Features Have you ever run a car down a drag strip or an oval track?

1969 and '70 at the new Amber-Green Dragway (now Rock Falls, "the Rock") in a '65, L-79 Chevelle that I bought from a drunk in a tavern for $500. Again 51 years later at the same track in an early Nova.
Oh, and I made a couple parade laps around IMS in my '57 Nomad. If all goes well, I'll Be at "Fallout" at the Rock this year or next.

 

Me a few years ago at Barona

 

Just having too much fun...... The last one is owned by the Smith Brothers, who forced me to run the long course a couple times !!

 

Still drag racing my 1932 5W

 

In that 59 olds as a push car

 

lived my entire life within 5 miles of Fremont drag Strip. had a '70 Z/28 and a '69 GTO in the early 80's but the only thing I took to the track was my Hot Rod Datsun pickup. I ran 17.70 @77 MPH. spun that 2.0 to 7,000 RPM.

did lots of racing about 1/2 mile from the drag strip on Boscell road which had a marked quarter mile.

 

Drag strips all over the country in many different cars…

 

Hot Rod Drag Week 2023

 

How about Land Speed (such as Bonneville)?

 

Ran at a few strips Connecticut Dragway. Englishtown New Jersey and Lebanon Valley New York

Still racing now its at the Bonneville Salt Flats 7 Land Speed Records many over 200 MPH with more to come.
Ronnieroadster

 

On Power Tour years ago did a few laps at Bristol in an O/T Ute....

 

Yes ans yes, neither very sucessfully.

Gary

 

If this counts for an oval, then yes!

 

I drove a bumper car back in September with my grandaughter. I hadn't been in one for 50 plus years. Good fun but too short a run.

 

Thank you. The 57 is my 2nd oldest brother Bob's. It's the quickest of the four of us, with turning in the mid - high 11's in the 1/4 mile. By the way, the 9.20 dial in for my 55 in the first photo is for the 1/8 mile. Both 55's are the slowest, with high 13's - low 14's.

Here's a video of Bob with his first run at last year's Out-A-Sight Drags, at Great Lakes Dragaway.
Out-A-Sight Drags 2023 day 2 first run 57 Chevy Belair (youtube.com)

 

My cousin Edward "Doc" Docskalik allowed me to go out for hot laps in his vintage car at Fonda speedway it's a real deal built in the 60s late model.


The first time on the track for me, my goal was to get a feel for it and stay out of everyone's way.
As it turned out the whole Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modifies field had lined up behind me which I was unaware of. As I entered turn 4 I heard in my ear "Going green on the 27!" My only thought "OH SHIT!!!"



it is a 56 Ford chassis and was originally built by Bill Roese with 56 Ford body



it was then sold and raced by an 18 year old Wink Hinkley who's barn it was in.


Wink reskinned with the Fairlane body.

Willard on the fender is my father

 

Back in September family friend John Hager asking me if I wanted to drive parade laps in the Ed Stevens Coupe at Mid-State speedway reunion (Morris NY) of course I said Yes!

Modified owned and built by Ed Stevens.
-1937 or 38 Dodge coupe body
-49-53 Chevrolet Frame
-Flemke front end
-Halibrand 10 spline (Champ) quick change rearend.
-S.B.C. raced and won against Big Blocks

Raced at
-Middletown The Orange County Fairgrounds NY
-Lebanon Valley Speedway West Lebanon NY
-Nazareth PA
Reading (Redding) PA




Myself and Ed Stevens



John Hager, Myself, and Ed Stevens



My dad leaning in the window




The car is an animal lots of power and no power steering which was fine once it was moving!
I stood on it a couple of times in 1 coming off 2 and going down the backstretch. I really wanted to open it up but thought about the fact it wasn't my car and I was in a piece of history!

And the 40 year old tires!

 

Started in high school and still messing with them 60+ years later

 

First on the street in 1956, then on the drag strip. Last run down the strip was about ten years ago in
my avatar car. The car is now in the San Diego area running on the Barona Dragstrip.
That seems fitting, as I had the original engine built in El Cajon, California.
Ernie

 

I've drag raced old cars at street and grudge nights. This ol' girl ran a 15.3 at 101, with an atrocious 60 ft time. It's been years since I've made any passes though.


In college, I was a 4 year member and 2 year president of the Society of Automotive Engineers formula program, where we designed and built what are essentially half-scale Indy cars to compete against other schools. Obviously very OT for here, but it was a great experience living in the machine shop every day, learning mill and lathe work, CNC machines, TIG welding, and so on. Those skills were a great foundation to build my automotive knowledge on. But we did a fair amount of autocross events around the Philadelphia/DC area with those cars, as well, many with me behind the wheel.

I campaigned a car in the 24 Hours of Lemons with my father in law for a few years, too. Lots of seat time running those events.

I'm not much of a go-fast guy, I much prefer a street car to a race car. But I'll take road racing over drag racing any day.

 

Hello,

At age 15, my brother was into his full on 58 Impala racing days. I was the pit crew, parts guy, and maintenance gofer. So, I knew as much as he did when it was time to get things ready for eliminations. Before we took off the Bruce Slicks, he allowed me to do a single run to see if I could get a good lower e.t. and top speed. I had never raced I his 58 Impala before. just a couple of around the block drives after washing his car. I did accelerate fast on a couple of blocks, but it was only for a short distance.

Now, he allowed me to drive the Impala one last time prior to the eliminations that were going to start after lunch. Since we had the Bruce Slicks on, those were allowed for timed runs, but not for stock car class racing. He took a film of me going down the drag strip and when I was coming back down the return road, K.S. Pittman’s red 41 Willys zipped by making a screaming run.
Me, driving the 1958 Impala with Bruce Slicks on the back, during a time trial acceleration test drive. Then coming back to the pits, K.S. Pittman flashes by with his red 41 Willys Coupe. Film taken by my brother, James.




So, how did I know which films had me driving? I took the majority of all of the drag racing films. But, as I became 15, my brother allowed me to race in the time trials and I got to continue in several different elimination days. He was a proud brother, when I got some good E.T. times and a fast top speed, plus those several races that were so close, but were trophy winners.


The transition of stock whitewall wheels/tires versus the painted rims was the difference. At the time, he took over the filming of me driving the 58 Impala with various painted rim phases.

Jnaki


That was the start of my dragstrip runs and within the next year, I was able to run in several elimination races to try and get a trophy. I got two.

It was not a one car on car race, but a 4 across race that included two older racers that had years of experience racing. I was nervous and got a slow start, but caught them at the tower and then squeaked by them at the end. My first trophy.

Then, the next week, the same two guys in another 4 across race. This time I beat the Pontiac off of the line, but the Buick was fast. Just past the half way mark, I was catching up and I won by a bumper. That older guy in the Buick was mad I won. But, he congratulated me, being so young and being a novice at the time…

The three smallest car top trophies on our bookshelf were mine. My brother had already taken his other trophies when he moved to Santa Barbara. The largest trophy on the shelf was for my dad winning the largest Trout at Lake Crowley’s Opening Day fishing contest one year in the Mammoth Mountain ski area, just off of Highway 395.

NOTE:

Driving on a highway is pretty neat when one starts out. The open road is always a fun way to experience freedom of your choice of direction and destinations. But, on a drag strip, the hyped up starting procedure, the potent stares everyone gets from one on the other side of the lights and the anticipation of the changing to the green light is so full of tension that it is almost Nirvana.

But, the same can be said for a full acceleration of a high horsepower car/motor on an empty street in the late hours whether it is a 4/5 speed or a full on muti-shift automatic transmission. YRMV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIQ9ME68QdI Cherry Avenue


Westminister Blvd. acceleration