First Drag strip visit

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Texas Red

Texas Red

Old Flunky
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So here is the magic question.... What was the name of the very first drag strip you went to, Who took you there and what kind of car did they have? .

My first drag strip visit was 1972 where a guy named Robert Shipp from Ingleside Texas invited me to go with him to The Edinburg Texas dragstrip in the Rio Grande
Valley of Texas which is now known as ERP now (Edinburg Raceway Park). No Christmas tree......Hand drop start only
Robert had a 1970 LS6 450 HP Chevelle SS that he bought brand new.....as a family car. The best time i ever saw that car run was a 11.68
quarter mile pass on the slicks we bolted on at the drag strip on a cool winter evening. Yes that's where the bug bit me...... Texas Red
 
Gainesville Raceway in Florida, 1979 Gatornationals. I was stationed in Jacksonville with the Navy. Had a 1970 big block Superbee at the time. Myself and a couple of my Mopar driving buddies decided to go to the race and I was hooked after that. Gainesville was also the first track I made a pass on.
 
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the airport in Forks Washington prolly a month after buying orange car surrounded by A bodies and friends. Most fun you can have with your clothes on. circa 2011
 
Norwalk Raceway park around 1996. My dad and my uncle took me and a friend there for a national event. I was 14 and I’ve been hooked ever since. Been attending the national race there every single year since (except for the 8 years my *** belonged to Uncle Sam). My father has since passed away but now I take my son with me and my brothers. Tradition.
 
My uncle took my cousin and me to the old Irwindale, in his 65 mustang, in about 1967 or 68.
I made my first pass there too, in a stock Vega, in 1971, nineteen something e.t. That Vega ended up a twelve second car, as did my 57 chevy.
Twelves now are a complete yawn.
 
1979 - Thompson Drag Raceway in Thompson, Ohio. A buddy that got me into Mopars after seeing my 69 Charger invited me to go with him as he was going with a pal that had a candy-flake painted 64 Belvedere named "Hustle Stuff." 440 auto car that IIRC correctly ran low 12's. It was blazing fast to me! Got to ride there in this guy's motor home pulling the trailer with the car on it.

I was on cloud 9 and was hooked for life. It wasn't long until my Charger made it's maiden voyage there down the 1320. I think it was like a 16.70 with a vapor lock as soon as I clicked 3rd gear. Woo-hoo!! That was about 45 years ago this month. Wow....
 
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1976 - Hawaii Raceway Park in Kapolei, Hawaii. Raced there every season until I moved away in '96.
 
Late 69 and went with my room mate. He had a BIL that was racing and well, I entered with my first car.....a 66 Belvedere modoor with a poly teen. Back then it was all class racing and well, I lost lol but it was a thrill to just make a pass. It wasn't long before that poly teen came out and a 383 went in and the rest is history. Won class several times with the 383 but never did all that well in eliminations but was at the track all the time until Uncle Sam got me....and it wasn't until the early 80's that I started going again and was there all the time and for years! By then, it was bracket racing and did ok in that. In 84 I had a 10.60 car and well, I was on cloud 9....
 
Maple Grove (Dragway) raceway now back in 1973. I was 7 years old. Went with a neighbor kid who's mom dated a mechanic. He had a new 73 Chevelle SS. Yeah, slow by comparison, but he always won a trophy and man.. I saw some amazing machines! I recall walking right up to Don Prudomme and his funny car and just being in awe of it. That was my home track to go to for many years. It wasn't until many years later that I finally had a car worthy ( to me) to take down the track. That was a 67 440 tunnel ram Dart GT. Daily driver, but turned a best of 11.85 at Woodburn Dragstrip .
 
B.I.R., aka Brainerd Int'l Raceway, but when I was first there it was called Donnybrook (sp?). I was about 6 or 7 at the time, which makes this around 1971 or so, and we got Pit Passes from a friend of my father's, as he was the Valvoline Rep back then. I still have a bunch of stuff from my childhood with Valvoline stickers slapped all over them....

Don't recall much else about that first visit, other than the Mud Hole that used to be in the infield of the road course.....

First track that I ever raced-on was Rock Falls, over in Wisconsin, and that was in '82 or so (I'm trying to remember when I built my SB Vega in H.S.). Car couldn't hook-up worth a damn, when the rear-end was in one piece, that is (Lincoln locker and street tires), and I only made three hits, none of them anywhere near the 13's!

Had to sell the Vega at the end of that summer, as I needed the cash for.....something or other. Probably something for my girlfriend at the time. (Stupid, stupid, stupid....)
 
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4fortyDemon said:
Maple Grove (Dragway) raceway now back in 1973. I was 7 years old. Went with a neighbor kid who's mom dated a mechanic. He had a new 73 Chevelle SS. Yeah, slow by comparison, but he always won a trophy and man.. I saw some amazing machines! I recall walking right up to Don Prudomme and his funny car and just being in awe of it. That was my home track to go to for many years. It wasn't until many years later that I finally had a car worthy ( to me) to take down the track. That was a 67 440 tunnel ram Dart GT. Daily driver, but turned a best of 11.85 at Woodburn Dragstrip .
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Ahh Im very familiar with Maple Grove been going there since the 80s and still do :)
 
First time at a drag strip was the 1968 Winternationals at Pomona. My (then) girlfriend and I stood as close as we could get to the track all day long.
First time racing at a drag strip would be early 1970 at Orange County International Raceway with my '69 Swinger 340. Girlfriend mentioned earlier was now my wife.
Great memories of OCIR!
I've been hooked from the very first.
 
Dartswinger70 said:
Ahh Im very familiar with Maple Grove been going there since the 80s and still do :)
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Very cool! Used to do the swap meets and the Mopar shows there too. I have a few buddies that still live back there and race at the "Grove ". The current owners are doing a great job with it now .
 
First drag strip I ever went to was somewhere in the Dayton, Ohio area in the mid-fifties. Went with my Dad. I don't actually remember going there, but I remember Dad's stories about the very few times he went there, and I have the trophy he won in 1957 with his 56 Dodge D500. Only reason he won his class is they put him in C stock, a 56 D500 should have been in A stock.

First I remember going to was in Pensacola, Florida summer of 62, not long after Dodge and Plymouth max wedges were introduced. They were running high 12s and basically cleaned up in the Super Stock classes. Slick, non-prepped starting line, they would leave at part throttle, then a second or two later you could hear them floor it. Gave me goose bumps.

First strip I ever ran at myself was Warner Robins, Georgia (now gone). 1968: drove Dad's 62 Polara 500 convertible, newly installed 440 from a 67 GTX, still had the 361 exhaust system (including manifolds), torque converter and 2.76 gears, ran mid-15s. Same year, my 65 Barracuda Commando 273 four speed, ran low 16s. Late seventies, drove Dad's 67 Hemi Charger (now mine), stock with 3.23 gears, best of 13.96.
 
First time ever was at either Suffolk Raceway VA or Richmond VA probably in early 1980s (I went with @Hyper_pak). Sadly, both tracks are now gone. First time on the track for me was at Dinwiddie VA. I believe this was my first time down the 1/4 mile. Packed stands and all LOL.

Grandma's Racer.jpg
 
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1958 Montomery NY. Air force auxiliary air field. Friends from the "Draggin Dragons" hot rod club from Bellville, NJ. took me. Volunteer track worker that year. Did some racing the next year. Since then I have raced at over 50 different dragstrips, over the eastern US. Plus some circle track (dirt and paved) Road course, and Autocross.
 
1981. I took me myself and I. 73 340 Rally Charger. It went 16 somethin er other on stock size bias ply tires. It was stone stock with 79K on it. I was a lot better the next time. lol

Oh and the where was Warner Robins Drag Strip. Long gone. Dangit.
 
1976 Bandimere Drag Strip west of Denver. Just picked up a bone stock 1970 383 Road Runner with 68,000 miles on it. This was my junior year in H.S.. All my buddies came to watch. I was talking big about how I would run in the 14's, well best pass was 16.82 @ 89. This lead me to spend most of my college money and a year later on 60 series tires through the mufflers 11.21 at 121. Best educational event ever. Latest project is posted in the Photo Garage. 1963 Dart 270 Gaser with a 512 motor. First track test will be 29 June. 1/8 Mile at Pike Peak International Raceway. Thanks for starting this thread. And yes, I still have the Road Runner.
 
US Nationals Indy 1975 got to see big daddy Don Garlits,the Snake and many others including the lovely Miss Hurst Linda Vauhn.
 
My first trip to a drag strip was in 1975 when a few friends and I went to US-131 Drag Way in Martin, MI. Never raced my cars and likely never will but I do enjoy drag racing above all other motor sports.
 
June 11, 1967 Sacramento Ca. Our entire family was there to watch my father make his first pass in his funny car.
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Aquasco in southern Md. 70'-71'. My buddies father dropped us off there almost every weekend during the season so he could spend time with his girlfriend and the wife wouldn't find out...lol :)

My first racing was at 75-80 near Frederick Md. in 1974 when i raced a buddies car at 15yrs old after he teched it in.
 
Thompson Drag Raceway in 1977. I was the first to get a drivers license amongst our group so we loaded up my car, 63 impala, with my brother, some friends and had the best time. Finally after I got my 74 Z28 my senior year, actually ran it and was in the low 14’s. Spent many of days and nights at that track, mostly spectating but some great memories for sure!
 
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