1st dragstrip trip.

My first spectator trips were to Deer Park, N of Spokane in about 65. One of those trips was memorable. This was very early in the season, probably spring of 66 or 67, and we were parked on the spectator side, warming up in the car. It was a cold, windy day. "Ron's Drive In" and old Chev D/ G was running, and my buddy yelled just as I glanced up from the program. "Ron's blew a clutch," and you could see crap coming out the bottom

Several seconds later we heard a "ka-WHAM" behind us and got out. A piece of pressure plate (which I kept for many hears) about 2" square had hit nearly horizontal into the rear quarter of a57--59 Caddie parked beside us, which means that the piece MISSED by going BETWEEN mine and the other car

When it cooled off, we walked around to the pits where the cast Ansen shield was lying face up on the ground, and a group were squatting around looking at the pieces they had laid into the bottom The clutch had sheared the shield attaching bolts, probably before engine plates, and I doubt that shield would have been legal even back then.

My friend who was with me remembers (I don't) that someone was hit in the kidney? and later died that day

You'll notice there's no collector on the header. I don't believe this was legal. Gassers were supposed to be at least "quasi" street legal in the day, even, LOL if they only had a tiny 4 cyl exhaust, muffler, and tail pipe!!!

Note rear fender, 292-D/GAS. This was a 283 bored to 292