Great starting-line traditions after winning (2 Viewers)

[Suzie Q]

The Eddie Hill video was absolutly Awesome to watch. Actually thinking about it, I do exactly the same thing before my burnout,,,and close the face shield down as I'm rolling thru the water box....However...........

AS I LOOKED AT THAT VIDEO, I couldn't help but see the link to ANOTHER "CLASSIC" NHRA DRAG RACING VIDEO. IT WAS FOOTAGE ON TNN OF BLAINE JOHNSON'S ACCIDENT! I'M GONNA TELL YOU, that I have not cried since I found out about Eric's Death earlier this year. I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT I CLICKED ON IT, but there was his accident....ON YOU TUBE. At the beginning, it was Steve Evan's CLASSIC intro on Sunday Morning, (I remember watching it on TNN that day), when He said..."THE DRAG RACING Sport lost a Shining light", (I will never forget those words)! I was hoping that it would be a Tribute to Blaines Life, and not what was Aired on TNN that day. I HAVE NEVER....and I REPEAT...NEVER been so upset at seeing something on Video in my life! That brought back so many emotions of that Fateful weekend, that it absolutly OVERWHELMED me! I wrote a Letter to the poster, "BUGGY1BOY" and asked him to please take down that link! Re-living that moment in 1996 was not a good thing. Seeing that crash was not a good thing....

I noticed the footage too and clicked on it. I was very shaken for a few minutes.

 

[BaldyLochs]

OMG Mike, That video is a treasure!!! Thanks for posting. Very moving. But back to the gut punch......Suzy, did you ever get in the middle of those 2 growing up??? I've heard stories about dudes getting thier faces re-arranged over the years. That picture is now one my alltime favorites.... a few inches lower and Jon would be able to out-sing you on the high notes!!!!! LOL That's awesome. I like his "give me your best shot" pose, too. JonO may not be a Rich King... be he IS the Richmond King until further notice!

 

[BaldyLochs]

Man, I can't get that video out of my little pea brain. I'll never forget in Dallas one year, probably early 90's, when the Johnsons were in TAD. The AJ & BJ were doing something on the motor in the burnout box .... while the track was being tractored. BJ was out of the car. The announcer kept saying, "everybody say, Hi Blaine"! .... both AJ & BJ were obviously working on something quite intently and "ignoring" the PA. Finally, when nearly everyone on the pit side & spectator side were screaming HI BLAINE!..... and the Winston vision camera was zoomed in on him.... he finally broke down, gave a huge smile and waved to the camera, and put his arm around his brother and they both looked up & smiled. That was so cool. Little things you remember. I seem to remember, once the track was ready, BJ strapped in & ran a number that blew everybody away, too.
That guy was such a great man. So much was left un-tapped. I mean. look at his brother for goodness sake. We all know, Blaine would have been the driver-equivilent of Alan.

 

[TD]

I can say as a car owner that one thing a team should always keep in mind is that there is another team in the other lane that is not feeling so good and any celebration should always be mindful of that fact. It's important to be gracious in victory and even more gracious in defeat (I can't say that I've always been that way in defeat, but I'm learning to be better).

Very good point, Dave. This year at the ADRL race in Rockingham, we were in the first pair out alongside Randy Weatherford who is well-known in ProMod circles as a very fierce competitor. Anyway, we win the round and Johnny goes 3.99, (our first 3 second pass), and we go nuts! Screaming and jumping on the starting line, blowing the horn all the way to the shut-off area and celebrating all the way back to the pits. After we all settled down, I felt kinda bad about it, so I went down to their pit to apologize. Classy people as they were, they wouldn't hear of it! Randy's wife just said, "That was a hell of a run, you oughta celebrate! You guys deserve it so don't worry about it!".....I'll never forget that and will always try to be gracious in defeat as well as victory.

 

[willy]

Very good point, Dave. This year at the ADRL race in Rockingham, we were in the first pair out alongside Randy Weatherford who is well-known in ProMod circles as a very fierce competitor. Anyway, we win the round and Johnny goes 3.99, (our first 3 second pass), and we go nuts! Screaming and jumping on the starting line, blowing the horn all the way to the shut-off area and celebrating all the way back to the pits. After we all settled down, I felt kinda bad about it, so I went down to their pit to apologize. Classy people as they were, they wouldn't hear of it! Randy's wife just said, "That was a hell of a run, you oughta celebrate! You guys deserve it so don't worry about it!".....I'll never forget that and will always try to be gracious in defeat as well as victory.

Good story, Terry.

I think alot has to do with the team..they knew you deserved this..and the celebration wasn't an in your face to the other lane. There's a difference between trying to show up..and pure jubilation.

 

[mike]

Man, I can't get that video out of my little pea brain. I'll never forget in Dallas one year, probably early 90's, when the Johnsons were in TAD. The AJ & BJ were doing something on the motor in the burnout box .... while the track was being tractored. BJ was out of the car. The announcer kept saying, "everybody say, Hi Blaine"! .... both AJ & BJ were obviously working on something quite intently and "ignoring" the PA. Finally, when nearly everyone on the pit side & spectator side were screaming HI BLAINE!..... and the Winston vision camera was zoomed in on him.... he finally broke down, gave a huge smile and waved to the camera, and put his arm around his brother and they both looked up & smiled. That was so cool. Little things you remember. I seem to remember, once the track was ready, BJ strapped in & ran a number that blew everybody away, too.
That guy was such a great man. So much was left un-tapped. I mean. look at his brother for goodness sake. We all know, Blaine would have been the driver-equivilent of Alan.

Chris,

Thanks for posting such a great story

 

[Suzie Q]

OMG Mike, That video is a treasure!!! Thanks for posting. Very moving. But back to the gut punch......Suzy, did you ever get in the middle of those 2 growing up??? I've heard stories about dudes getting thier faces re-arranged over the years. That picture is now one my alltime favorites.... a few inches lower and Jon would be able to out-sing you on the high notes!!!!! LOL That's awesome. I like his "give me your best shot" pose, too. JonO may not be a Rich King... be he IS the Richmond King until further notice!

Hellllllooooooo, of course I got punched all the time growing up! As far as them "rearranging faces", I don't recall that happening (well, maybe once!). As most of you know, we are big German-Irish-Checz-and whatever else is in the pot people, but mostly "pussycats"!!!

When Jim, Jon & I were walking across the street to go to Dick's in September, Tony Shumacher pulled up in a van and got out and I noticed how un-tall he was. I said to Jim, "I thought he was taller than that" and he said "Everyone is tiny compared to us"!!!