He thought he heard Godzilla from the parking lot... (1 Viewer)

[Randy]

First timer,

 

[Randy]

NHRA should buy the rights and use it as a commercial.

 

[roscoe37]

wow that was fun. i love watching new people, great job on this.

 

[65 Goatboy]

Saw this a while back, always fun to watch. Thanks for posting.

 

[aakar]

And a new person gets hit with NITRO ADDICTION!

 

[Rajunz]

That was so great to watch, still cracking up on that first hit!!!

 

[Randy]

You have to admit. If you're heading for the main gate to get in for the first time, and a couple of TF'ers do a burnout, you'd have to wonder what that was.

 

[jgrigz]

He’s a good sport about it too

 

[Cliff]

Interesting about what gets you hooked into drag racing. First time I ever went to San Fernando, 1961, fastest speed was like 149. Don't remember the car, but the thrill was actually being there in person, after reading about the drags in car magazines.

 

[DG]

Sometimes you get the "Bug" early and don't know it to later!

The picture is me and my uncle at Santa Ana drags in the early 50's.

I don't look too impressed in those days !

I did start actually going to the local drag races in the early 60's and got hooked Big Time!

One of my friends said one day: "Let's go over and look at the race car my childhood friend is working on!"

We went to Bill Butter's garage and saw his B/GD and immediately was put to work cleaning parts and pieces.

Bill and I became Partners not long after, so we could switch to Top Fuel.

We ran together in TF and later, Comp. Eliminator until the mid 70's when he retired and "went fishing".

I joined up with my current partners, Steve Moeller and Walt Whitby, in Comp; Super Eliminator, and now Top Dragster shortly there after and at 81+ am still activly infected by "The Bug"!

 

[J. S.]

Dave:

I like how on your current car, it looks like you have the names of the 3 partners on the side of the car, just like the old days. I don't know why hardly anyone does it that way anymore.

What kind of power adder are you running on that car?

 

[DG]

We started Top Dragster with a two carburetor 565ci aluminum Brodix Big Duke engine several years ago.

As the fields got quicker, we added a ZEX plate nitrous system, upgraded to an Induction Solutions/Hogan port nitrous system, and late last year started the move to a ProCharger combination with a Vrbancic Brothers Racing package.

We had a big air cleaner on the blower and our original headers at the Vegas races in April and then went to a venturi inlet on the blower and zoomie headers for the Fallon National Open, where we qualified number one for race two.

Sadly, our last race of 2024 was at the Sonoma National Event, where we were number one for Q1 and ended up number two in Q2. Everything went really bad Sunday morning with the DA dropping to about 600 feet. The car left hard with a sub one second 60 foot time and about at peak torque broke the Spicer 1350 U-joint Big Time and thrashed the back of our Swing Arm dragster.

The supply chain monster has been a nightmare with either unavailability or too long lead times in getting an update transmission and drivetrain built to finish the 2024 season.

We hope to get in at least one test session before the 2025 season starts here out west!

 

[Randy]

81? I'm turning 69 tomorrow and I thought I only had one year before 70 ruined everything. Gives me hope.

 

[DG]

Randy! I try to live by the words my father once said: "Old is always ten more years than you are!"

Hard. some days, but I really try!

Another one from my Dad about some of his customers. He said something about his "Old Customers", and I told him that he was a lot older than them!
He responded that: " Well, yeah... But they make up their minds that they are old!

I sure miss him. He lived to 86 and was still OK mentally, so I guess I got a couple of good years left. Heading out in a few minutes for breakfast with my partners and then over to the shop to work on the race car!

My motto: "I may be getting older, but you can't make me grow up!"

 

[Randy]

Randy! I try to live by the words my father once said: "Old is always ten more years than you are!"

Hard. some days, but I really try!

Another one from my Dad about some of his customers. He said something about his "Old Customers", and I told him that he was a lot older than them!
He responded that: " Well, yeah... But they make up their minds that they are old!

I sure miss him. He lived to 86 and was still OK mentally, so I guess I got a couple of good years left. Heading out in a few minutes for breakfast with my partners and then over to the shop to work on the race car!

My motto: "I may be getting older, but you can't make me grow up!"

Your dad was a very smart guy. The apple didn't fall far from the tree!

We have a saying I use a lot now as I try to stay engaged, actually working part time at our local Home Depot in Tool Rental now. "The older we get, the better we were." I'm feeling that!

 

[Cliff]

Loved the dragster photo from the '50's. It was a flathead. YEA

 

[TSK]

The next thing the guy in the video needs to do is try to stand next to a fuel car on fire up. He will get a good dose of unburned nitro. That will hook him for sure.

 

[Cliff]

Or his eyes will burn & he'll cough for awhile......

 

[TSK]

Or his eyes will burn & he'll cough for awhile......

That's the best part. It hurts so good.

 

[Ratmotor]

We were in the stands near the starting line. In front of us was a couple. He was obviously a huge fan, he was explaining things to the woman with him, probably his wife.

It's funny car time, and the wind was blowing serious fumes over our section in the stands.
She must have gotten a big drop of nitro in her eye, she's yelling, holding her face, it hurts!

He says, but baby, it's the funnies, you'll be okay, right? And she sat through the round.

Lucky for me, my wife thinks nitro comes are a challenge to be defeated.