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Your best side by side race?

Cojohnso1

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I was at a test & tune a few years back with my bracket race Duster. Small 1/8 track with limited number of cars. So plenty of laps. The Duster was running well with its pump gas setup (451 iron 452 heads) when I finally got a car to line up next to me. A '67 Chevelle primer brown. I can see 2 air cleaners tops just peaking thru cutout hood. And a young kid at the wheel. The lights went amber and I released my car's two step button for launch. That kid's bumper was on my door. And with each shift he reeled in a couple inches. Both of us ran a 6.903. I won by a slight hole shot.

I approached him and his dad later. Dad was a mean looking dude that didn't look happy. But turned out? Looks were deceiving. He was happy with the performance and more than happy with his boy's job on the track. This was his first race. With a 454 dual quad garage built motor in that '67. After looking at my 451 setup. It was clear why so close. Cubic inch vs cubic inch. He had a little more. (With a little more build and cam.) But Chevelle weighed 100+ lbs more too. For me? Didn't get any better than that. I watched him on his 2nd race from the waterbox right behind him. Destroyed a Mustang. And improved his time. I think the kid was hooked?

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This might be better told by my brother driving our 69 Charger. Photo is of an old photo of the car exactly as it was at the time of the race, 20 plus years ago. I was watching, it was a Friday night street race. We drove the car to the race, 150 miles, street tires, mufflers, full street trim. He lined up to a really nice looking red 65 or 66 Chevy 2 with slicks and 2 carbs sticking out the hood. No question the Charger was out gunned. The Chevy was the quicker car, but what was cool was the guy in the chevy cut a terrible light and by the 660 ft the cars were DEAD even. Shocked it was so close by the 1/8, I then watched as the Charger pulled away from the Chevy on the last half of the track, ahead by a car and a half at the mph cones. Looking at the times slips the Chevy 2 was a second faster car and was running deep in the 12s at about 105 mph. But he got out muscle’d by a mopar that got driven 150 miles to the track in street trim. Lol, the Chevy won the decision but lost the fight.
 
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Fun times my first car was a 69 roadrunner my second car was this 69 super bee
 
From one of my street races way back in the day: This guy has a beautiful worked small block Camaro, so we decide to run against my 6-bbl RR. Off the line, I smoked him really bad. I'm plowing from 1st to 2nd & 3rd and I don't see him off to the side with my peripheral vision. As I bang 4th, I start to let off, then...I start to hear the SCREAM of a revving chevy small-block out my passenger mirror ! Holy crap ! That sucker didn't give up, he's now just off to the side. I had to plant the pedal just in time for a now narrow margin.
 
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View attachment 1099563 This might be better told by my brother driving our 69 Charger. Photo is of an old photo of the car exactly as it was at the time of the race, 20 plus years ago. I was watching, it was a Friday night street race. We drove the car to the race, 150 miles, street tires, mufflers, full street trim. He lined up to a really nice looking red 65 or 66 Chevy 2 with slicks and 2 carbs sticking out the hood. No question the Charger was out gunned. The Chevy was the quicker car, but what was cool was the guy in the chevy cut a terrible light and by the 660 ft the cars were DEAD even. Shocked it was so close by the 1/8, I then watched as the Charger pulled away from the Chevy on the last half of the track, ahead by a car and a half at the mph cones. Looking at the times slips the Chevy 2 was a second faster car and was running deep in the 12s at about 105 mph. But he got out muscle’d by a mopar that got driven 150 miles to the track in street trim. Lol, the Chevy won the decision but lost the fight.
Chevy II had open headers, slicks and tunnel ram..show car nice. and his e.t. was .5 seconds faster because I was back pedaling w lousy 2.2 60' times on the skating rink. I should have won, I red lit by .002, the chevy Ii was sleeping so by the 60' we were side by side till I shifted into 3rd and left him. He ran 105mph, Charger was 108mph. It was a fun race. It was apparent who had more power. I almost won it at the staring line, certainly the big end. LOL almost...
Another Friday night we raced our 70 cuda against a 67 valiant. Both race cars. We raced 3 times, always a fender difference, like a 10.82 to our 10.85. Mph were both 121.. The valiant edged us out once, it was close but at least it was a mopar, both cars 440s, 67 valiant likely lighter by a 200lbs.
 
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I've got a few "close races" over my lifetime. Oldest to most recent:
1978 My stock 71 Charger R/T 440 4bbl, auto, open 3.23 vs 70 Cadillac 2 door 471. I had him by a car and a half at the end of the 1320, but I didn't expect him to do that well. When we were "challenging" each other, he got on and off the gas, and that land yacht was leaning over from the torque when he'd gas it!
Stock 79 R/T Aspen, E58 "police" 360 4bbl Lean Burn, 2.7X ring and pinion Sure Grip, auto vs 1979/80 Hurst Olds.
I had him 3 out of 3, but it was close enough to be fun.
My 1989 Chrysler (Mitsubishi) Conquest TSi vs 200(X) Charger R/T. Man, that TSi was a BLAST to drive, the first fast, fun car I had bought in over 10 years, and I had turned up the boost on the tiny factory 13a turbo from 10.5 to 17 pounds. I immediately needed a new HP clutch disc and pressure plate, and I did a no cat 3" exhaust pipe to a Hooker AeroFlow muffler. If any of you ever do a 4 or 6 cylinder performance engine you HAVE TO check out the Hooker AeroFlow! NO "fart can" just an amazing deep rumble. I also swapped in a 1992 Mitsu Eclipse MAS that was plug and play. The 1987.5 to 1989 2.6L turbo's computers could handle the required calculations for the upgrade. I left the Charger at the line like he was in a coma, but his time is displayed a fraction of a second after I get the win light!
Enough :blah::blah::blah:
See for yourselves!

I had some close races in my Roadrunner, but my car is getting faster, so what was close 5 years ago wouldn't be as close now. 2010 SRT Challenger, and a SRT Jeep a few years ago:

A few from the Chattanooga Moparty Picnic at Brainerd a few years ago. I couldn't get the rhythm of the Christmas Tree all day, worst launches of my life:

Hellcat Charger, I was close, but that damn tree was killing me!
 
During the end of 2017 and the begining of 2018 I had a fantastic win streak. Won 7 out of 8 races. With .008 breakout (against a car with a 15.88 dial vs my 9.10) being the only loss in 40 runs. I had won the night before and the group had put a $100 bounty out for whoever could take me out. This was round 2. I was late at the tree and the chase was on. Knew it was going to be close but didn't think I was going to catch my opponent. Should have lifted. My mistake. As you can see this track goes to the 4th digit on time slips. We both broke out exactly by .0046. So on the computer in the tower they had time to the 5th digit. I lost. To make it even more interesting that morning the car had run 60fts of 1.310, 1.310, 1.308. This run it picked up by .005. Just enough to send me under. Should've run a 9.251
Doug

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Doug, that is an amazing time slip. Ive never seen that much info on a slip before. Or, is that a computer program doing calculations from the slip?
 
In about 1988 I had a 70 340 4sd cuda...I was going down 16 mile and a tempest pulled up to me...we nailed it from a slow roll...neck in neck...then again. We did this 3 or 4 times. He had a 389 4 spd...so we pull over and are talking it out...im like 20 and he is in his 40s....turned out he lived behind me when I was a kid and didn't like me then. After about 1/2 hr we went our way and I never seen him again.
 
Racing in the weekly points series in the 80's I had so many close races, no particular one comes to mind. I know I was never upset when I lost a good close race, usually against one of my buddies. I was some upset whenever I screwed up though.

My one and only street race (stoplight to stoplight) in this car. Some young kid in a then brand new 5 liter Mustang pulls up beside me. For some reason I decided to take the challenge. The light went green and I took off. The car left hard and the mustang was nowhere close to me. I couldn't exactly figure out what happened at the time, because the car usually wouldn't hook with the street tires. That weekend at the track I am in the staging lanes and the same kid in the Mustang comes up to check out my car in the lanes, and says remember me? I said yeah, funny thing about that night, I couldn't figure out why the car didn't blow away the tires, until I realized I started off in second gear. He just walked away.

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In 1969, I bought a new 383/automatic Superbee. Occasionally, I was coaxed into unsanctioned tests of accelerative ability (street racing). During one such event, I was racing a 1967 Olds 442. We were really winding out near the top end of the marked out 1/4 mile, with this guy's front fender at my door handle. I heard an expensive-sounding "Gruuump", and the car was not right there any more. I lifted off the gas pedal and checked my rear view mirror to see a lot of smoke and parts bouncing of the pavement.
 
I had lots of close races at the track, but the most memorable was my own stupidity. I was racing a 60s mustang, a second or so slower than me. He leaves, i leave, and cover him (way early!) by the top of first gear. Okay, pedal so you dont break out. Playing around, two or three cars on him through second, then, what the heck, he's gaining on me! Get on it again, too late, he gets me at the stripe by a fender.
Embarrassed, and pissed at my own stupidity, i look at the slip. His light is a .200 something, he ran a tenth off his dial, but good mph.
I had a .001 light, beat him to sixty foot, and gave away half a second and ten mph.

At least i learned my lesson.
 
But then there is this one...
I was still daily driving my A12 runner at the time, and really hadn't had any "street challenges", probably cause of the dodge redstripe hubcaps on the black wheels. (Yeah i know, not supposed to have hubcaps, dont care, like the dodge caps).
Well, decided to run my centerlines for a while, and all of a sudden, squirrels are coming out of the wood work.
Sitting at a light, late 70s Z28 pulls up, two guys in it, driver yelps over, says hes trying to sell it, lets go so i can show him what its got! (Im guessing he didnt know he brought a plastic butter knife to a gun fight) Edit: forgot to mention, the 440 six bbl hood decals were missing in action.
I say okay.
Light goes green, he stands on it, i keep up on the two barrel.
He hits second, i open up the secondaries still in first. Instant two car lead,
I hit second hes five,six, seven cars back, i shift third and quit.
The camaro turns off on a side street before he catches up.


I wonder if he sold that camaro?
 
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daily driving my A12
:lowdown: "daily driving my A12"....
I kind of know what that's like if I stay in 4th gear with my 4.10 gears in my 70 440 6bbl Roadrunner, BUT I also have 5th gear, and it's hard for me to imagine daily driving a 4.10 with a 1:1 final drive.
It was perfect for the A12 design plan, Ma Mopar meant business. At least the national speed limit was 55 MPH then, in the late 70s.
 
:lowdown: "daily driving my A12"....
I kind of know what that's like if I stay in 4th gear with my 4.10 gears in my 70 440 6bbl Roadrunner, BUT I also have 5th gear, and it's hard for me to imagine daily driving a 4.10 with a 1:1 final drive.
It was perfect for the A12 design plan, Ma Mopar meant business. At least the national speed limit was 55 MPH then, in the late 70s.
Yep, 3700 at ten over the limit, on the way to work at 5:30a.m. Tolerable, cause it still had the stock exhaust on it. And a decent cassette stereo, lol.
 
one night me and a good friend were out on the east side i had a 1971 charger rt this was a 440 6pk 4sp that was worked over small cam headers the usual stuff it had a 456 gear w/12"drag 500. a 1970 camaro was running around that night 454 tunnel ram 4sp with big street tires on we went down 12 mile road he wanted to go from about a 10 roll so we did i dumped the clutch about 4grand put 2 cars on him as i was looking in the side view mirror i saw him coming i pulled 2nd then third and he was at my back bumper hit 4th and stayed on it to about 120 and that is the way it stayed. as we both back down he's looking out the window at my car and he just shook his head that this big boat beat him. this was in 1978
 
440 6pk 4sp
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Man, I love the 6bbl! When they're "right" they run great.
Here's a pic from 79 of my 71 R/T Charger: Front "gravel pan" missing because I hit a planter in a parking lot pulling out of a space. I couldn't see it, and it got crunched.
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Another favorite one; a buddy of mine had just bought a new 1972 Corvette coupe, with the standard 350 and a 4-speed. I had recently bought a nice family barge, a 1970 Buick Wildcat with 370h.p. 455/automatic with Suregrip (oops, Positraction). I was heading home after working my afternoon shift and was stopped at the traffic light on the edge of town. My friend in his new Plastic Fantastic rolled up beside me and blipped the gas a couple of times and grinned at me. He got a little jump on me, but I pulled up beside him at the top of low range. I shifted to second, and with a bark of the rear tires, I walked away from him. Wiped the grin off his face. Sorry for the minimal Mopar content in this post.
 
Running my Charger years ago at a Wednesday night bracket race, I get beat first round by a girl in a ‘70 Nova who is a good bracket racer with almost the same dial, high 13’s. When it’s side by side like that it kinda seems like the cars know they’re in a race and they’re trying as hard as you are. The next day at work I’m in line at the coffee shop in the hospital I worked at and a coworker asked how I did last night. I said “I got taken out by a girl in the first round, she’s pretty good though.” The girl who was making my coffee looked at me with a puzzled look on her face and asked “Boxing?” I said “No no, drag racing!” lol.
 
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