Fast way of taking down the Christmas tree

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pittsburghracer

pittsburghracer

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Irwindale Raceway early 70s $$$$ nitro match race. Steve Evans announcing and also track manager at the time had just spent 5 minutes between runs touting the new cable suspended Christmas Tree the track had just installed. Fiat Topolino "Blue Barron" is staged, launches, quite literally launches, big wheelie then to one tire wheelie then to airborne :eek: nails that brand new tree suspended over the track and comes to rest on his roof at the start line :BangHead:. Driver was unharmed, tree not so much :lol:.
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seen that happen in person more than once! I ran the starting line at Quaker city for 4-5 years in college/high school.
 
Johnny Mac said:
seen that happen in person more than once! I ran the starting line at Quaker city for 4-5 years in college/high school.
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A very good friend of mine that I worked and raced with had a front engine big block Chevy dragster with a clutchflight transmission. No radiator so he would drain and fill the block with water every pass. Well he forgot to put the line going to the catch can back in the catch can so when he dropped the clutch you can guess what happened. Yep, he took out the tree and ended our day of racing.
 
I remember seeing a photo of an Opel Gt taking down a Christmas tree.
I thought it was Frank Mazi's car, but I can't find it. As an opel owner, I'm curious.
 
pittsburghracer said:
A very good friend of mine that I worked and raced with had a front engine big block Chevy dragster with a clutchflight transmission. No radiator so he would drain and fill the block with water every pass. Well he forgot to put the line going to the catch can back in the catch can so when he dropped the clutch you can guess what happened. Yep, he took out the tree and ended our day of racing.
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I think both I witnessed were busted axles off the line. One was a umtr car, and you know how hard they come out!
 
Many years ago. the guy who got me into drag racing took me to a track & told me it was time to learn to drive a drag car. I made some tentative passes to see how the car reacted & thought I had a handle on it. This was back in the late sixties & gassers were popular, his car was a C/Gas 48 Anglia with a Hilborn injected 301 cid Chevy motor & a 4 speed. The first pass I made under full throttle in the left lane, I took out the Christmas tree. It only damaged the front fiberglass nose piece, so we patched it up. Later in the day, I was put in the right lane because the car had a tendency to go right. WELL, guess what? I left this time, the car went left & took out the tree again. For many years after that, when I went to this track I had the dubious title of "The Christmas Tree Destroyer".
 
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Demonracer said:
Many years ago. the guy who got me into drag racing took me to a track & told me it was time to learn to drive a drag car. I made some tentative passes to see how the car reacted & thought I had a handle on it. This was back in the late sixties & gassers were popular, his car was a C/Gas 48 Anglia with a Hilborn injected 301 cid Chevy motor & a 4 speed. The first pass I made under full throttle in the left lane, I took out the Christmas tree. It only damaged the front fiberglass nose piece, so we patched it up. Later in the day, I was put in the right lane because the car had a tendency to go right. WELL, guess what? I left this time, the car went right & took out the tree again. For many years after that, when I went to this track I had the dubious title of "The Christmas Tree Destroyer".
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Oh no, no,no, NO! I can't think of a worse car to learn to drive a drag car in!
 
I saw a guy with an absolutely gorgeous Anglia coupe with a small block chevy with a tunnel ram pull a giant wheelie, after breaking his wheelie bars. It came down hard, broke something in the front suspension, swerved into the wall hard, and rolled three times.
Driver walked away,so pissed he couldn't see straight, offered it to anybody who would cart it away.


He came to his senses before I could get to my trailer, darn it.
 
Demonracer said:
Many years ago. the guy who got me into drag racing took me to a track & told me it was time to learn to drive a drag car. I made some tentative passes to see how the car reacted & thought I had a handle on it. This was back in the late sixties & gassers were popular, his car was a C/Gas 48 Anglia with a Hilborn injected 301 cid Chevy motor & a 4 speed. The first pass I made under full throttle in the left lane, I took out the Christmas tree. It only damaged the front fiberglass nose piece, so we patched it up. Later in the day, I was put in the right lane because the car had a tendency to go right. WELL, guess what? I left this time, the car went right & took out the tree again. For many years after that, when I went to this track I had the dubious title of "The Christmas Tree Destroyer".
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And those kind of nick names tend to stick around for a looonnnnng time :rolleyes:
 
Yeah, I kept that nickname for probably 40 years. Only people who raced at that track back then know me by that. Unfortunately a lot of them have passed on, or gotten away from racing.
 
33IMP said:
I remember seeing a photo of an Opel Gt taking down a Christmas tree.
I thought it was Frank Mazi's car, but I can't find it. As an opel owner, I'm curious.
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I remember helping an old Hippie Friend push one he got for 5 bucks outta a driveway and up the street into his. Other driving my Dad's stuff , a 77 Vette, and built 4 spd truck (this was after he Passed,) this was my first experience in cars..we were 15. Man,.he had a Hot Neighbor Chick, a Bikers Daughter, that took a liking to me.... did she get me in some trouble!
 
Demonracer said:
Many years ago. the guy who got me into drag racing took me to a track & told me it was time to learn to drive a drag car. I made some tentative passes to see how the car reacted & thought I had a handle on it. This was back in the late sixties & gassers were popular, his car was a C/Gas 48 Anglia with a Hilborn injected 301 cid Chevy motor & a 4 speed. The first pass I made under full throttle in the left lane, I took out the Christmas tree. It only damaged the front fiberglass nose piece, so we patched it up. Later in the day, I was put in the right lane because the car had a tendency to go right. WELL, guess what? I left this time, the car went left & took out the tree again. For many years after that, when I went to this track I had the dubious title of "The Christmas Tree Destroyer".
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.............A real "Tree Totaler".................
 
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