Gainesville....... (1 Viewer)

[Toejam]

Kurt, just about every time I take newbie's I bring them on Friday night. Your gonna see the best runs of the weekend for the most part. Gotta give them a good first impression

 

[DragFan2]

Kurt, just about every time I take newbie's I bring them on Friday night. Your gonna see the best runs of the weekend for the most part. Gotta give them a good first impression

Joe, you must be referring to other tracks like Chicago or Vegas that have Friday night qualifying. The 2nd Nitro session at Gainesville starts at 4:00pm in the afternoon so it can still be hot, although by the time it wraps up the sun is beginning to get low in the sky. Still not nighttime qualifying though.

 

[Toejam]

Does G-ville have a strict curfew? Cause they run Pro mods and alky cars long after the Fuel cars are done on Sat.

 

[BurkartFan]

Does G-ville have a strict curfew? Cause they run Pro mods and alky cars long after the Fuel cars are done on Sat.

They must not - I've been there on some really, really late nights after weather or oil or something delayed racing.

We'll be in Gainesville - all days! Can't wait!!! See ya'll at the Mater meets.

 

[Bobby]

when was the last time we had a high temp of 72 at the Gators WITHOUT any rain? I don't remember it. maybe 97?

it's just gotten cold here in florida. hopefully it 'll stay that way till april

 

[Toejam]

My first year of '02 it was in the 80's all 3 days! Even when it doesn't seem like it's 80 degrees, when the cars can't get down the track it sucks no matter how Hot it is.

 

[Demon]

There is a curfew....BUT I don't know if it's enforced during the 'Nats.I know it is on our regular Saturday night races.Wasn't that way in the past,but stupid people buy homes by a race track and expect it to be quiet.

I've been going since 1976,but I only go Thursday and Friday.I quit going on Saturday when they started charging for reserved pit side seating on Saturdays.

 

[Dago]

Yeah, it gets warm, but some folks here seem to forget in 2005 on Friday when it was cold!!! That late evening session produced Andrew Hines' 6.99. I remember wearing a long-sleeve shirt, then having to buy a sweatshirt and switch to coffee so I wouldn't freeze.
The first two years I attended, '95 and '96 resulted in rain delays. I had to call in a sick day to attend the '95 makeup date.
I remember the '96 rainout which pushed final eliminations to nighttime. The torrential downpour came before the finals. By the time of finals, it was dark and cool. The race was supposed to be tape-delayed on TNN but ended up being broadcast live.
And if you remember the '96 Top Fuel final, Scott Kalitta flipped his car and Blaine Johnson smoked the tires (fortunately) and won the race.
Then again we've had to endure unbearable heat in the past.
The year Big Daddy brought Swamp Rat 34 out of retirement with Dale Armstrong tuning (was it 2001, 2002 or 2003?) the track was hot. Everyone was blazing the tires and the times were crappy.
Another year remembered was when the track was resurfaced (2002 '03 or '04?) it was also a hot year. Took all 4 sessions for drivers to hook up.
I'll be happy if we have no rain.
I plan on being there Friday through Sunday. Wife and kids will be there Saturday or Sunday. Thankfully less turmoil in my life this year. I could only attend Sunday last year due to moving and remodeling a house.

 

[Wayne]

I can't wait!!!
This will be my first visit to Gainesville.
I do Seattle every year and did Sonoma the last 2 years, so I'm looking forward to some east coast racin'!!!

I'll be the old, bald, fat guy trying to keep up with Lisa!!!

 

[JIMBO]

Gary, Not all of us forget about '05, left St.Pete w/shorts & tank arrived at G'ville (Canada) or at least I thought we were there and shivered through those great runs.
And when did you climb into my pocket for the other years ?
Did you mention the sprinkle nat's when they called the weekend because of radar and before we could get out of the lot it stopped sprinkling and not another drop the rest of the weekend

 

[Toejam]

Oh I remember '05 very well! We were in the car warming up while Andrew ran that 6.99. I was looking at my I-card during that session, when I saw an 4.44-1/8 E.T. pop up I knew he had it!

 

[breeze]

I will be going I haven't been in about three years. WE are going to camp just down the road from the track the place that party's all night

 

[BurkartFan]

Oh I remember '05 very well! We were in the car warming up while Andrew ran that 6.99. I was looking at my I-card during that session, when I saw an 4.44-1/8 E.T. pop up I knew he had it!

I was still in the stands, freezing my can off. My hands and feet were hurting, it was so cold. Once he ran that 6.99, freezing solid was all worth it. Since that year, I've kept extra blankets and gloves in the trunk, to keep from being caught without anything to keep me really warm!

 

[Dago]

Forgot about the sprinkle nats. What year was that?

 

[JIMBO]

Gary, it had to be '98 for the sprinkle nat's. We have some friends that live in Michigan and every time they have come down there is some kind of rain.
They came down '96,'98,&'03 and now we go up there to Indy and they really want us make Joliet or Vegas because we bring the Fla. weather with us.

 

[partsman]

Every time I think about Gainesville it goes back to my first trip to the Gators in '82. Standing at the fence near the finish line for the fuel car eliminations. Raymond Beadle in the Blue Max crashes at mid track, rolls, tears the body off and the car rolls to a stop on all 4 wheels at the lights right in front of us. Beadle climbs out of the car with his hands in the air and the crowd goes wild! I don't remember who the winners were that day, or even who was in the other lane that round. I saw Bernstein go 300 in later years but Beadle crashing the Blue Max will always be my most vivid memory of the Gators.

 

[J.C.]

This is amazing. I, too, was there at the 82' Gators, sitting in almost the exact same place you describe. The best part is, I had my 35mm camera with me with an autowinder (rare in those days) and caught the whole Beadle crash in action and then him climbing out of his funny car with his hands in the air. I must have a sequence of 15-20 shots of the whole crash. I have to find those pictures, they are here somewhere. It sure is a small world!

What I remember most about Gainesville in the 70's and 80's was the gridlock traffic in and out of the track. Traffic would literaly inch along, those of us with a few brews in us were out of the car hooping it up with anyone and everyone while our designated driver inched our ride along. I seem to recall it could take 2-3 hours to leave the track after the race. Oh, the good ol' days, we wouldn't have missed the Gators for anything.

One other really cool thing I remember seeing at the Gators in the same timeframe was Joe Amato showing up with the now-standard "high wing". Everyone was looking at that thing and thinking "why does it have to be sooo high in the air?". Funny, all wings are that height now.

Every time I think about Gainesville it goes back to my first trip to the Gators in '82. Standing at the fence near the finish line for the fuel car eliminations. Raymond Beadle in the Blue Max crashes at mid track, rolls, tears the body off and the car rolls to a stop on all 4 wheels at the lights right in front of us. Beadle climbs out of the car with his hands in the air and the crowd goes wild! I don't remember who the winners were that day, or even who was in the other lane that round. I saw Bernstein go 300 in later years but Beadle crashing the Blue Max will always be my most vivid memory of the Gators.