Today I am very lucky to be alive!!!!!!

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southerneagle

southerneagle

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Gary Quinn


Today I am very lucky to be alive!!!!!!
I took the purple dragon for a drive today and a 40 Chevy decided he wanted to play after teasing me a little bit I decided to run him, he gets the jump on me but it didn't take long to catch and pass him, the speedo was pegged at 120 when I hit 4th gear and really pulled away from him. At this point the race was over so I started slowing down and around 65 to 70 miles an hour the passenger front tire blew out and put me in the grass. I am glad that the car didn't get hurt. I want to send out a big THANK YOU to Chris, Steve and Mitch at Spicer Automotive for saving my butt again and pulling the car to the shop and fixing it again. I just saw the guy at the Ringgold Cruise and he told me he was running 142 and I was pulling away from him. So yes today I am lucky!!!!
 
"I see" he says, after checking the date code on the tires
 
norton said:
You're lucky no one innocent was hurt.
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that is so true.. the road is out in the boonies and what very few houses around are all about a 1/2 mile off of the road, it's also a 5 lane hwy... never the less a lesson was learned today " No more street racing" for me.
Gary
 
I'm glad your are OK!! What you were doing is way passed "A SPECIAL KIND OF STUPID"
After over 10 years on an Ambulance and almost that many on the Fire Safety Crew at a NHRA Drag Strip racing must only be done at the track!!!!!!!!!!!
Just my 2 cents.
 
Denvermike said:
I'm glad your are OK!! What you were doing is way passed "A SPECIAL KIND OF STUPID"
After over 10 years on an Ambulance and almost that many on the Fire Safety Crew at a NHRA Drag Strip racing must only be done at the track!!!!!!!!!!!
Just my 2 cents.
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Yes you are correct, just a stupid spur of the moment thing.....
 
southerneagle said:
that is so true.. the road is out in the boonies and what very few houses around are all about a 1/2 mile off of the road, it's also a 5 lane hwy... never the less a lesson was learned today " No more street racing" for me.
Gary
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Well, it will bother you for a while, and it seems as though you learned something. Playing a little on the street is one thing, running those speeds is a totally different ballgame. I've been there myself and that was nearly 40 years ago in a 69 Chevelle, 140 plus on a not so good road. I still think about it to this day and how lucky I was to survive and/or not kill someone else, and I didn't lose a tire during or after either.

I'm sure you, I and others have done it only to realize that it isn't the smartest decision. I know I sure did.
 
high speed never was a problem for me. my 67 fastback would start floating at 115,
preparing for takeoff, maybe a set of wings would keep the frontend from floating.
It's a little scary turning the steering wheel and the car doesn't respond.lol
ya better watch the wind gusts or ya may end up in the ditch.
 
fishmens67 said:
high speed never was a problem for me. my 67 fastback would start floating at 115,
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Well, it wasn't for me either for a long time until I really got to thinking about it. In a controlled environment is one thing, out on the road is risky at best.
 
southerneagle said:
Gary Quinn


Today I am very lucky to be alive!!!!!!
I took the purple dragon for a drive today and a 40 Chevy decided he wanted to play after teasing me a little bit I decided to run him, he gets the jump on me but it didn't take long to catch and pass him, the speedo was pegged at 120 when I hit 4th gear and really pulled away from him. At this point the race was over so I started slowing down and around 65 to 70 miles an hour the passenger front tire blew out and put me in the grass. I am glad that the car didn't get hurt. I want to send out a big THANK YOU to Chris, Steve and Mitch at Spicer Automotive for saving my butt again and pulling the car to the shop and fixing it again. I just saw the guy at the Ringgold Cruise and he told me he was running 142 and I was pulling away from him. So yes today I am lucky!!!!
Click to expand...

Glad you were not hurt but I pray that you will have severe flashbacks when you think about doing something like this again.
 
Next time......drag strip. Glad no one was hurt including the car.
 
Everyone is guilty of doing something stupid on the street. I've been quilty more than once when I was younger. Racetracks are the only places for opening up hipos. As long no one was hurt and lesson learned all is good.
 
fishmens67 said:
high speed never was a problem for me. my 67 fastback would start floating at 115,
preparing for takeoff, maybe a set of wings would keep the frontend from floating.
It's a little scary turning the steering wheel and the car doesn't respond.lol
ya better watch the wind gusts or ya may end up in the ditch.
Click to expand...

And you??? are OK??? with this???
 
I speak for my self but when we build these cars up on the street with all this power it is almost imposable to not get baited into that kind of contest .every time I take the swinger out some one has to cut me off or comes flying up beside me it gets really annoying and flat pisiss me off ..most of the time I just dont even acknowledge them because I would smoke that p o sht! but once and awhile it is a worthy ride and that's when its hard not to take the bait but there is so much to lose and relay nothing to win .you where given a second chance some never get! glad you are alright!!
 
southerneagle, thanx for sharing your story. consider it a lesson of the do's and dont's in street driving.
to the preachers, save your preaching !
 
fishmens67 said:
high speed never was a problem for me. my 67 fastback would start floating at 115,
preparing for takeoff, maybe a set of wings would keep the frontend from floating.
It's a little scary turning the steering wheel and the car doesn't respond.lol
ya better watch the wind gusts or ya may end up in the ditch.
Click to expand...

this is when I learned my lesson, 35 years ago.
 
Most all of us have done this at one time. 1989, I had a '69 Vette. Started to pass an '89 Mustang GT, and he decided to play. Side by side, at 135, I dropped the hammer on that Vette, and showed him my tail lights. Shut it down, at 150. Totaled it 2 months later, coming down a mountain in Arkansas doing 35, when the brakes failed. Wake up call. Local Chief of Police asked me how fast my Dart Sport is. My answer, don't know. Never had it past 70. And that is the truth, never have. I do get baited, as we all do. I know what I have, no need to prove it.
 
Thanks everyone for the comments, all of them. This is one lesson that I hope I will not forget. I think about it now, the what if's....a dog, a kid on a bike, someone pulling out of a drive way.......it still makes my hands shake. Gary
 
I did something similar in my cordoba, by absolutely no means a street machine/race car AT ALL, however it could bury the speedo over 100 mph really easily, 400\727 with 2.74's in the rear and 245/75 r-15's....had the front end lift on me one time, never in my life have i been so scared.
 
There is a vast difference between road racing and 1/4 mile "out of town" racing. NOT to the cops, I might add. I have had many, many out of town 1/4 mile races. Top end races NEVER interested me. I still believe a designated area for a 1/4 mile race between your typical 14-16 second cars can be done safely beginning with leaving alcohol OUT. When the race has been decided, its over! Many times this is done by 70 mph. Really not much difference than passing a car on the way to work. The place of designation must be clear of side roads, driveways, etc. DRUNK driving kills the most on the highways.... NOT saying everyone will approve of this idea, but I believe its safe. I firmly believe if I'm killed on the highway, it will NOT be during an "out of town" run.
 
Glad your ok and NO ONE else was hurt.

Years ago I had a guy wanted to street race me/my GTX middle of the day. I said no and waved him away...he took off, made it to the next intersection and T-boned an old man in his pickup truck. I mean he slammed the guy and his truck across/off the road...nearly killed the old guy and threw the 3 kids in the speed-car threw the windshield.
This has been along time ago...I have never forgot it and wont street or road race anyone. As others have said I could tell you several other first respondent incidents as well. Some of those drivers were dead.
 
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