Event Coverage Where were you in '03? Lets see what you got from the HAMB Drags the early years

My 1st time was 04. Made my 1st ever trip down a real 1/4 mile that weekend too. I think I made 5 runs, cut my time from the 1st run to the last run by 2 full seconds! I was still slow! I drove faster on the interstate getting there then I ran on the track. The old pickup wasn't set up to drag race.
It was still fun. I probably had more fun at the party in the hotel parking lot both Friday evening and Sat evening then at the track. I was the guy drinking Pepsi keeping the party guys safe, as we watched over the cars most of the night, both nights.

I have two HAMB Drags shirts, so I went at least 2 times.
The second time was the years the Texas boys brought up the "kit" car, and put it together in the hotel parking lot on Sat and ran it all afternoon and evening, then took it back apart after the drags was over. That was fun too. I had a different car then, it was slow too, but a little faster then the pickup. We ended up being parked side of Stud Dude (?) and his brother. His brother had an early 50s Cady. We raced each other 3 times, we were closely matched, I think I got 2 out of 3 by about a 1/2 fender length. That was really fun, even if we were both slow. We were faster then the Rambler grudge race pair though.

Someone mentioned classes for racing. From the time the track opened until around 4 was grudge racing. Then 4 to 5 was time runs to set up the real race cars. Then at 6pm, the "Official Drags" (in those years had 3 classes.) The later years added the HGR class = HAMB gas rails.
SR = Street Roadster (any street car or truck without a roof.)
SC = Street coupe (any street car or truck with a roof.)
CC = Competition Coupe (maybe?) These were all the real drag cars.

I think I went another year, but the it rained a lot, they managed to get a couple of hours of grudge racing in, but the storm moved in around 7pm, so the "Official Drags" got rained out.

The pickup was the 1st ride. The coupe was the 2nd ride. I don't remember the 3rd ride.

 

Seems like Mikey's first pass was a 12 something at like 138. I do remember he was in and out of it a bunch and I actually closed my eyes at one point on that first pass.

He did share a little known secrete about the 40 C-Dan with me at a bar in KC later that year, uh as he removed a beer from my hand and handed me a shot of whiskey. But that is his secrete to tell.

 

That was the maiden voyage of the Pusher. We rolled into the Ramada after dark. No hotel reservation and had been told that there were no rooms. me and the missus walked up to the desk and asked for a room anyway. The lady said there were none. I said, "Well isn't there anything in *DNR?" A lady walked out from the back and said, "let me help them." We got a room that the picture had fell from the wall.

We met the Mexican maid in the hall and I talked her out of extra towels and coffee. Several of my closest friends on the HAMB used the shower in our room that year. Actually several of us tail gated on the tail gate of my truck that year. I found little mike passed out in the bed of the truck about 5 or 6 the next morning. I am not sure who put him there. Back to that in a minute.

The pushing happened just in front of the HAMB Drags tent in the pits. We did not pre register and after we registered the truck wouldn't start. Mrs beaner jumped in and got ready to start it. I remember pushing and someone saying, "Does he need help?" I heard a familiar voice say, "That's Pork. He's not shy, if he needs help he'll tell ya."

Back to Little Mike, I know someone put him in the bed of my truck because even sober he would have had to work at getting in there. (no offense to Mike, I don't want him to "sock me in the nutz"). I said, "Hey buddy, you OK?" He sat up and said, "Beans, you brought me coffee. Thanks man." He reached out and grabbed my coffee. Then he said, "next time put cream in it man!!!" but he did not offer it back. I helped him find his room.

Sunday morning in the Ramada parking lot, always a trip.

*DNR is an old hotel term. It means Do Not Rent. Used to be you could find a room that did not exist if you knew the term.

 

PnB, great stories and Thanks for the room finding tip!

 

That sounds about right. I remember very little of the track portion so of the weekends but always come home with a half dozen stories from the rest of the weekend