Dumbest newbie thing,you did at the drag strip.....

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Abodybomber

Abodybomber

Breaking street machines , since 1983.....:)
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What was your siiliest stuff you did at the drag strip?.For me,when I left a trail of loose sand,down the right lane at Famoso test and tune night.El Caminos,hook up great,with the tailgate down and about 100 ibs. of sand stuffed inside. Well damn,the corner of the burlap bag tore. Of course,I poured sand all the way down.The track crew,wasn't quite as nice next pass.What do you have to share similar?
 
I have missed a gear before LOL

Also been caught sleeping on the tree after a night of partying :glasses7:....that cost me a class win too.............
 
One cool thing, the very first time i ran a car at the drags...it was Rock Falls Raceway in WI, I cut a .501 light, almost a perfect .500!!!
 
Abodybomber said:
What was your siiliest stuff you did at the drag strip?.For me,when I left a trail of loose sand,down the right lane at Famoso test and tune night.El Caminos,hook up great,with the tailgate down and about 100 ibs. of sand stuffed inside. Well damn,the corner of the burlap bag tore. Of course,I poured sand all the way down.The track crew,wasn't quite as nice next pass.What do you have to share similar?
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That puts a whole new meaning to the term "sand bagging" LMAO!!!!!!
 
No kidding,on "sandbagging" LOL!.If you cut a .501 light ,with a stick,now that.s honkin'!Nice Job!
 
A friend of mine did a ridiculously huge burnout in the water trap, all the way out to the 60 foot line. Backed up, feeling 9 feet tall in the cloud of smoke left by his crappy 225 street tyres. Guy in the next lane staged...

Five hundred people in the stands say "fuuuuuuuuuuuuuck"... The yellows flash...

And my mate launches at full noise in reverse. Missed the car staging behind him by a bees dick, drove out through the tow car exit and went home without saying goodbye.
 
I can relate.My head porter,did that,to me behind him. Just 10 minutes,before the !st post.Bad day,for my crew......
 
Back in the early '80s in Spokane i was at my first race with my 4 speed Super Bee.
I staged, and when the light went yellow, i stalled it and the other guy in a '69 Road Runner took off and left me far behind.
I finally got the car started and just drove the car to the end posting a 26 second e.t.
When i got to the timing shack the lady handed me my e.t. slip and said ''good win!''
I was confused and they said the other guy broke out.
When i went back to the staging lanes to line back up, the guy in the Road Runner who must have been as nervous as i was said ''I could have sworn you were right beside me!''
I made it to the final round that day, but lost by a fender.
That's racing.
 
A few years ago I was racing my 73 Dart Sport 340 4 speed.I had just got the new 372 stroked engine in and went out for some passes.I did my big burnout(with slicks),pull up to the lights...I leave hard,hit 2nd gear and the car drops and inch on drivers side..WTF?? as I pull to the side,I feel another clunk??as I look out the drivers window...there goes my wheel with the axel attached!!Argg!!My 1/4 panel???I was very lucky to not have damaged the 1/4 panel/trunk extension.Wheeww!We jacked the car up and stuffed the axel back in and got it off the track and to my trailer.Lesson learned about 8 1/4 S.G HP limits.After this episode I put a 8 3/4 under the car,stopped racing the car and built my 66 Dart for racing.:burnout:
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In my 8.0 1/8 mile Truck, I always put my front tires in the bed against the tail gate
strapped down against it and put my pie cutters on and head to the line of cars waiting to run an et run for classifying at George Rays, well there was a long line and a hold up..so I get out and drop the tail gate waiting to move forward BS with other drivers, as the line moved forward I shut the tail gate slow rolled threw the water box and heated the tires up :bball:
Backed up and hit the brakes and my tail gate popped open and one of my tires feel out and rolled into a person car :-# (no damage) I must have not shut the tail gate good :-#
Very embarrassing for me for sure, but it put a long line of laughs I could see from in my truck, some one shut my tail gate and I still made an 8.20 pass.... If you don't make mistakes you are not doing anything is the way I looked at it... :thumblef: I will never forget that day..
 

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We had a cable drive rev limiter. (Early 70's) I had it off and working on it and when i put it back on, didn't notice the cable slipped out. Well you can guess the rest. Driver usually left with a popping of the limiter, but this time he left with a rod thru the block and 9 quarts of pennzoil on the track. Dont remember the time but he went all the way to the end. ET was slow by 2 or 3 seconds. Took an hour to clean up at Rockingham, N C. Worst part was had to be in San Francisco racing the next week end but that week is a long story.
 
Not drag strip, but circle track racing if that counts. Under yellow flag, car in front of me pulled into the pits, and for some reason I followed him into the pits on the back straight, then realized what I did and pulled back out on the front straight, did get my spot back since no one touched my car. Another time sitting in lineup for the feature, I had a funny feeling that something wasn't right, checked my seat belts, they were ok, still had the feeling, finally reached up to check that my firesuit was zipped up, and felt my helmet strap hanging down, unbuckled, pull of my gloves and buckle the helmet, just in time to pull out for the feature, as I am getting my gloves back on.
 
1. coming out of burnout ..shifted into neutral..coast up and stage car...never put it back in 1st...did not have rev limiter on car back then...zinged motor

2. forgot to put hood pins in fiberglass hood...hood started to come up...but hit brakes...saved hood..

3. worked on front end ...forgot to tighten bolt that held steering shaft on ....launched..and had no steering...steering wheel moved back to me several inches...good thing car goes straight...hit brakes..got out of car..pulled hood...and by the time the track crew got their, I had the steering shaft back on..

4. last year at MATS, I rewired the 3 step..got the blue and red wire mixed up...instead of 3k rpm at starting line...engaged transbrake ..floored it..engine up on converter to 5k...let go of button...launched drive shaft on starting line...

probably got a few more....and not a newbie....lol
 
Did a burnout in first gear... in an automatic....I broke a piston (and probably stressed my trans) and never got down the track as the car was knocking so bad after that redline passing burnout. Have not been back since...
 
Big John Force burnout past the tree. Felt good and looked cool, it was only a 12 sec pass. I have a long way before i reach his status and the right to do another one of those. Lol
 
We went a few times back in the early 80's, when I was a teenager. Started going back in 2008, and the first time I tried to stage the car, I forgot where the staging beams were, and pulled up near even to the tree, then inched up trying to get the car staged. The starter had to come up to my driver's window and motion me backwards. I felt like a true newb!
 
jimmyray said:
We went a few times back in the early 80's, when I was a teenager. Started going back in 2008, and the first time I tried to stage the car, I forgot where the staging beams were, and pulled up near even to the tree, then inched up trying to get the car staged. The starter had to come up to my driver's window and motion me backwards. I felt like a true newb!
Click to expand...

Been there, Done that!
 
One at the strip but it really wasn't an accident. One of my cars liked to jam in reverse, backed into the burnout box and the car wouldn't come out of gear. The only way to get it out was to rev the engine up a bit and bump the clutch. People around and in the stands thought I was doing a burnout on reverse. Put it in 3rd gear and hazed the tires.

The other was at a street race. Knew I had the guy covered. The car had an electric fuel pump on it but the regulator was all messed up. Wouldn't keep the pressure below ~10psi. It would make the car load up if it ran to long down low. My friend tells me three or four times to turn it on, said after the burnout and I'm staging I'll flip it on. Well, I FORGOT. The guy starting the race said he was going to run across my lane to get out of the way, I put the other guy out 5 cars and told him not a good idea... Well, he got hit, broke his foot getting clocked by the bumper. I'm way out and the car lays down around 1000'... Lost! Then I saw a car pull out in front of us a little ways down the street. If I had turned the pump on and legged it out, I probably would have nailed the car pulling out. Best money I ever lost. I never raced on a street that had any side streets ever again.
 
I was just a kid with a low,low buck 63 plymouth fury drag car.Anybody remember the bleach box and putting down your own water?Those days we did a dry hop after the burn out. The car had been down the track dozens of times.I never had a nut on the steering wheel shaft.....Dry hop and the steering wheel pops off in my hands damn near taking out the tree.Slammed the wheel back on.Starter ran up to the car,I was wiping my hands on my shirt like the wheel slipped out of my hands.Whew,, thought I was gonna get thrown out.A guy in the pits gave me a 1/2'' lug nut as the shaft is 1/2 fine thread,was still on the car 2 owners later.
 
Forgot to shift into third my first pass in the Dart. Pushed car through staging lanes because it was overheating then it wouldn't start. Had to push it back to the pits. Lit both stage lights 5 minutes after the driver's meeting where courtousy staging was talked about. Hoping I've learned from my mistakes.
 
Back in the early eighty's took my buddies Chevelle to the track, did the burn out in 3rd gear like I was suppose to, only problem never put the trans back into first at the line. let out the clutch stalled it, tried to restart it without putting the clutch in and with the V-gate could not get it back into first:banghead: What a mess, had to get towed off the line...
What a :tool: I was that day
 
I don't have much for me personally. My first trip to the track was with a friend who had been before. So the most "newbie" thing i've ever done was forget to turn off the traction control(when i was racing my daily driver)

I have seen someone stage with their back wheels, someone that took 10 minutes to stage, and someone that hit the wall because they couldnt control their car when the tires broke loose on the 1-2 shift.
 
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