Thread: Am I the only teen who envies.....

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My bride asked me a few years ago; "Why don't we go to the drag races live, I know you really like them."

My response; "Because the smell of nitro, and the major vibrations in the chest would lead to a serious dent in our savings account!"

Knowing my competitive nature she instantly understood!

Bob, you trying to tell us that your not planning on making a pass or two in that Mopar of yours?...

Dave Brisco

Originally Posted by Bob Parmenter

"Because the smell of nitro, and the major vibrations in the chest would lead to a serious dent in our savings account!"

Knowing my competitive nature she instantly understood!

Hey UNCLE Hemi Bob, the North West Nostalgia Drags at Pacific are just around the corner or you can bring all that Mopar muscle down to the Shelton Nostalgia drags Aug. 5th & 6th. I think I'll run my "T" a few times there just to see what it'll do.
Larry M.

You never know Davey...................as long as I stay away from nitro!!

Well Larry, the Dodge is in Vegas, and still mostly in pieces so doesn't look like any of THAT is gonna happen for a while. Runnin' the T could be a kick for you though!

[QUOTE=BigTruckDriver]

"my Dad had plenty of stories.He was at the time considered one of the top car builders 60,70,80's."

Driver - You live in the Dallas area, tell me: Did (or, does) your Dad live in the area as well? If so, might he have run at at Caddo Mills or Green Valley in his early days?

I left the area in the early sixties for several years so its not too likely that we knew each other, but we might have mutual friends. I, for one, would love to see some of his pictures.

Jim

dude! where the hell have you been i thought i was the only one who even cared about 60's drag racing!!! rock on dude! btw im 19 been at this since i was 7 or 8

Originally Posted by Peiceofpaper

Im 17 and I've been thinking about how cool it would have been to grow up in the 50's, 60's, and 70's, when drag racing was really drag racing (to me atleast). I watch and looks at tons of pics and videos of old school fuel altereds, gassers, and every other kind of race car from the early days of racing. I truly envy the those of you who got to grow up around the old school drag racing. Everything nowadays seems to be done by computers and very little of the outcome of the race is determined by the skill of the driver.

I cant be the only one that feels this way...?

I think there are many more people who think that racing used to be much better back then. It's not just limited to the drags either. I don't really care for the Stock Car races anymore. There's not much of anything stock about them. There was a TV channel a while back that was showing the old races. I just loved watching a bunch of Gran Torinos (with all the stock chrome trim even) barreling around the track.

I drove my first race in a go-kart in 1961, my first stock car race in 1969, went drag racing in the early '80's, went back to racing stock cars on asphault and dirt from '91 to 2003. I spent years fabricating parts for other people and finally built my own first street rod in 1976. So, speaking as one who has raced and built hotrods off & on for over 40 years, it was a lot more fun back then.

In racing, ingenuity and skill were important. When you got beat, it was because the other guy either out-thought you or out-drove you. Now it's all about cubic money. When you get beat it's probably because the other guy has deeper pockets. More money invested = less fun returned.

Hotrodding / streetrodding has certainly been touched by the influences of money, particularly in the cost of building a car. But at least you can still use skill and ingenuity. All those street rod parts makers hate people like me - I do EVERYTHING myself except upholstery, so I don't buy many of their parts...

Originally Posted by Bob Parmenter

You never know Davey...................as long as I stay away from nitro!!

Well Larry, the Dodge is in Vegas, and still mostly in pieces so doesn't look like any of THAT is gonna happen for a while. Runnin' the T could be a kick for you though!

Drop that old Dodge off at my place for awhile, I'll do some work on it for you!!!! Come on, I dare ya!!!!


I've got to disagree a bit on the racing. Drag racing used to be who is Glidden going to take out in the final rounds, and who is gonna win top fuel? (Usually Garlits, Shirley, or Kenny).


In NASCAR, there were maybe a half dozen cars capable of winning, the rest were measured in laps down. Now you have got to be really on your game to even make the show, and anyone of the starters could be a contender for the win!!


Sure, racing has gotten so expensive it's out of the range of a couple of guys running out of their back alley garage to be competitive. The teams who are competitive are the one's who know how to market their product and attract the big $$$$ sponsors. IMO racing in any form is a lot more competitve now then it has ever been. Do I miss the "good old days"??? You bet your a** I do!!!

Even in the late 70's things were simpler..no cell phones,internet..etc..I think in 20 years we all may think back on how easy things were at
"the turn of the century" all you can do is enjoy what you have while you can because you never know when you're time is up....my2c

Bob
97 LSC
67 Merc Caliente

[QUOTE=Big Tracks]

Originally Posted by BigTruckDriver

"my Dad had plenty of stories.He was at the time considered one of the top car builders 60,70,80's."

Driver - You live in the Dallas area, tell me: Did (or, does) your Dad live in the area as well? If so, might he have run at at Caddo Mills or Green Valley in his early days?

I left the area in the early sixties for several years so its not too likely that we knew each other, but we might have mutual friends. I, for one, would love to see some of his pictures.

Jim

I remember Green Valley

Yeh yeh I like pretty much anything with engines....I saw The import cars at first glance. That was my big thing when I was younger(around 11) Then I got to be a little older and saw muscle cars on the street. There loud overly obnoxious exhaust systems. I knew by that time I had to have one! So I got a muscle car instead of the highly ridiculous slow import car.

Well, I'm 20, and I wish I could have been there, that's for sure.

I drive a '70 Nova, and inherently spend a lot of time talking with people that where big into cars when mine was still under warranty. Look at what "drag racing" is now, for the majority of teenagers at least. You sit in a dimly-lit parking lot until 2 in the morning waiting for a race. You find a potential race, and all hell breaks loose about popping your hood, giving the other guy X car lengths because he's running 'street tires', getting into heated arguments (saw a gun pulled once ). And for what? To race some poorly tuned, ~120 horsepower, mid-15 second 4-banger with a gigantic muffler for a poorly-measured 1,320 feet and risk getting your car towed away by local cops with nothing better to do? I think not.

I drive the car I do because I love it. It, and the type of racing that where endorsed during it's time mean a lot to me, and I wish to God that I couldve been there. I guess it's not in the deck, but it doesn't mean I can't own a piece of that history, and live it to the extent that I can.

I respect a fast car, but like paper said, so much of this new stuff is computer controlled, dyno tuned, yadda yadda. One of my buddies is talking about getting a $350 dyno tune, driving 100 miles to do so. I use a flat-head screwdriver. To me, driving an old muscle car just represents a dieing breed that I'm proud to at least want to be a part of.

So for those of you that were there for it, I envy you.
For those of you that are my age wishing you were there for it, join the team. Let's do what we can to honor the sport as it was intended to be, and set a good example doing it.

Great post, pieceofpaper. good to see like-minded young people that love the sport as much as I do.

nice post SBC-maro. i agree with alot of what you said especially about the "new street racing" most people my age here up to 25 are idiots. they follow the trends to much be a leader not a follwer. the one thing that annoys me the most is anythime i do drive my car on the street you are constantly hoarded and fu&*ked with by the ricer boys it has gotten old, so i basically quit driving my car on the street because i am sick of people asking me to race them for $ , or their half assed attempt to play pinks tv in real life!........just my 2 cents worth.......scooter

Just goes to show that muscle cars and Hot Rodding in general is alive and well with the next generation!!!! I'm currently enjoying life on the dirt tracks again, back where it all started for me. Street racing is a joke anymore around here, just how is it you can tell if two Neon's are racing v normal driving? The rate of acceleration seems to be about the same!!!!!