First Divisional or National event stories
 

Hello CR, I'm just trying to make the most of my "COVID"time. I was hoping with all the Stock/SuperStock aficionados here, there would be some great stories to share.

It doesn't have to to be your first event, but just anything memorable.

I thought this would be a great time to read something fun and wholly entertaining. While possibly gaining some insight, on the in's and out's, do's and don'ts of participating in an NHRA event one day.

Thank you in advance, and I hope and pray no more persons of this great community are affected by this virus.

Re: First Divisional or National event stories
 

Spring 1993, my first Divisional: Cecil County MD. Though I have admired Stock Eliminator for years, I have don't know many of the racers, and have never attended a race with anyone. Ryck Campbell gets the unenviable distinction of teching my car. The car is from Division 3, so no one in Division 1 really knows the car. "What's your carb numbers?" "I don't know". "What's your head number?" "I don't know". Ryck is quiet, but you can tell that he's not happy. He checks what he can see, checks my safety equipment, and lets me in.

I don't have access to a scale, so I tech in as C/SA with a minimum of 3725 lbs. I go to the scale before my first run and the person running the scale hollers out "45!". So, I go up for the first qualifying run. When I cross the scale, the scalemaster says, "You're 100 lbs. light!" I don't have any lead, the previous owner had rightfully removed it from the car. I go to the tower and talk to Greg X. "Don't you have any weight?" "No" "Can't you borrow it from someone?" "I don't know anyone." Perhaps for the first time in the history of NHRA, I am allowed to change my class to B/SA.

First round, I draw former World Champion Tex Miller. I give him a small head start and away we go! Second gear, Third gear, focus on the opponent, set the car right in beside him, a cone flashes by between us, back off, look up for the win light, and it's the 1000 foot cone! Back on the throttle, and I can't catch him.

Time to load up and go home. Though I feel like a fool, I can't wait for the next opportunity to try it again!

Re: First Divisional or National event stories
 

Thank you Greg, that’s exactly what I was hoping for, a story like that. Thank you.

Re: First Divisional or National event stories
 

Here’s my story of getting to the semis in my first IhRA race.


back in 2011 or so I had the brilliant idea to take the bone stock 100,000 mile 318 motor that came with my car and put it in my dart to run Q stock. Replaced a bunch of gaskets so it didn’t leak, etc. Get it all together and it goes 13.50 something at the local track (non prep street night) on Wednesday. Figure this is great! Mind you this was with 87 Pump gas and had no clue what the weight was... loaded up and headed into Canada with a borrowed truck and no registrations/ titles etc... stopped to pick up race gas. Figured let’s put c-11 in it cus i read its fast! Stopped to pick up vinyl numbers for the car in Niagara Falls. Get to the border and they didn’t wanna let me in. Apparently heading into Canada with No title/registration, borrowed old truck is frowned upon. Spent an hour there before they finally asked. “How do we know this is your car and you won’t sell it here?” My response was simple. My Name is on the window and my wife would kill me.. so they let me in. 😂. Get to the track after midnight so gets are closed but my close buddy knows someone at IhrA so we “sneak” in.

Race day! Put the c-11 head to the scales, 150 light. No problem I got that, add the weight and we are ready for the first hit. Burn out great.. thing sounds like it’s got 600hp not 180 something. Run it through and it’s a dog 😂😂. 14.20 something on the 14.10 index, 200+ degrees thru the lights, poppin and banging, ready to grenade. Turn off track and head to the pits. Totally by passing the scales. 😅. Mind u it just went 13.53 earlier in the week. Pull a plug and it’s super lean. Take a drill to the stock jets in the 2 barrel and drop some timing out. Head back up. 14.18. Hit the scales good. Fuel check good. Did I mention it was 96 degrees outside. So first round dialed 14.10. Guy goes red. I go 14.18. Win
Second round next guy is a day late I’m really good and go 14.14 with my foot through the floor board... get to the semis and I go red like an idiot. Run it out the back door pissed off and it goes 14.103 on a 14.10. Get my check for $200.

Sounds crazy, stupid, bush league, amateur hour. You name it but looking back it was AWESOME and I wouldn’t have changed any of it. Just made me wanna jump in with both feet. Next winter had a motor and transmission built for it.

For my first NhRA national story.. got hooked heads up round one😂😂. That’s a story for another day

Re: First Divisional or National event stories
 

But wait! . . . There's more! My first national event is Columbus. First round, I get paired up with Bob Gere I think; he had a 350 Buick back then, J/SA. We're staged, the lights come down, he takes off, my second yellow comes on and then nothing. How I didn't move, I don't know how, but I didn't move. I look over at Buster and he's just looking straight ahead. So, I drive down the track, get my time slip, and go back to the tower. Turns out Buster's finger slipped and he shut off the tree! On the re-run, I won the round, which is probably all that I won that weekend.

It makes me think that there really is a lot to learn at this game. When I bought the car, I knew nothing about having to go to points races, etc. to get into national events. I thought you just showed up, paid your money at the gate, and ran the race; just like the local bracket race. For anyone that's going to try it, I do suggest that you attend at least one race with someone who's done it.

Re: First Divisional or National event stories
 

My most memorable race. back in the day was attending the Dutch Classic at Maple Grove back when they had that race in the Springtime in May either ‘74 or ‘75. We had an entourage of about 5 or 6 cars follow each other from upstate N.Y. , most of us flat towing our cars using those old NMW hubs. Cars ranged from my ‘69 Camaro stocker, Clem LaChance and his H/MP Maverick, Fred Rice with his D/SA Mustang and a couple other local racers with their cars from back home.We arrive late at night and park in the driveway outside the gate. We all ended up sleeping in either the “Camaro Cottage “, “ Blazer Bungalow” or the “Ford Motel”. I slept in the back seat of my Camaro with my feet hanging out of the side window. I’m 6’4” tall and man did I pay for that mistake the next day ! Anyway, I make it to the semis in stock eliminator and I’m paired up with the “Mooney and Weed” E/SA Cobra Jet Convertible. I win the round and return to the pits when an Official comes up to me and says we had the handicap wrong and you need to rerun the round. Back then there was no scoreboard showing any dial. I don’t believe the index system was used yet and we may have run off national records ? Anyway, after cooling our cars down we rerun our race and I win again. Back in the pits again an official tells me they still had the “spot” wrong. We run a third time and I lose. Now everything is fine ??? I was just a 19 or 20 year old kid at the time and who was I to bitch to ? Still had a great time and would not trade those years for anything!

Re: First Divisional or National event stories
 

Justin,
I dreamed all my life to run stock eliminator. I thought it was the coolest class in the world but I had no money! Started buying parts slowly thru the years. I’m a machinist and started doing as much machine work as I could to keep the cost down and finally after a couple of years, I get the engine done. Dyno the engine and it made great power, 17 pulls to be exact. Put the motor in the car and she is ready to go. The car sat in the trailer for about three weeks and then it was time for my first divisional race at Maple grove. I head out to Maple grove a day early to make some test runs prior to the meet so I can learn something and learn how this whole class racing works because remember, I know NOTHING about this class except I thought it was cool as hell. And remember, I know nobody there. I was a very lost person!!!

I get the car teched in and everything is good! Now I’m excited. I have a great engine, car and I’m finally here. I head to the staging lines for my first time trial. Bring the rpms up in the burnout box, pull second gear and BOOM! It kicks a rod out the side of the block. I get back to the pits and want to puke. What the hell happened? I drive home the next day and tear the motor down very carefully to analyze everything. Found a crack in the bottom of the cylinder that was leaking water!!

Built a new motor for next year and was able to run 1.1 under and the rest is history! Sine then, I have met some of the nicest people in the world. I love class racing and people in it. I feel like the luckiest guy in the world being around all you great class racers, regardless of all the complaining about NHRA and differences in personalities. I couldn’t be happier!

I’m truly living and dream being around all of you. I have learned so much from a lot of great racers! And I would like to thank everyone that helped me or gave me advise, it meant a lot to me and my wife!!

Re: First Divisional or National event stories
 

1989 Indy points meet, it was not my first points meet but I recall meeting and talking to a YOUNG Lance and Jason Line at this race. I drank HEAVILY in those days so I could have a. few things mixed up. Jason was driving a R/SA 66 Chevy wagon that he purchased from Canadian Peter Boslovich. He was a very thin, well mannered kid from Minnesota. He was either in the military OR was set to join ....Little did I know that in a few short years he would go on to win the STOCK world championship , work for Joe Gibbs, crash in his first pro stock race and eventually win a Pro Stock championship. Lance would go onto building some of the baddest STOCK eliminator engines on the planet. The mom and dad race, all the siblings race, the cousins race, Lance’s daughter races...
The LINES are an amazing RACING family....

Re: First Divisional or National event stories
 

In 1972 I was a partner in a SS Barracuda and I also worked for Buster Couch and Darrell Davis in Division ll as did my partner. Buster didn't really like this idea but he let it go but made it VERY clear if there was ever a question about anything, we loose. This is the first race for a new car and once it was at the Phoenix City track my partner and I had nothing to do with it. The car was light when it was weighed before time trials so our driver got some weight and "added" it to the car. First round he beats Jimmy Waibel and I was at the scales and as the car rolls across and I say the weight is good Jimmy tells me to look under the carpet behind the seats and there was loose ballast he had seen being added. With the words of Buster in my ears we threw out our car. No one knew I had anything to do with the car and we kept it that way. Not the beginning we had hoped for but we got thru it. Later that year I got drafted and the car was sold. I ended up at Fort Bragg and kept working for Buster a few more years but no more cars during that time.

Re: First Divisional or National event stories
 

I don't how to express thanks or gratitude to you guys for sharing your stories. I'm over the moon, stoked that you guys answered. You've made this "old" kid really happy...and hopeful.

I hope you all know, it's greatly appreciated. ;)