When were you hooked? Fuel Racing... (1 Viewer)

[scotty]

1988 Fallnationals at Phoenix for me. I can't remember who won TF but I know Mike Dunn won FC in Joe Pisano's car and Bob Glidden beat Bruce Allen in PS. I think David Nickens won comp as well in a Firenza. We only attended eliminations and I think I dropped my soda (in a "Firebird John Force" cup) when the first pair of fuelers went down the track. I could not believe the sound. 2 things really hooked me about blown cars at that race. The first was the blower whine of the TAFCs from the top end, and the second was Mike Dunn pedalling Pisano's car in the final to the win. Watching the way that car darted back and forth and the throttle response...I was hooked!

A couple years later my buddies and I found a spot between the tower and the outer wall of the staging area that just reverberated the fuel cars like no place else. We sat through 1 whole qualifying round just drinking our soda and enjoying having our bodies pulsated with every pair that went down. We couldn't see the cars, but we didn't care!

 

[Rajunz]

August 1969 in Houma. Louisiana, I was 9 years old and they had just opened a brand new track there, Southland Dragway. That day over 20 top fuel cars showed up to make an 8 car field. Never seen anything like that ever in my young life. I have been a fanatic ever since.

 

[john]

1964 @Connecticut Dragway, man Frank Marratta sure knew how to put on a show. I think there were 32 fuel cars and I was 13 when my older brother took me there. A sad day when that place closed.

 

[none]

I started going to the races in 1984 @ Englishtown, I was only 7 years old at the time, and was only supposed to go for Thursday, but ended up liking it so much that I convinced my father to take me for Friday and Sunday. The only year I have missed at E-Town since was 2000 (year that it rained). I missed my college graduation to go to E-Town in 2001 and do not regret that decision one bit. By the way Eddie Hill won Top Fuel at the 88 Fallnationals beating Frank Hawley in the final. In fact Hill, Dunn and Glidden all won for the second consecutive event at that race as they all won the first race in Houston two weeks earlier.

 

[FC Girl]

this is a Very Interesting Post. Great stories, I don't know any other life than racing as I was sitting in Larry Fullerton's fuel flopper before even starting pre school, and then on the bridge at Lion's when Garlet's blew up, Fremont when Raymond Beadle and opponent both blew off their bodies at the same time around 1000 ft along with many many other events happening. Watching my friend Dale Pulde for years and years, and Then there is Louie & Vicki Gasparrelli who were without a doubt, my track parents. Shoot, OCIR, Lions, Beeline, Salt Lake, Fremont, Sacramento, San Fernando, Carlsbad, El Centro, Santa Maria, Inyokern, Bakersfield, Winslow, the list goes on and on.

 

[D]

73 I was in first grade and my uncles took me to a drag strip by the Rocky Mountain Arsenal in Denver. I saw the Snake's Army car and a bunch of Top Fuelers and the Banshee cars and I've been hooked ever since.

S/F
D

 

[Kelly]

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

Yep. However, in typical Kelly fashion.....I went 'all in' the minute I saw my first run!

 

[yoda]

Yep. However, in typical Kelly fashion.....I went 'all in' the minute I saw my first run!

I want to play poker with you!!!

Well, maybe not...

 

[Ken rose]

I do not remember the exact year it was 03 or04 I think. My son had been blasted by the bug a few years earlier. He was going to work for this new Alcohol dragster team that called itself Girl Power Racing. We had driven all day to get to a rcae in Medford Oregon. We were waliking up the hill and just went over the top of the ridge when my whole world changed. It was not just the fact that the ground under my feet was shaking and something was pounding on my heart that had the impact. We watched the run than went on to the gate gto get in. We went to pay and they did not take debit cards so my wife opened up the check book, NO CHECKS. We were three hundred miles from home had really come just to be supportive of our sone and we were just devestaded. The lady at the gate never hesatated she said go on in and enjoy the race. And almost with out exception everyone I have ever met in racing has been just like that it is awesome. Now a fan for life.

 

[murf]

62 or 63, Half Moon Bay and Fremont. Raced my 62 vette, 65 malibu and a couple of bikes at Fremont during late 60's and early 70's. Wish I was that young again-sort of.

 

[reef]

The 1963 Winternationals. Fuel cars ran as a class, which Garlits won, but Top Eliminator was still a gas-only deal, which the origional Freight Train won. My first pure nitro race was December 8, 1963. Pamona. Frantic Four vs. Chris "The Greek" Karamesines for the #1 Spot on the Drag News List. Best 2 out of 3. Frantic Four won. From then on I was hooked. Ran a AA/FD with John "Mouse" Wilson in 65 and part of 66, first with the old Keeter and Wilson car and my motor and later we added Bob Gocher and his SPE car. Did little other than break parts, but saw most of the great races in SoCal during that time period, including Bakersfield 64, 65 and 66. And its true that nitro never gets out of your blood. I'm 60 and still go whenever I can.

Mike

 

[marlin]

1966 ..THUNDER VALLEY USA ...BABY The Granddaddy of em all...The SpringNationals ......Larry Carrier's creation....hooked ever since and I ain't no spring chicken...LOL ....To quote the late great James Brown ...." I feel Good ! "

 

[Professor Dave]

He was going to work for this new Alcohol dragster team that called itself Girl Power Racing.

Hey Ken,

Do you know what happened to the driver of that car? LOL

 

[r2]

Hey Ken,

Do you know what happened to the driver of that car? LOL

You might want to ask him, what happened to his son also...

 

[you]

1986. My dad took me to my first drag race at the Texas Motorplex's inaugural race. I was 9 yrs old and have been hooked ever since! We've missed a couple of races, but try to make it to the Dallas and Houston tracks every chance we get.

I also remember watching drag racing on TNN's American Sports Cavalcade with Dave McClelland and Steve Evans. Those were the days!

I'm a newbie to this site, but already feel at home hearing from people who are as passionate about drag racing as I am.

 

[none]

The first fuel dragster I seen was Swamp rat one with eight stromberg carbs on nitro at camp wheeler dragstrip in Macon GA. 1959?. While I was impressed with Garlits car it wasent until I heard the first nitro car with a blower that really sank the hook, 1961 at Sanford Maine, Sidebotham Engineering Special, Blown Hemi on nitro and smoke for the full quarter mile. Been addicted ever since!!!

 

[Larry]

Must have been 1962 at Green Valley in Texas with several long lines of Dragsters.
One two or four engines , blown, injected hell's it lasted all night just getting them qualified there were so many of them.
So many of the great ones there and guess what !
Kenny Bernstein was a skinny kid working on the Vance Hunt Top Fuel Ride so I know where he got his first dose.

 

[Dave Freeman]

First time was around 95 or so. I was 10yrs old at the time. It was the first Night Under Fire that Force was coming to Norwalk. A week before I was in a really bad bike accident. John was doing an autograph signing with the other drivers. The line was stretched all the way down the track I couldn't stand that long so I was standing in front the table just looking. That is when Bader Sr. turned around and with the PA mic said "Son what happened to you". After I told him the story John came out and took his Winston Champion hat off his head, signed it and gave it to me. Later that night I got to sit in his car and got free shirts from him. From that point on I have been hooked. I will also always be a Force fan no matter what.

 

[The Swegian]

1970 when I was 6 years old. My older brother (8 years older) let me tag along when his best friend's dad, who drove the ambulance at old Minnesota Dragways, would let us in to the track for nothing. We went when the Snake and the Mongoose came in their Hot Wheels cars and I've never looked back. My greatest childhood memories took place from 1970-1977. Minnesota Dragways shut down due to the encroaching population. I never could figure out why one would build a house near a race track that had been there since the 50's and then complain about the noise. Minnesota Dragways was a top notch facility, considering the season only lasted about 4-5 months. In July 1972, they even booked Evel Knievel for an exhibition. Another fond memory was when they had several wheelstanders booked, including the Little Red Wagon, The Fugitive, The Paddy Wagon, among others. Any of my fellow Minnesota maters remember either of these events?

 

[yoda]

I never could figure out why one would build a house near a race track that had been there since the 50's and then complain about the noise.

That seems to be the question of the century.. .. It has been one of those idiot things that people do when they think they have obtained power once they buy a house.. E-Town is the one that I think of first- there used to be NOTHING from the main road to the front gate, except for that one house, and those folks were cool (you would have to be to deal with the Summernationals in the mid/late 70's.. ). I always hoped that NHRA would send its lawyers to places that were trying to get judgemets in cases like that. Then I grew up...

Another fond memory was when they had several wheelstanders booked, including the Little Red Wagon, The Fugitive, The Paddy Wagon, among others.

That must have been a touring series, because I remember seeing that same group, plus Bob Perry's tanks, at National Speedway in New York in the early 70's.. The Fugitive used to remind me of that Zingers show car Vette that the models were based on..Too much motor on too small a car