Its Winter. Tell your racing life's story.
After a short racing career in Sacramento...I took about a 6 yr vacation courtesy of the USAF including little over 3 yrs in Italy, upon returning to the good old USA, I returned to Nellis AFB, driving to and from the Area 2 of the Base I could see what looked like a drag strip. Started going there to watch, and upon discharged I found a 73 340 Challenger for 800 bucks that had blown head gasket, Everything was there to get it running and I bought the car, and tried to flip it and make some money but the Challenger during the test drive for the new owner broke the rocker shaft and started missing. So no sale..
Decided to take it to the track....1st pass was in the 17 second range as the fish tailed off the starting line but had it in the 15s by the end of the day....after upgrades and usual hot rod parts I had the Challenger in the 12s... I had no money .....So one evening bracket racing a 64 Nova I was in the left lane and got the head start...as we were going thru the traps the nova crossed over in front of me and I hit him broadside. There was no barrier rail pass the end of the 1/4 and a berm on the left side of the track. We went up the hill and back down with the cars locked together, probably saved him from going airborne. The old challenger was toast, i had just put on a TA fiberglass hood that cost 300 bucks....Got nothing from the Nova guy, got a tow home from one of the racers as i used to flat tow the car to the track...I used motor..trans and whatever we could reuse and found a nice 72 340 Demon....never should have sold that car....
i lost the Challenger in April 1982.....fast forward 10 yrs...
I now have a 69 barracuda fast back....light weight car...aluminum interior...lexan windows...strut front in...could run 10s with a slant 6....lol
ok...now it is April 1992, bracket racing a 64 Nova from Bakersfield....as we clear the traps his engine blows up ...and slide across the track and hit me just behind the drivers door...and knocks me out into the desert.. the Nova does barrel rolls with it ending on his roof a couple hundred feet away I see him climbing out of the car thru the front windshield...He ends up in emergency room with glass in his eye...I get kicked out of the track cause someone said it thru 3 punches at him.....i laughed and saw if I swung at him 3 times and missed then I should be throw out...and besides my car is all dented up...I did not touch the car for a year cause I was so mad....took me two years to get the car repaired....you dont find 69 barracuda parts that easy....
Beside the body damage...the strut were bent from sliding sideways...and tires were flat spotted....the issue of being thrown out was later resolved cause I never thru any punches ...And again...got nothing from the other driver.....So went April 2002 rolled around I stayed home from the track....The barracuda did return...raced it up until 2010 or so....never got it repainted...as a reminder...
After a short racing career in Sacramento...I took about a 6 yr vacation courtesy of the USAF including little over 3 yrs in Italy, upon returning to the good old USA, I returned to Nellis AFB, driving to and from the Area 2 of the Base I could see what looked like a drag strip. Started going there to watch, and upon discharged I found a 73 340 Challenger for 800 bucks that had blown head gasket, Everything was there to get it running and I bought the car, and tried to flip it and make some money but the Challenger during the test drive for the new owner broke the rocker shaft and started missing. So no sale..
Decided to take it to the track....1st pass was in the 17 second range as the fish tailed off the starting line but had it in the 15s by the end of the day....after upgrades and usual hot rod parts I had the Challenger in the 12s... I had no money .....So one evening bracket racing a 64 Nova I was in the left lane and got the head start...as we were going thru the traps the nova crossed over in front of me and I hit him broadside. There was no barrier rail pass the end of the 1/4 and a berm on the left side of the track. We went up the hill and back down with the cars locked together, probably saved him from going airborne. The old challenger was toast, i had just put on a TA fiberglass hood that cost 300 bucks....Got nothing from the Nova guy, got a tow home from one of the racers as i used to flat tow the car to the track...I used motor..trans and whatever we could reuse and found a nice 72 340 Demon....never should have sold that car....
i lost the Challenger in April 1982.....fast forward 10 yrs...
I now have a 69 barracuda fast back....light weight car...aluminum interior...lexan windows...strut front in...could run 10s with a slant 6....lol
ok...now it is April 1992, bracket racing a 64 Nova from Bakersfield....as we clear the traps his engine blows up ...and slide across the track and hit me just behind the drivers door...and knocks me out into the desert.. the Nova does barrel rolls with it ending on his roof a couple hundred feet away I see him climbing out of the car thru the front windshield...He ends up in emergency room with glass in his eye...I get kicked out of the track cause someone said it thru 3 punches at him.....i laughed and saw if I swung at him 3 times and missed then I should be throw out...and besides my car is all dented up...I did not touch the car for a year cause I was so mad....took me two years to get the car repaired....you dont find 69 barracuda parts that easy....
Beside the body damage...the strut were bent from sliding sideways...and tires were flat spotted....the issue of being thrown out was later resolved cause I never thru any punches ...And again...got nothing from the other driver.....So went April 2002 rolled around I stayed home from the track....The barracuda did return...raced it up until 2010 or so....never got it repainted...as a reminder...
