Connection To Drag Racing (3 Viewers)

[Jeff]

Wow, lots of neat stories.

I was the gearhead in a stick and ball family. My dad even bought a Goodyear franchise when I was in high school to help turn that mechanical tilt into a career, but engineering in college was too technical and accounting was great at paying the bills.

Motorcycles and wild 4x4's were my passion for a good while until my then 7 year old son wound up in a wheelchair for three months during a Labor Day motocross outing. My marraige was strained by this, and I knew that the street bikes probably needed to go too. But what to do with that enclosed trailer that took everything to Bike Week?

That was 4 or so years ago and my trailer shop pointed me to Houston Raceway Park's junior dragster program and the Right on Track movie. My older son and I bought a junior dragster, and after the whole family went to Jeff Birch's Junior Cajun Nationals in Shreveport my younger formerly wheelchair bound son thought it looked safe enough. We are now on our 4th and 5th junior chassis.

Bigger junior races are two day events and often there is a "parent's race" on Saturday night. Wide shoulders and a weak back meant that the driving chores went to my wife and she really enjoyed it.

First came a Super Comp/Bracket car then a Top Dragster. We've now been doing the big car thing for about a year and a half . . . and Jenifer's T/D car is now fitted with two stages of nitrous to drop us from the seven teens to the high sixes so we can make the smaller divisional fields next year.

My wife has her NHRA/IHRA advanced ET licenses, my kids have licenses in both sanctioning bodies, I've made about 8 passes down the strip in something other than a street car. Early last year I bought me a 69 Camaro tube chassis car, but it sits in the barn unless the rest of the family is out of town . . . I'm short two passes on my license, and compared to everyone else in my family I suck at every aspect of driving so far. I do like being the crew chief, and I still give directions through my wife's headset like I know exactly how to do what she is doing. She knows better but she's nice about it.

We made a lot of friends at the races and nobody gripes when we pile into the RV most Friday nights and come home at all hours on Sunday. It's great having something that the family enjoys doing together . . .although the cost is clearly going to delay my retirement a bit.

 

[Boo]

My story is simular to Jeff's..we even met up with Jeff and his crew at the Cajun Nats before, nice racing family. I grew up watching races at our local track Southland Dragway in Houma, La. My childhood heros of course were the Candies & Hughes team from Houma....I got married in the early eighties and went into banking. Then somewhere along the way I saw the Jr's running...I was getting ready to buy a new boat ....but I decided to delay that boat and bought a Jr. dragster and all the trappings along with it. We have been racing ever since with both of my boys. My oldest is 20 now and we are in the process of putting together a Super Comp/Super Pro dragster for him and my youngest(13) is still having a ball racing in the Jr's....And so is Dad for that matter.

 

[fifty50]

Went to my first drag race in 1969 with my oldest brother at the now defunct windsor dragway at the age of 14 and was instantly hooked. YouTube - Windsordragway From that day on until I could drive myself, I would bum rides with neighbours,my big brother or hitchhike to the drags every Sunday. Once I got my license,I lived across the river from Detroit dragway and was able to start expanding my getting around to different tracks,Milan,Cayuga(now Toronto Motorsports) the old Toronto Dragway till I realised my dream of going to my first national event,the 1975 Indy Nationals. Over the years I have been to Indy a dozen times, Columbus twice, Vegas and the first NHRA Norwalk race this year,Gators once and Ihra races at the old Bristol, Milan and Grand bend. Only got to race once about 10 yrs. ago on my old 75 Suzuki 500 twin, ran a ground shaking 17 secs@70mph! What a thrill that was! To sum it up I've got tons of the fondest memories from this sport,met tons of great people and will continue to follow it until I'm no longer able to,don't know anybody who's anybody in racing, just absolutely love the sport and always will

 

[Bob]

I got hooked on drag racing via the classic Diamond P "1988-Year in Review" tape. I have no clue where that tape came from, but when I found it, I wore it out. First race was the '89 Mile High Nats, I remember watching Joe Amato, Eddie Hill, etc. I dug it. BIG TIME. Saw the Mile Highs from 89-2000, missed my first one when I moved to Wisconsin.

After that my brother got into bracket racing at Bandimere and I would go up there with him whenever I got a chance to come home. I actually got to make about 4 passes in his small block '76 El Camino. That was the best. It was only a test and tune, but to know you were going down the same track as some of the sport's legends was just unbelievable.

My "career" best is a 15.76@89mph. Someday when funds and time permit, I'd love to build myself a little hot rod to race up here at WIR. Not much of a story, but it's mine.

 

[Nick Name]

Got my start when I was 14 years old. A guy in our neighborhood had a new 57 fuelie Corvette. I used to go by his place and visit with him while he worked on it. One day he asked if I wanted to go to San Fernando drag strip with him. Mom said OK, so off we went. We came home with a trophy that day and I was hooked. Begged anyone with a car to take me out there on Sundays.

Then in Jr High school, I used to miss the buss after school on purpose so I could walk home. That meant I could stop and hang out at C&T Automotive, and look at all the cool stuff. Even though I didn't have a car, I wanted one of the Stromberg 97 carbs they had in the display case.

Over the years I hung out at the tracks and helped everyone, from AA/gas supercharged to top fuel. Raced with a lot of people, then got married. Every Saturday night we went to Lions. The only exceptions were if we went to OCIR or Irwindale.

Fast forward to 1971 and I had started a machine shop, and the racing now consisted of reading Drag News. Then a friend of mine got a new Honda 750 and he came to my shop with pistons from another Honda and said he was told we could remachine them to make a big bore kit for his Honda. I did it, he installed them and he had one fast motorcycle. People asked him where he got the pistons, and he would tell them his buddy with a machine shop made them. Next thing I knew, these people were coming to me wanting some remachined pistons.

I fooled around doing this until 74 when I started a company just doing motorcycle parts. http://www.aperaceparts.com

Today, APE is one of the leading suppliers of high performance motorcycle products. This brought me back to the drag strips. My products now can be found in virtually all of the four cylinder race bikes. All of the championships that the late John Myers and Angelle won, they had my parts in the motor, and my sticker on the bike.

We traveled the country doing our manufacturers midway display at most of the all motorcycle events. Been to more drag strips than I can remember. My wife ( now married 44 years ) and I have also been to drag strips in England, Austria, Germany, Australia, and most recently, Japan.

The best part is the friends we have made. George and Jackie from Star, Spiderman McBride, and the late Elmer Trett who was my best friend.

My personal racing today consist of running my daily driver C5 at west coast Corvette events when I get the chance.

I feel very blessed that I got to spend my entire working career doing something I love. I still look forward to getting up everyday and going to the shop.

When I sell this company and retire, I want to get a cackle car, and go to events with it. My wife is all for it.

I just remembered, I never got a Stromberg 97.

 

[NHRAMike]

My dad raced a '62 SD 421 pontiac catalina in stock eliminator from '67 or '68 thru '71. We'd make the tow from Portland down to Pomona every year, along with the tracks all through the northwest. I was too young to really remember most of it, but I know that's when the seeds were planted. Even after my dad stopped racing, he'd take me to the annual 32 funny car shows at PIR until my parents divorced in the late 70's.

During the 80's and 90's I was a peripheral fan, I attended the final funny car race at PIR, and I'd watch Wide World of Sports or maybe catch a race on ESPN if it was on, but I wouldn't make time just to sit down and watch one. I hadn't attended a drag race in almost 15 years, but in '98 a friend of mine got passes to the season ending event at Woodburn from his Snap-on tools dealer, and at that point, the hook was set. The following February, I flew down to Phoenix and took a friend and his two sons to the CSK nationals and from that moment on, the NHRA had a lifelong fan. I always attend both Pomona events along with the Seattle race every year along with the Woodburn divisional, but I have a goal to attend every race on the NHRA circuit at least once before I die. I have raced my '87 monte carlo SS a few times at Woodburn and PIR, but the dream of getting it down in the 12 second range is quickly vanishing the older I get.

Until this year, this was my weak connection to drag racing until I read the May 11th National Dragster article on Joe Hartley in which it mentioned that he had just started working as a design engineer at the company I work for. I finally got a chance to talk with him a couple weeks later and pick his brain for about 15 minutes. When I told him that I was going to be in Pomona for the finals, he invited me to come to their pit and hang out, and have some dinner, then he gave me the grand tour, answered all of my questions about the set up of the car, and let me take pictures of everything I wanted. I'd like to thank Joe, his family, and the rest the crew for being such kind people, for treating me so well and for allowing me the opportunity to get so up-close and personal.

 

[Student of the sport]

Ok, I'll give this a try.

It started that fateful day in '71, friend and big bro took me to Pomona for the winternats, got a sniff of nitro, and, well, like most on here, haven't been the same since.

I attended lots of events as a teen, and was part of the group that could be found at the top of the stands over the snack bar at OCIR, (you know, the one in the corner), got married at 19 and had 2 buns come out of the oven by 22, so didnt get too much time at the track for many years, although I did go to the last race at OCIR!

Got divorced, got re-married, 2 more buns came out of the new oven, and, well, you get it, work, and soccer, and baseball, and cheer, and oh yeah, work!

Fast forward to 2002, got the itch to get some nitro back in the veins and went to Pomona, met Medlin, talked about working for JFR, and they eventually had an opening in the machine shop, had the opportunity to work with some really great people and learn a little about what goes on behind the scenes.

Was only there for about 8 months, when I was approached about opening my own machine shop, after 30 yrs of working for others, it sounded good, so I took the offer and since Aug. 2005 have been building a biz, making components for alc and fuel motors, hopefully I can come up with the right stuff, I want to be invloved in this sport from more than a fan level.

My Thanks to John Force for the inspiration, after working there, I got a 1st hand view of a true representation of what determination and being focused on the prize really means!!!

Hopefully this has not been too long winded,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Looking forward to spending a lot of time at the tracks next year.

Darrell Reid
Reid Machine
Lake Elsinore, Ca

 

[Don Kennedy]

Started racing in 1963 in Farmington, New Mexico with a 55 chevy Stocker . Drove My Stocker 180 miles one way to Albuquerque and won class and won Little Stock Eliminator . (The HOOK is still in .LOL ) Ran a lot at Albuquerque, New Mexico.Then in around 1970 ran a Nova Super Stocker ,then a 69 Camero Super Stocker ,then ran a 1973 Pontiac Trans Am Pontiac Super Stocker in 1980 or so and now I am Running a 1992 GT/DA Pontiac Trans AM with a 455 SD Pontiac Engine. I have spent a lot of money on racing and am having way too much fun to stop and "If the Money Holds Out the Luck will Come " LOL at me

 

[Bob]

I was involved in Hill Climb racing here in Colorado since 1971 as a spectator and crew member.

In 1992, I took a friend who was a recent California transplant to a couple hill climbs, and he thought it was pretty cool watching cars going 130 mph uphill on a dirt road, but he wanted to show me his favorite kind of racing, so we went to the Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere.

I had seen drag racing on TV and thought it was interesting, but it wasn't intriguing enough to motivate me to actually go to a drag race, so the "in person" experience was totally new to me. We went up to Bandimere early Friday morning so we could watch every class go down the track twice. My friend grew up attending drag races at the many strips in southern California, and he shared his knowledge of every class and the different rules governing them as we watched the day progress. I wasn't the only newbie in our group (there were four of us), and his explanations of the Super classes, and breakouts in Stock and Super Stock, as well as an attempt to explain Comp were very helpful.

When the nitro cars started making their passes, I was blown away! Sensory overload to the max! And, with my previous knowledge of adhesion and traction involved in hill climbing, I was amazed at the amount of horsepower that was being transferred to rubber tires that hooked up with efficiency! To this day, I still find that to be amazing! Such acceleration should be limited to thrust-propelled vehicles, but this happens on the drag strip with hydraulic clutch systems, rubber tires and 8,000 horsepower V-8 engines.

As we were leaving the stands that Friday night, I pointed at the tower, and told my friend "I want a seat up there!"

Two years later, I had one. I was a subscriber to Prodigy online service, and drag racing photographer Les Welch was the moderator of the Prodigy Auto Racing forum. This was back when the internet was mostly newsgroups and firewalled ISP's like Prodigy and CompuServe. CompuServe had the guys from RIS, and Prodigy had guys like me. We'd go to races on our own dime and our own time to post event results as they happened on the internet. I spent a boatload of my own money going to the races for several years to report them. I knew some day, someone would pay people to do this, and I wanted to have a resumé. That day came when Summit Racing Equipment took a chance on online drag racing results reporting by funding Eddie Dykes and his new FastNews Network. I had heard that Summit was on board with Ed and his crew from RIS. I ran into him at (of all places) the inaugural NASCAR event at Las Vegas. I asked him about the deal, and he told me it was enough to cover travel expenses for the reporters. The time was still voluntary, but the guys didn't have to bite the sometimes large travel bullet. Then, he asked me if I would join them. I asked him if I could think about it for a week, and he had no problem with that, There was somewhat of a rivalry between the CompuServe guys and the Prodigy guys back then, and I wasn't sure how to break it to my Prodigy colleagues that I was jumping ship. Some reacted pretty negatively, but that didn't last long, as the NHRA decided to limit the number of seats available to internet reporters in the media centers. How could I not go with Eddie? He really was THE MAN back then. Thanks Ed! I still miss him, think about him frequently. He was a good man and a good friend. I think he'd be proud of where we've gone with Rick Green and Larry Sullivan at the helm.

Now, I'm doing it all. I worked 24 races (I think...it's hard to keep count sometimes) this year between March and October, and only three of them were NHRA National Events. NHRA National, IHRA National (went to Canada twice), NHRA Divisional, IHRA Summit Pro-Am and NHRA Summit ET Series, it's all good!

If I didn't love drag racing at every level, I wouldn't be doing what I do.

 

[chsbldr]

I was in High School when I attended my first drag race, my neighbor owned a Chevy II he ran in Super Stock J/A. And his son was our age so we started going with them to the local races from then on I was hooked.
Durning my early years drag racing we owned several differant bracket cars, and with the cost of racing being a major factor I applied my skills welding, and fabrication and built all my own stuff next thing you know I was building for my freinds. As time passed along came my kids and Jr. Drag Racing.
In the early 90's I stated working for the local race track which at the time was called Bonneville Raceways I eventually ended up being the Race Director there untill it was sold. I stayed on with the new owners as their Tech Director, then moved into the Race Director position which I still do now. While this was all happening I continued doing more and more chassis work part time, I decided to make it my full time job and went to work with Chip Nielsen for 4 years then opended my own shop.
As if I didnt have enough to do I started working for NHRA as a Certification Team Tech Inspector, which I still do as time permits. In 2006 I was hired to work on the Lucas Oil Armored Coatings A Fuel Dragster Driven by Aaron Olivarez, and now with Jeff Isbell and his Tad Dragster.
Both my kids along with myself are licensed to Drive our team super pro dragsters. and we are planning on feilding both cars for the 2008 season at local and regional bracket races.
I am still working out some issues on our web site but if you want to take a look it is RPsquaredweb

 

[Tim5636sc]

Two years later, I had one. I was a subscriber to Prodigy online service, and drag racing photographer Les Welch was the moderator of the Prodigy Auto Racing forum. This was back when the internet was mostly newsgroups and firewalled ISP's like Prodigy and CompuServe. CompuServe had the guys from RIS, and Prodigy had guys like me. We'd go to races on our own dime and our own time to post event results as they happened on the internet.

Bob:

I too was a member of that PRODIGY Forum. The Day I got excited was the day I saw a post from Dave Mac!!!! I was thinking...WHAT IS A LEGEND DOING ON THE SAME AUTO RACING FORUM??? Oh, and thanks for the work you do on posting those results! I live by them on 20 weekends a year! I'm at the other 3 races on the starting line...I get good results from there!

 

[Bob]

Bob:

I too was a member of that PRODIGY Forum. The Day I got excited was the day I saw a post from Dave Mac!!!! I was thinking...WHAT IS A LEGEND DOING ON THE SAME AUTO RACING FORUM??? Oh, and thanks for the work you do on posting those results! I live by them on 20 weekends a year! I'm at the other 3 races on the starting line...I get good results from there!

Big MaC gave me a great deal of support and encouragement early on, and it really meant a lot to me. You'll never meet a nicer guy, and I'm proud to call him a friend of mine.

There were a few other notable members of that forum. I still remember Clay Millican's sister bugging us for up-to-the-minute news on how her brother was doing racing in Super Comp, and Tony Gillig's mom giving us regular updates on Tony's efforts to break into Pro Stock.

I'm a little surprised we hadn't met each other before the Cards For Kids poker tournament in Vegas last month. We've been in the same place quite a few times over the years!

I was talking to Bruce Kamada at the Summit ET Finals in Topeka, and he said they were going to be lobbying to bring the Div 5 Summit ET Finals to Bandimere next year. That would be very cool! Now I just need to talk Larry Crispe into moving the media center from where it is now to a tower suite that is closer to race control. Running up and down all of those stairs and back and forth across the tower for results sheets is too much exercise! I used to be young and hip. Now, I'm old and have a bad hip.

 

[shawn fleischmann]

Well my dad Kurt Fleischmann, owns ProStart Racecars and he used to race C/EA in Comp eliminator up until I was born and hasn't raced since because he has been too busy at work, especially this winter. I've been going to the races ever since I was 2 or 3 years old. After I graduate college I'm going to run Super Comp for a while and then eventually move up to Comp or Top Alcohol Funny Car, hopefully.

 

[Zak]

Great Thread - Fun to read all the stories.

I guess I'll join in -

For me it started with a high school buddy of mine in south Florida back in the late 70's early 80's. He loved to go the the old Hollywood Speedway (not there anymore). We'd go watch when the 'big guys' came to town (AFC and TAD).

In the mid-80's my buddy knew a guy that knew a guy, who's brother (or something like that) heard of this guy named Darrel Gwinn from Miami. We decided to make the trip up to Gainesville for the Gatornationals and watch him - I mean he was the local guy and all.

Started going every year and my favorite memory was Kenny B breaking the 300mph barrier and then Hill coming back and beating him in the finals...

I also want to say (if my memory is fading) that Darrell won the Gators the year before he got injured - so that was a cool memory too.

Fast forward to the mid 90's - I was working for Gannett - selling press time when USA Today wasn't on the press. I had a chance to meet this guy Bill Bader. Bill and I hit it off in a way that only Bill and I understood. People loved or hated him - not to much in between. He treated me like a son - that could have been good or bad depending on which day of the week it was...

Anyway... Bill gave me a shot at some IHRA business. It turned into a few other deals and this's and that's. Best of all it turned into a relationship with Terry McMillen.

Terry and I hooked up a few years back and I'm elbow deep into doing some PR and Marketing for him and some PR work for about 1/2 dozen other teams.

Life is good when you get to do what you love to do... and get some gas money along the way... Oh, I get to go to about 14 drag races a year.. does it get any better?

 

[jackass]

These are some pretty cool stories...


Billy

 

[TAFC 5 81]

Grew up during the "Muscle Car" era (older brothers doodled w/ some street machines). Saw first Drag Race at age 13 (TF match race) in 1969. Raced (did not drive) TAFC and TAD in Pro Comp between 1978-80 (won Div II in 1980). Finished 5th in Nation in 1981 in TAFC first year classes were split. Jerry Gwynn was my mentor, and I gave Darrell Gwynn his nickname in 1980 (that's another story). Feel blessed to have been a very small part of the sport.
DC

 

[jnor]

First, my family had no connection with cars, racing etc. I got my start with model cars, slot cars, car magazines at an early age. I remember the fist Car Craft magazine that I bought, it was about half of the size (length, and width) of current magazines.
When I got my drivers license it was on a Saturday, and I t went to the local drag strip that night. I had a 57 ford 292, and went 19's. My first "real" car, and race car was a 66 Chevelle SS396/375 hp. Shortly after I got it we moved from Ohio to Florida. I ran the car in B/S at Miami/Hollywood Drag strip I think (no brackets in 1968). It ran low 12's with 7" tires. I went to work at Crane Cams, and while there I "built" the motor, now running SS/D. That was my start. I moved back to Ohio (I know I was stupid) and have since had many SS, Stock, and lastly bracket cars. I am not racing now, only because I can't afford it.
That's a very condensed version of my drag racing story. It still is the only thing that I like to do, believe me I have tried many other "hobbies".

 

[RacerRose]

My ties to racing in general, be it drag racing, dirt racing and NASCAR all tie to my Dad. As you can see by my avatar, Dad drag raced as a driver running his 55 Chevy in C/Gas with an injected 426 Hemi. He campaigned that car from the mid 60's to the early 70's. That picture was taken in 1968. Of course, all of that was before my time. I grew up around sprint cars & late models. Ironically, when he'd be done racing at York, they'd pass the cars leaving Lincoln on US30 coming home. He called them "dirt daubers". Little did he know, he'd fall in love with those cars as well.

Dad exposed all of us to many forms of racing. I vaguely remember going to York around 1978-79ish. He took my to Capitol for the 1981 King of Kings FC show, and my 1st national event was the 1982 Summernationals. I've attended every national event at Maple Grove from 1985 through 2007, and as long as I'm alive, I hope to keep that streak going.

Some of Dad's friends that raced with in Modified eliminator are still going today in Super Stock, and Super Comp.

I continue to spectate at drag racing events, and dirt tracks. I continue to follow my Dad's lead in building racing engines. Basically, my ties to the sport were inbedded into me through birth.

 

[Butch]

I can't remember when I started my love for cars & drag racing, maybe 5-6 years old. I do remember going over to a local Sunoco gas station on my bike, I would help a few of the guys wash there cars in return for a trip thru the local Drive Ins Frisch's Big Boy McDonalds and Dons drive ins. One had a 1963 SS Impala 409 another had a 61-62 Vette and the other had a 1963 Plymouth 426 wedge. I think this set the hook for life. Later when I got my license I did the street race thing. Then an older friend took me to the strip where I learned to do it legal. That's were I meet Tim Arnold from Coldwater MI. he was putting together a TF car. I helped around his shop and when the car was ready to race I was on the crew. I was a junior in high school at this time. I did this a couple of years. I then got a job at Seaport Automotive in Toledo, OH We did some block and crank work for many top name nitro teams from the Detroit area, I helped Dick Titsworth with his BB/FC car. We also had another car in that shop the Gottschalk & Mihalko BB/FC all this was between 1973 to 1983. years later I would help Bob Gottschalk on occasion till his terrible crash at Cincinnati.
Today I spend my time helping my daughter race her Motocross bike, all over the US. She has become good friends with Hillary Will they met hat the Phoenix race a couple of years ago.

 

[None]

I guess I'd be the OLD nobody here. I'm one of the older guys around here, that was racing back in the late 60's through the 70's. I've built and raced cars in Stock, Modified Production, Gasser's, brackets and Comp. Eliminator. I raced at many great Dragstrips, that are long gone, but known by many of the old timers. I've raced at Lions, Orange County, Irwindale Raceway, Fremont, Ontario, Fontana, Famosa, and Pomona. So I guess, I'm nobody famous, but I've been around a lot of great people and some great Dragstrips.

My avatar was my last car in Comp. I managed to set the NHRA record at OCIR in 77 with it. Here's a link to a few of my cars.
JEANS32 - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Jean Muntifering
#7897 Comp.

I'd say that's one of the better resume's around this board. That's a bad looking Vette.