More Street Outlaws Insanity

[BlueStangGT]

Way back in the day I quit street racing because it just wasn't practicle to street race a fuel dragster although I did see Leroy Goldstein and I think it was Jim Nicole do just that in front of our shop about 2 miles from downtown OKC. It occured at SW 36 on S Robiinson ave which is a main north south street. They only raced about 400 feet but it caused a bit of excitment in the neighborhood. When the traffic light turned green there was a lot of fumes, noise, smoke and excitement and of course the local police showed up and wondered what in the heck (not their word) we were doing. Man o man the stories that came out of that shop were almost unbelivable, if I hadn't seen and lived them I'd never believe them.

36th and Robinson... I used to play pool there, lol!

 

[my friends call me Zappy]

You know that, and i know that, but a lot of the younger generation may not know that. They make it look like they are trying to get the race over before the cops arrive.

Oh I give the youth a little more credit than that. In our day you & I would decide to race - square off - get it on - and get outa there.
A matter of seconds. On TV there is a complete lighting system - multiple cameras - trailers - 6 or 8 different races. They must be there hours & hours.
I think the kids know it ain't real.

 

[turbo ken]

They say when filming it takes them a average 1 1/2 hours to run a pair of cars, say they only run 6 races on a Saturday night (and you are in the last race to run). Now compare that to how long you wait in the staging lanes at your local track to make a run on a test, and tune night.

 

[Huge]

Oh I give the youth a little more credit than that. In our day you & I would decide to race - square off - get it on - and get outa there.
A matter of seconds. On TV there is a complete lighting system - multiple cameras - trailers - 6 or 8 different races. They must be there hours & hours.
I think the kids know it ain't real.

I also give a lot of credit to a lot of the youth... But, it's the ones like the 16 year old in my post39 that i'm concerned about. The one thing i do like is that they tell the kids that street racing is not safe and that they should not do it. Well, I think i have invested enough time in this thread. Later, Paul... Febuary will be here before we know it.

 

[Muddy]

36th and Robinson... I used to play pool there, lol!

Before it bacame Truelove's pool hall there was a wig and beauty shop on the south end of the building and a bar on the north end. We had the space in the middle. Jimmy Nix, when he owned Sand Valley would con us into letting every car he hired in stay with us. We provided them shop space while they were in town.. It was not long before we became home base for many of the cars from either coast while on tour. What a party in the middle and late 60s. Insanity was rampant.

 

[my friends call me Zappy]

NHRA and track operators are always trying to please insurance companies. With the lawyer problem we have, they have no choice. That is how we wound up with the walls at track, etc. My best friend was killed at an NHRA national event when he made contact with the opening in the wall for the crash trucks, etc. If he had been at Fremont or on Street Outlaws, he would be alive today.

Next are the rules that drive people away. Years ago nitrous was not allowed on motorcycles. Do you think ther bike guys too the nitrous off? Not when they could run on Sunday nights on Main St in South Central.. Or Tuesday nights on Glenoaks in the valley.

The young people today could care less about nitro cars, 6 second dragsters that have a contraption on them that makes them run in the 8, etc.

Grudge / Street Outlaws type racing is the future, because these young people can actually do it. Drag racing is not going away, it is just going to be radically changed. As someone else stated here; when they run the episode of SA with the crash, it will outdraw the entire NHRA season on TV. Time to wake up folks.

My condolences Jay, I lost my life long best friend last week. (illness, not racing)
I agree I'm very much against the track side walls. We are needlessly hurting drivers, and damaging race cars. Most tracks have plenty of room alongside the racing surface to regain control of a car without having a cement wall to collide with. Everyone seems concerned with clean-up time, well the walls cause more time to clean-up.

 

[Nick Name]

My condolences Jay, I lost my life long best friend last week. (illness, not racing)
I agree I'm very much against the track side walls. We are needlessly hurting drivers, and damaging race cars. Most tracks have plenty of room alongside the racing surface to regain control of a car without having a cement wall to collide with. Everyone seems concerned with clean-up time, well the walls cause more time to clean-up.

Wow.... So well stated.

 

[stitcherbob]

 

[none]

I think the one your referring to is Daddy Dave's accident which happend at Amarillo (NHRA sanctioned) dragstrip. The chassis had a current SEMA certification for the chassis and was built by a certified chassis shop.

A seat belt tab weld reportedly broke, which is not something I'd expect on a certified chassis that passed tech inspection. But that report could have been bogus.

 

[stitcherbob]

A seat belt tab weld reportedly broke, which is not something I'd expect on a certified chassis that passed tech inspection. But that report could have been bogus.

at 0:25 on this video

I also see a nitrous bottle rocket .....

 

[.]

A seat belt tab weld reportedly broke, which is not something I'd expect on a certified chassis that passed tech inspection. But that report could have been bogus.

The tab broke and the seat came loose from the floor (pics of it all over FB). Whoever built that car did a poor job.

 

[Muddy]

The tab broke and the seat came loose from the floor (pics of it all over FB). Whoever built that car did a poor job.

Using that logic all the dragsters and door cars that have experienced failure/accidents were poorly built. Metal fatigues and things break in accidents. That's why from time to time rules change and safety enhancemants are made.

 

[turbo ken]

A seat belt tab weld reportedly broke, which is not something I'd expect on a certified chassis that passed tech inspection. But that report could have been bogus.

I have never liked seat belts in a racecar that use tabs. The ones that you wrap around the tubing are the ones are the ones I prefer to use even if it means having to add extra tubing. That shouldn't have passed any tech because if I remember correctly shoulder harnesses using a V type, or one single tab mount isn't legal. Seat belt mounting is one place where you shouldn't try to reduce weight.

 

[.]

Using that logic all the dragsters and door cars that have experienced failure/accidents were poorly built. Metal fatigues and things break in accidents. That's why from time to time rules change and safety enhancemants are made.

Right, because belt tabs, seat mounts and bottle brackets fail all the time on well-built cars! /sarc

 

[BlueStangGT]

Before it bacame Truelove's pool hall there was a wig and beauty shop on the south end of the building and a bar on the north end. We had the space in the middle. Jimmy Nix, when he owned Sand Valley would con us into letting every car he hired in stay with us. We provided them shop space while they were in town.. It was not long before we became home base for many of the cars from either coast while on tour. What a party in the middle and late 60s. Insanity was rampant.

Great stuff there, John. Thanks for the bit of history.

 

[dboxell]

. That is how we wound up with the walls at track, etc. My best friend was killed at an NHRA national event when he made contact with the opening in the wall for the crash trucks, etc. If he had been at Fremont or on Street Outlaws, he would be alive today.

.

It was a great loss for sure Jay.

IMO the "show" is getting young people off their ass playing video games and at least trying something.
Street racing will never go away, NHRA has been FUBAR for many years. I do not have any answers for NHRA but mandatory EFI for ProStock will not bring the factories back.
As far as how long it takes to make a run you are seeing probably only 1% of the "negotiations" that happen between the racers. .

 

[stitcherbob]

As soon as NASCAR went to EFI, I knew it was it was coming for NHRA Pro Stock......follow the leader...

 

[Larry]

Other than what I read here or hear on Discovery before I (or my son!) mute a SO commercial I don't follow the scene. Wasn't a structural failure significant in one of the injuries earlier this year? If so, I wonder how that racer feels about the lack of tech inspection, now.

In an Interview Big Chiet said his being talked into the car spending a year in chasis shop getting upgrades like a full Funny Car Roll Cage likely saved his life . If I were racing twin Turboed high H P even W/O curbs having a NHRA plus legal car would be for sure . But as I said you won't catch me racing a lawnmower much less 1700 HP on a street with suicide curbs .

 

[turbo ken]

In an Interview Big Chiet said his being talked into the car spending a year in chasis shop getting upgrades like a full Funny Car Roll Cage likely saved his life . If I were racing twin Turboed high H P even W/O curbs having a NHRA plus legal car would be for sure . But as I said you won't catch me racing a lawnmower much less 1700 HP on a street with suicide curbs .

They made his car meet SFI spec 25.2B (6.00 to 7.49 Seconds ET, 3,200lbs Maximum), the chassis did its job.

 

[SoCal Racer]

They made his car meet SFI spec 25.2B (6.00 to 7.49 Seconds ET, 3,200lbs Maximum), the chassis did its job.

Yes, it saved his life, but.... I would argue that he would have suffered less severe injuries on a track with K-rail. A drag race chassis/rollcage isn't really designed for impact with trees, rocks, culverts, fire hydrants, or other cars like a NASCAR chassis is. Maybe they should build to those specs for street racing?