, Matt.