Thread: I miss real drag racing

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Pinks might be good for a spectator... But as a racer, you go and make 3 time trials then sit around and hope your time is in the group selected--then only the winner gets any payout... Oh yeah, "hot lapping" my drag car has never been one of my favorite things to do...

At least at the old home track, I know I'm going to be in eliminations and have a chance to get some of the payout---and I don't have to watch Rich the idiot do his armdrop thing when there's a perfectly good tree sitting there unused!!!!

Originally Posted by Dave Severson

and I don't have to watch Rich the idiot do his armdrop thing when there's a perfectly good tree sitting there unused!!!!

Ain't it the truth!! Every time I see that clown, I have to grit my teeth and turn to another channel.

The arm drop---I remember studying the flagmans actions to know when to leave---Old big bicep Rich has a dead give away that would give me a 1/2 second on any of those guys and all the replays they would want to play would show me legal---

There is always something that gives away the move

At NE Dragway in Sanford, ME (1960ish) the flagman always kinked his knees just a fraction before he threw the flag, an easy 1/2 a car length.

Back then I was racing a 348 tripower 60 Biscayne with a 4 speed and 4:11's.

Drive it to the track, thrash all day, maybe be lucky enough to win the $2.00 trophy, and then drive it home.

Those were the "good ol days"!!

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/s...ht=eagle+field

This is happening West of Fresno, CA on the 22nd. Will be 1/8 mile with flagman for starts. Should be lots of fun.

A few years back "Canadianal" submitted a thread on this subject:

http://www.clubhotrod.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23497

The following windy posting is my contribution to the thread:

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"Al, If you start up a drag strip where a guy or gal can see racing like it was fifty years ago, I'll drive up and pay my dollar to get in to see it. Heck, it shouldn't be more than a lousy 2,000 miles or so from here!

Since nobody has admitted to being older than me (don't say anything, Uncle Bob, and Walt, and a few others, because you're gaining on me fast) I have selected ME to tell the young guys how it was.

I’ll use the way it was done at my favorite strip, Caddo Mills, Texas, for my example.

So, right you are, Al, no clocks, unless you want to count some dude at the finish line with a stopwatch to supply you with dead-accurate(?) elapsed times. His report was based on when he thought the flag was pulled and when he thought the car crossed the finish line. The more up-to-date tracks had those rubber hose things laying across the strip to give you a precise(?) top speed. Information was relayed to the trailer with a pair of big, green WWII surplus walkie-talkies.

After the run, the finish-line guy would stomp out to the center of the strip and hold out a flag in the direction of the lane used by the car he thought had won. Straight up if he thought it was a tie, in which case they had to do it again.

Lights? No way! FLAGMEN! That's the right way to do it. Those flag men had it down to an art and made a real production out of getting you under way. The guy we had at the '58 Nationals would bend forward at the hips and glare at you from under bushy eyebrows, and with the tip of his green flag resting on the ground. With his rolled-up red flag he would point at one of the drivers and mouth "are you ready?" (nod). Then the same procedure with the other driver. Then he'd start quivering the green flag (still pointed down). After what he considered to be the right amount of time for tension to build, he would leap straight up in the air (it looked like about three feet) while whipping the flag up and over his shoulder at arm's length ..... this, while rotating 180 degrees so that the flag wound up pointing toward the finish line.

Now, that was class.

No grandstands either. You brought your own folding chair if you wanted to sit, but the preferred arrangement was to watch with your wife or girlfriend (or maybe somebody else’s wife or girlfriend) sitting on the fenders of your car. That worked because that was where you parked…… alongside the strip.

We attracted plenty of stock class entrants but we rarely got more than maybe a dozen purely competition cars, such as dragsters and modified roadsters. Those cars didn't have starters and had to be push started, so, in order that the spectators might get a good, long, look at the cars and drivers they really came there to see, an interesting starting procedure evolved. Both cars were pushed through the starting line area, and pushed the entire length of the quarter, where they made a wide, looping u-turn and headed back toward the starting line. Part-way down the engines were fired up and the cars went back behind the starting line, u-turned again, and staged. When the run was completed the push vehicles went to the shut-down area and slowly pushed the cars back down the line to the pits, this time close-up and friendly with the fans.

No bleach box or burn-throughs. SOP was to smoke the tires all the way through if you could. We couldn't (we could hardly spin the tires at all), but that was the way the big boys did it. Tire mileage wasn't too good in those days. After M&H came on the scene with vastly improved tire designs and rubber compounds, things changed.


I'll attach a not-too-good picture I got out of an old magazine. It was taken at a Winter Nationals meet back in the “smoke” era. No way could you see across the track after a run like that. It took days to get that burnt rubber stink out of your nose.

Our methods may seem to be cave-man primitive now, but we had very good safety/tech inspectors who stuck to NHRA rules, and we always had an ambulance and two attendants present, and we always had off-duty police officers there. The old North Texas Timing Association ran the operations and did so very efficiently. Hard to believe, but every year that same group of dedicated men and women, both racers and NTTA staff, get together for lunch in Dallas. A number of cars that raced in the area are always brought in.

I like watching today’s drag races. Its great to get to see people go 300 plus in a little over four seconds. I’m always amazed. “Way back then” you just might win top eliminator with three times that ET.

And you don’t get a very good look the car in four seconds, do you?

Going to the races was more fun back then. That’s not JMO. It’s a lot of people’s “O”."


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If you saw the link, there is a picture from the smoke era. Amazing!


Jim

For about the last year something's been bothering me but I couldn't quite figure out why. I finally figured it out this weekend and it's with a touch of saddness that I have to admit that I'm totally bored with the modern NHRA. With all the look alike dragsters, funny cars and pro stocks, no inovation, the same old rap at the end of the strip it seems like an old rerun every week. Every week it's the same old thing. The cars are now nothing but rolling billboards driven mostly be sons and daughters of the wealthly term owners (Lucas, Force, Shumacker, Tasca. Kalitta). You have to be born into the lucky sperm club. It's just not fun anymore. It's outgrown and runined itself.
Last weekend I spent over $90.00 to take myself and my 14 year old son to the NHRA Nationals qualifying at Raceway Park in Englishtown NJ. We left about halfway way through the day. Can you say bored?? All the trailers looked the same, all the cars look the same. Every top fuel car all had hospitality tents for the corporate guests. Crowds of people waiting and standing the the hot sun to get autographs. I asked my son if he was ready to leave. He said yes but didn't want to say anything because he didn't want to hurt my feeling. NHRA has turned into is just a shadow of what it used to be. It's progressed itself right into the land of the big yawn. Big corperate bucks? Yes. Passion for passions sake? Nope.
I remember being a kid and waiting every six months to watch Wide World of Sports just to get a glimpse drag racing. I'd get to see a few of the top runs from the Nationals. All the different classes, the names on the cars like Wynn's Jammer, Brutus, Ramchargers, Jungle Jim and more the inovation is all gone. So much for progress. I can't be the only way who feels this way? I never wanted to be a throwback but sometimes you're forced to be.

I agree...
There's a little, family owned 1/8th mile track 20 miles from my place..
$15 entry for test & tune...
Just go have fun.
1/8th doesn't tear stuff up as bad as the full quarter..
Jeff

Originally Posted by Whiplash23T

Yes Don and Tech, I agree about getting back to basics. Thanks for the photos also Don, that flat head front engine rail gets my blood boiling, just the finish on it is awesome. Another thing that excites me is organised street racing.like the days when you line up against the guy at the traffic lights and race to the next set. Boy was that fun, and wasn't so much about speed but reaction time and quick gear shifts. Bring it on!!

Looks like a blast, Jeff!!! Ran the 1/8 a couple seasons, then they shut the dang place down. Bummer, Never broke anything though, you're right.. The last 1/8 just builds speed and wears out parts... I think my time on the short track also made me really work on 60' times, learned a lot about launching right and consistent. With no big end to pull it out on you had to have great short times!!!

As a kid in the late sixties, I lived in central Illinois. I went to the Nationals every year, but grew to love the short tracks. We would go to Paris or Charleston Illinois, for the 1/8th mile digs, and there was also the 1/5th mile in Terra Haute Indiana.

Even though the tracks were short, the cars ran steep gears and big tires, so the real action was on the bottom end of the track. Even sitting near the starting line you could easily see the whole race. Gassers, Altereds, Pro Stocks, SupeStocks, and early funnycars were the main racing attraction, though we would get a fueler or two. We saw many name touring racers, jets, the Chuck Wagon, L.A. Dart, Nicholson, Jenkins, Sox, and even Willy Borsche ran there... and crashed!

It was a great time, partly because the racers could not use power to save them from a bad start. It was "sudden death" if you weren't out on time! I miss those days.

I am gonna go back there soon, and hang the video camera off the back bumper for some fun video's...
Just goofin' around stuff...
Sorta like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnjP_oURGoc

Originally Posted by Dave Severson

Looks like a blast, Jeff!!! Ran the 1/8 a couple seasons, then they shut the dang place down. Bummer, Never broke anything though, you're right.. The last 1/8 just builds speed and wears out parts... I think my time on the short track also made me really work on 60' times, learned a lot about launching right and consistent. With no big end to pull it out on you had to have great short times!!!

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I agree with Big Tracks although I wasn't as articulate as the flagman at Caddo Mills, I had a blast. As Edith and Archie sang, "Those Were The Days".

Neat video, Jeff!! Get back to the track and shoot some more!