How long have you been racing ?

[383man]

Just curious how long many on here have been drag racing ? I started back in the 70's as I bracket raced a 66 Dart I put a 340 with a 4-speed in it and raced it from 1978 until 1982 when I rolled it. But back then all we got was a time card with the et & MPH written on it and not typed in. No 60 , 1/8 or any other info just 1/4 mile et and MPH. I really enjoyed bracket racing that 4-speed Dart as even back then most bracket cars were auto's. But even though the best it ran was 11.90's @ 113 I broke a lot of driveline parts because I put the gas pedal on the floor as the clutch came out. After 1982 and my bad crash I did not drag race again until 2001 when I took my 383 Dart to the track and now I only race my 63 about once or twice a year as I built it as a street car and really cant afford to race a lot like I would love to. Lets here how long you all have been at it ? Ron

 

[Budnicks]

accumulative probably est. 35 years of 43+
a few really lean years, mixed in there, family & co. came 1st
or just driving someone else's car
or going to help tune, but don't really like to travel anymore
I'm 125 miles from the nearest track now
(I use to live min.'s/12 miles away)
& It won't be long before it's gone too

I started in 1975 street/strip cars,
when I got my drivers license
I got my comp license in 1977 after I turned 18
got a real racecar 8.90 comp car, blown Inj. 301cid SBC
5.5# per cid A/A, graduated to door slammers
S/ST, S/G, S/C, T/S, Outlaw Pro-Stock, Comp Eliminator
mostly brand X for economics reasons,
I had a few MoPar engine in a couple too
(It's tough back then, especially on a family budget, they just couldn't compete
without spending almost 2 times as much $$$, as the brand x)
I always had a MoPar as my street beast, or tow rig or a Power Wagon
even raced when I lived in Alaska, Palmer Polar Raceway, mid 80's
a 71 Camaro S/C & a 71 Olds S/ST
26 different racecars
I raced all over the west coast until I was 38, in 1997
20 years almost every weekend, sometime 2 times a week
Fremont, Sears Point, Oroville, Sacramento, Famoso, LACR,
Pomona, Orange Co., Ontario MSW, Irwindale, Lions, Lodi etc. etc. etc.
I stepped back concentrate on family & business
just part time stuff after that

at 1st I enjoyed the travel

I Chris crossed the US some 15 or so times
some 180k+ miles on a couple tow rigs
had some really nice trailers

I really liked when Calif. had so many tracks
we had like 18 at one time, were down to like 5 now
when I had to go all over & travel so far, just to race
it wasn't as much fan anymore

I did keep my comp license current until 2020
I made a pass & paid the bill, kept it current
last passes I made was in a buddies Bob's,
Brogie 27 tube chassis Roadster in Oct. or Nov. (?) 2019
I think it was an ol' S&W racecars chassis
he's going to run it in Super Pro, it's fast as ****
BBC 572+cid tunnel 2 dominators, PG, Dana 60 w/floating axles
5.13:1 gears, 33 x 15 X 15
weighs about 1950#-2000#'s wet, Lamb Struts & Coil-overs, 4 link
he never ran anything fast,
he wanted someone to check it out 1st
I volunteered
I did shake down passes at Sacramento, they rented the track
had an ambulance on site,
1st run did a burnout & launch
2nd run did a launch & 1/2 track, click it off
my 3rd pass was clicking it off early
& dumping both chutes at about 1000' went 7.49 @ 181
seating the brakes still...
I ran it out the back door, it's too lean on the top end nosed over
but still went 7.24 @ 188, shooting ducks
I think Bob's going to run it in Nostalgia races,
IIRC 8.50 A or B Gas

I got my juices going again

I miss my old 23 t altered, I had for 15+ years from 8.90-6.90's
I miss my T/S cars 87 Trans Am, 85 Charger/Omni
I miss my Pro Gas car 49 Ford, that was a fun car
I miss my Outlaw Pro-stock car 89 Camaro, 92 T/A
Hell I miss the comp cars 67 Camaro, 71 Vega
or the Super Gas 9.90 Opel GT, 68 Camaro or Super Comp 8.90 altered
you guys have seen all my blurry *** photos

enjoy

 

[biomedtechguy]

1978 at 16 I was in my first legal race. LaPlace Dragway, where I had gone to watch racing before. Same track my dad ran on, and he ran a 12.8 in his 65 GTO against another 65 GTO for a 1st place class trophy he still has today. That's the time my wife wants to beat in her 65 GTO.
I was there at 17 for "the last drag race" when they closed down the track. Condominiums went in its place.
I was going in the 200X years in my Conquest TSi and once on my H-D V-Rod to No Problem Raceway in sugar cane country west of New Orleans.
Now Gulfport Dragway is only about 45 minutes away, so that is where I go the most. Few and far between because of horrible traction problems, but that's all about to change.

 

[gooser]

1966 motor city dragway and a lot of street racing east side of detroit

 

[66Satellite47]

I took my daily driver '70 Barracuda(383 2bbl converted to DP4B/3310) to the local track many times in '72-73(low 15's). Bought my '65 Coronet 426W post car in '74, converted from the OE 4 spd to 727. Bracket raced with continuous upgrades & lightening. It had been a 12.8 car as a 4 spd, I got it into the 12.2-12.3's right away with the 727 using 426W. Then my first 440. Eventually 10.5's in '84 using a 400/452. Many wins. Traded it for tube Arrow in '85(crashed immediately) built duplicate Arrow raced around upper mid west till '92(9.3 - 9.6 depending on which motor) with many more wins. Bought the '66 Satellite in '13 a few races in '13 & 15, few more in '17 & '18. Hope to get out this season.

 

[Dibbons]

First bracket race took place circa 1971 at Fremont in parent's new '71 Road Runner 383 auto (low 15 ET's). Next was my own first car, the 1965 Valiant 273 auto four-door. Ran in stock form at first and then pulled out all the stops with a four-speed, 4.56 rear-end, and all the hottest small block parts I could find (12.72 best ET). Never broke a driveline or motor drag racing. Blew third gear out of the A-833 one time though. Always launched and power-shifted at 6000 RPM and trap speed around 6400 RPM.

 

[dvw]

Snuck my Dads 73 Road Runner Chrysler Executive lease car to Milan, won O/SA. Screwed around bracket racing street cars until 1990. Grabbed a couple of wins. Then built my first dedicated drag car. 63 Dodge N/SS "Lickity Split". Won a couple of championships and quite a few races with it. Well over 2000 passes. We were traveling all over East of the Mississippi. Got to be to much like a job. Quit in 2004. Raced the street car again for a few years and got bit. Built the current car and started racing it in 2013. Pic and chose when and where I race. Could care less about points. Though we did win the GLSSA championship last year. I do care about winning. Work harder at it than I ever have. Over 600 hits on the practice tree in the last week. Getting ready for Columbus this weekend. By far the best car I've ever raced. 650+ passes and counting. 65 years young and I love it.
Doug

 

[Cranky]

First time to make a pass was in 69 with my first car....66 Belvedere 318 that ran mid 17's but never entered competition with it. It got a mild 383 in late 70 and took the class trophy several times before Uncle Sam sent me a draft notice in early 71. Couple of those trophies were from DT runs as there usually wasn't many in E/A2. Joined the AF to keep out of the Army and while in tech school it was entered in a C.O.A.S.T. Auto Cross and won C/S. Liked doing that but never did again and didn't drag race again until the early 80's but was out there a lot on Wednesday trophy night and Saturday Bracket night etc racing my daily driver pickup. Never won with it but learned how to be consistent with it but my lights usually sucked with it. Also learned a lot helping a buddy run a 69 road runner 4 speed in 83/84 until I got my own dedicated drag car. Never won with it but won a lot of rounds and did runner up once. Got remarried in 86 and that's when my life changed....a lot.

 

[440rb]

Started in 1980 with a hot street/strip '71 340 cuda, 13.3's@101, hopped that up to 12.39's@108, sold that in 1988 and moved to a '69 Cuda back halved it 14x32's with L/bars-coil overs and a more or less stock 6pk motor with better 906's and a [email protected] sft and went 10's with it and then 9's with a small shot, job done in the 9's, retired in 1991. Life then happened and 2 kids later and 30yrs I'm now back at the track crewing with our '69RR street car in the 10.40's having a great time.

 

[biomedtechguy]

By the way, that first run at LaPlace I referred to was in 78 in my 71 Charger R/T. Stock 440 4bbl, SlapStick 727, open diff 8¾ w/3.23 gears. I had some cheap, wide 60 series 14s on the Magnum wheels. At the green, I floored it and the car next to me was so loud, I couldn't really tell what my car was doing. I ran a horrible time, 16.2 I think, but I found out why. My friends were watching from the bleachers on the driver's side, and they asked me "what all of that smoke was coming from the back of my car?"...
It was the one legged rear tire spinning most of the way down the quarter mile!
Wow, some days this doesn't seem that long ago, and some times it seems like I'm watching someone else's life:

 

[Bb70charger500]

Legal drag never scca a few years
Illegal a few years when I was younger .
My brother in law wants to start daddy drags all of us in the area that used to race or go watch now have kids but most of all of us have bad *** dad cars so we wanted to organize a day of run what you brung dad cars car seat and all!
My brother in law has his ls powered x cop car he's getting a supercharger ready for it few other guys have some bad cars caddy CTS v .... I'll be running the 07 srt 8 superbee
I'll need a supercharger if my brother in law gets one ! Mopar has to win

 

[cjd1963]

First time down the track was 1974. Started on a regular basis in 75 with a 66 Nova. Got tired of Chevy's and bought my first Mopar in 77, a 63 Max Wedge Plymouth. Had a 66 Valiant with my brother in 79 and 80. Another Max Wedge 63 Plymouth in the 80's and 90's. Drove one of my friends 64 Plymouth in stock eliminator in 93. Two 79 Aspens in stock, one with a 360 and my current one with a 318. Last but not least which was actually my first Mopar in 77. The "Tan car" that I still have and race. Good thread Ron!

 

[Tex013]

strewth i feel like a veritable wipper snapper
i started racing about 2005 , when new Sydney Dragway was built . There had been no dedicated strip here for the previous 10 years there abouts .
Started racing in my 32 Ford 3 window coupe with a flogged out 327 sbc . Started off in the high 13s built a mild 350 and went 11.49 best .
Bought and imported the Plymouth in 2007 .
Been a steady progression from there . Had some success along the way , won a few rounds and won the Sydney Dragway track championship in 2017 .
Still have some goals to achieve .

Tex

 

[theman440]

Off and on since 1997, currently off.

 

[Mike Gaines]

I think I might have you all beat on the first year of racing....
1963 with my Max Wedge Aluminum front end car. Bought it new in 1963 when I was 21 years old...anyone before that is really old...LOL>

 

[malex]

I got you all beat. On the other end. I started fresh as a cucumber in 2017. And that includes driver and car. Decided it was time so I built a car and here we are...

 

[Budnicks]

I got you all beat. On the other end. I started fresh as a cucumber in 2017. And that includes driver and car. Decided it was time so I built a car and here we are...

you certainly did dive in head first
done very well too
the 2 cars you've shown US, are very well built & beautiful too
keep it up

 

[malex]

you certainly did dive in head first
done very well too
the 2 cars you've shown US, are very well built & beautiful too
keep it up

Thanks Sir Budnicks! Dyno time for the Dart hemi pretty soon.

 

[Budnicks]

Thanks Sir Budnicks! Dyno time for the Dart hemi pretty soon.

View attachment 987885

well deserved praise too, you're very welcome

what's the expectations #'s ?

it sure is 'perty' ,
ya' gotta' love an aluminum Hemi

 

[LemonWedge]

Raced now & then when I was a kid in the ‘80s, then got away from cars for about 25 years. Got back into it with the current car in ‘08, going to the track once or twice a year. Then got more serious about it in about ‘15. Been running a points series for 4 years now.