When were you hooked? Fuel Racing... (3 Viewers)

[HEMI6point1]

I remember going to Topeka in the early 1990's, and one driver (who won't be named) refused to give me an autograph, because and I quote, "I don't have time for kids." I was absolutely bawling and we walked by John Force's pit. He saw me crying, came out and asked me what was wrong. I said, "well _____ refused to give me an autograph." John said, "well ______ is a dickhead sometimes. Come with me." And we went into his pits and he hung out with us and signed a ton of stuff for me. He even forged the other persons name and told me that his signature was worth more... My love & respect for John Force is rooted in that day. He's the man.

Then I was at HPT when Steve Johnson got his leg run over and broken. That was a crazy day too.

Ahh the good ol' days.

Damn, what an A-hole! I have never been refused an autograph, or a picture. Actually once, at Gainseville last year. My dad asked Connie Kallita to sign our 50th Anniversary banner and he was like "Not now! Not now!"

BTW John Force has been good to us every time we talked to him.

 

[Ken]

I think it was 1971 at E-Town. Four car funny car show with Jungle Jim, Brutus, Beachcomber, annd Casey Powell in the New Yorker Mustang. Yup, that was Cristen Powell's dad. I also remember my first Wednesday night FC race at E-Town. The funny cars used to parade down alongside the track, bodies propped up. I remember they just kept coming. Must have been 12 or more cars. There's nothing like the smell of nitro fumes and burning rubber on a hot summer night!

 

[NHRAMike]

The sad thing is, I don't remember!

Having been brought up around the sport I have no clear first experience that "blew me away"

I wish I did!

That's my story. My dad used to race a '62 SD421 catalina in the late '60s and early '70s and he'd made the tow down to Pomona a few times. I was too young to really remember any of this, but even after he stopped racing, we'd still go to the 32 funny car races at Portland Int'l Raceway. I can still remember standing there at the fence, just mesmerized by the noise and speed, and knowing how much I loved it!

Peace,
Mike

 

[Gary H]

This pretty much says it all
http://www.mysticspeed.com/BEELINE.JPG

 

[Gordon]

Crazy Eddie's Night of Thrills @ Englishtown in 1983! For those who don't know, it had a little of everything - Fuel, Alcohol, Wheel-Standers, Jet Cars... the works. Force vs. Larson; Newberry vs. Manzo, Roger Gustin, etc. I'm told it still exists, but under a different name since Edidie really was crazy & now resides in a jail somewhere.

Anyway, shortly after that initial taste I went to the Summernationals & the rest, as they say, is history. My wife still can't understand how I can watch the same videos over & over, but I tell her it's an addiction - there's nothing I can do about it.

 

[Marchboom]

Pomona, 1965. Dad took me at my request. Watched Prudhomme drive the Hawaiian dragster (I think...light blue car). No guardrails at this track, just the stands. Those were the days when the only drag racing on TV was the Winternationals and Indy on Wide World of Sports. And then they only gave it maybe 30 minutes of air time 2 months after the race. That is, unless football cancelled out the airing of the race. Then you only got to see one race a year on TV. Maybe that's why I hate football.

But after I was hooked I went to lots of races (raced numerous cars also) at Lions, Irwindale, Orange County Intl. Loved those 64 funny car fields. Can't even imagine 64 funnies at the same track.

 

[Ted]

I must be the new kid on the block, I started watching on TV in 2000 and didn't go to my first race until 2002 (Dallas). Sat real close, and it felt like I was getting my chest kicked in. Hooked!

 

[paoldtimer]

late 60's - early 70's at York US 30 Dragway...many match races, and TV Tommy Ivo made appearances.

 

[speedster]

ted thats ok. every year i try and take a newbie with our group and every year we grow by 1 or 2 people and they all have become adicts.
my son has been to the drags all his life since he was in his mommy but the first time i took him to the big guys to see a fuel car he just flipped out and to this day he tells people about a top fuel engine running and the noise the feel the smell and still excited about every time he tells someone. thats what it's all about to me!
one of the coolest things that ever happened at the track was a couple years ago we were hangin around our trailer at a lucas race and my son was racing his jr. dragster that day and before the day began we walked thru the pits at woodburn and morgan lucas was out side his hauler and my son was in his fire suit and morgan came over started talking to my son like a old friend and then told my son to hang on and went back in to his hauler came out and gave my boy a T-shirt ..and to this day my son thanks morgan lucas is as cool as john force is to me!

 

[Joker]

I pretty much was raised at the racetrack but the first time I remember feeling the power of a fuel car was I believe in 1988 at Houston Raceway Park the first national event they had there I was 8 yrs old and Eddie Hill and Gene Snow ran side by side (if I remember it was the first side by side 4's or something like that or maybe one of them set the record but I know it was a 4.9 something) and it shook the entire grand stands. I was just like, holy sh*t!

 

[Leon]

Indy 1964 , me and two guys from school went down that weekend before our senior year of high school. It was like a religious experience for me

 

[MM]

March 1975 U.S.30 Dragstrip(Gary, IN), Match race between the "Chi Town Hustler" and Cliff Brown's "The Chicago Kid". I was 4 1/2 years old.

yea them Chi-Town Hustler cars have a way of hookin ya dont they T.S.?? lol
i mean they hooked me 20 years before i was born

 

[Kelly]

The Baytown/Houston National Event in Spring of '96. I've said it before.....that's the ONLY good thing I got out of hubby #2 in 8 years.

 

[vegasnitro]

I do not ever remember a time when I wasn't a fan. My Dad was a fan, so it was something that was always there in my life.

 

[Rollout96]

Can you all remember your first encounter w/ a fuel/alcohol car that got you interested?

Mine was 1982 Winternats...14 years old...my best friends father was an owner of a fuel dragster driven by Larry Sutton...I would see the car @ their shop but had no idea of its potential.

Heh... My dad drove that car before Larry (I know we already had this discussion)

My dad always raced so I was just always at the races. However, the thing I remember most was the March Meet at Bakersfield every year. Just the memories of the Star Spangled Banner and the T/F cars coming down the push road to fire right as it ended. Once my dad started racing BB/FC in the 70's we were often at the starting line or the staging lanes when the fuel cars werwe finishing up. That was when I first started to be in awe of the power.

 

[Nunz]

Like a few of you Maters, I also grew up in the sport, so it is hard to know when I got hooked. My dad was running A/A from the mid 60's to early 70's, so my earliest memories of Nitro came from Niagara Dragstrip, as some of the biggest names of that era actually raced there a few times. I also remember seeing the Coca Cola Cavalcade FC circuit there as well.

 

[janet]

I cannot honestly say I am hooked on drag racing so much as I follow it b/c I am a sports junkie. I am not really interested in speed or power in my own cars (the hamsters powering my car squeal too much if I go above 75mph and it's kind of strange that I like this sport b/c I am very environmentally conscious otherwise).

When I watched drag racing on TV, it seemed somewhat silly b/c half the time they smoked the tires or blew up before the finish line. In fact, I kidded my spouse about that, but he really likes drag racing (although he also drives an underpowered car). When he was young, his father took him to a local drag strip, and he made Revell models of various cars. A few years ago, his interest in such models was revived and he started getting back into drag racing. I encouraged him to become an NHRA member and to attend any race he desired.

The first event we attended together was Reading 2003. It poured rain and ended up being postponed for a few weeks. Still, as we wandered around the pits, I found it fascinating, and the drivers were all friendly and glad to see the fans. I remember standing by Larry Dixon's pit as they cracked the engine, holding my breath and fighting the sting of the fumes in my eyes. When the race was eventually run several weeks later, I could not see eliminations (I had to work that Sunday) but I did get to see qualifying on the postponed Saturday. The first time I watched a TF rail launch was completely mind-boggling. The force of the sound wave that blows through you as they launch is surprising. It's kind of like hockey, you don't realize the speed or power unless you see it in person.

We have gone to Reading several times, to Columbus, to the 50th Annual Mac Tools Nationals at Indianapolis, and we went to Vegas 2 for our anniversary in 2005. And every year after the finals in November we count the weeks until the next season. Alright, so maybe I am hooked after all.

Janet Hughes

 

[yoda]

The Baytown/Houston National Event in Spring of '96. I've said it before.....that's the ONLY good thing I got out of hubby #2 in 8 years.

96? Jeez Kelly, I would have sworn you were a nitro baby.. Ya seem to have the soul of a fuel lifer..

 

[Textoad]

Houston International Dragway,
Sinday!Sunday!Sunday! Halfway between Houston and Galveston. Sometime in the 70's. Johnny White and the Houston Hustler,Mr MaGoo,Flash Gordon, There was always a Snowman. And sometime Snakes and Mongoose's. My Dad wasnt into racing. But as soon as I could get a license for a Motorcycle at 15yrs old (100cc) I drove the 50 miles from my house to the track just in time to see Kansas John Wiebe run a track record 6.23 next to Gary Beck. An unbelieveable feat to me at the time.

 

[Nick Name]

Some of you mention feeling the throbbing feeling in your body that the fuelers make. I remember years ago at OCIR watching a group of deaf people in the stands having the time of their life. Huge grins on their faces when the fuelers ran, then they would sign each other.

My wife and I figured they could hear the cars with their whole bodies like we could.

Jay