Ok Brent,

I couldn't drive in the 50's, but I went with older kids who could. Our races were started by a flagger standing between and in front of the racers. More than once the flagger had to be quick to get out of the way of a wild fishtail.

Cops would sometimes show up, but usually it was all over before they even got close and I don't remember anyone getting tickets. Probably, because nothing was scheduled. It was always impromptu and never at the same time or even on the same day. It usually got started when somebody showed off at a stoplight and met later at the drive in to talk about it.

Our early king of the midnight drags was an old style T bucket ,black primered metal body and all with a 53 Merc flat head with tri power. Had a LaSalle transmission and a Halibrand quick change rear end. Biggest tires he could get were the old 9.00x15 ambulance tires and he could smoke 'em through first and second.

Later on when I was old enough, we had a place south of town called "The Sludge". Had about a mile of straight road and easy to see both ends to watch for Gendarmes. At times 40 or 50 cars would show up. Mostly spectators who heard "something was going on". Maybe a dozen or so cars would actually race. No pink slips, just braggin' rights. It was an elimination race and a "run what ya brung". by then, (mid to late 60's) it was mostly muscle cars and Corvettes. If a "certain car" didn't show up, a Corvette most often won. The "certain car", was a 53 Ford tudor ht. Ugly old beast with just gray primer and no chrome, but it was REALLY quick.

By then TDI was making recap cheater slicks and this guy had the biggest he could get under the fenders. He always waited to be in the last race and after he won, he kept going and left the area for his home town 15 miles away.

In typical hod rodder fashion, nobody got a look under his hood. For almost a year he did this and all anybody knew about him or the car was that it was fast and noisey and he didn't talk much.

We eventually got him to lift the hood and have a peek. Pretty as you please, there sat a Tunnel Port 427 with Hilborn injection, backed up by a top loader 4spd.

Here we were in our stock or nearly stock muscle cars, trying to outrun a low 10 second gas class car!!!

For the record and the younger readers, 10 second cars on the street in the mid 60's was almost unheard of in the North West.

In 1971, I had a 69 SS Chevelle with L88 427 4spd 4.88 gears. Couldn't make the car leave right, so I never did better than 11.1 sec 1/4 mile, but it was fun to challenge the local vette crowd on the street, and dust their butts while their girl friends watched.

Lived in Brent's part of the world then, up in Everett, WA. Local rich kid had a "Nicky" Camaro that was pretty quick. He just couldn't drive it well and I took some of his hide a time or two.

Lotta fun in those days, but it really was a different time and people were eifferent. Especially young people. In the late late 60's and early 70's, there was either the hippie/druggy crowd or the B.Y.O.L., keg party hot rodders. Late 50's and early 60's was different again, with real rock and roll music, poodle skirts, saddle oxfords for the girls and English brogues and leather jackets for the guys. Poplin jackets for those who couldn't afford leather.....like me.

The biggesst thing I think was different, was how kids acted and thought. Yeah we did crazy stuff, but rarely did anyone ever get hurt. Seemed like everybody kind of knew when to quit, whether it was a street race or a party. We didn't have knife and gun stuff and there were no gangs to worry about up here in the NW.

Like all things though, memories do get rosier with time.

Al