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#28 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Pittsburgh
Posts: 576
Likes: 298
Liked 748 Times in 137 Posts
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Im a first generation racer. My dad was a borderline 'car guy', did all his own maintenance on the cars, but never took it much further. My Mom and Dad bought a brand new 1967 Pontiac Catalina, convertible, 400, 4 speed, 4 years before I was born. After my arrival complicated their life, they sold it and bought an Olds Vista Cruiser Wagon... Growing up, my neighbors would tell stories on how my MOM, (yes) would back that car out of the driveway, turn up our street, wind it up, dump the clutch and grab rubber through the first 3 gears.
Fast forward to 1986 ish, and my dad and I went to Englishtown to the drags. This was my first time at a drag strip. It was there where I first saw Super Stock and was fascinated. Wally Clark, Joe Scott, Ciccarone, Armstrong, Tim Worner, Dick Butler, Ang Dicocco, tons of others and of course Jim Boburka. I was floored with the wheelstands... I particularly loved the 3rd gen Camaro's and their magnificent gradual rise, long carrying, and soft landing wheelstands. It was then my dream to have one. In 1988 my best friend and I went 50/50 on a $500 1966 327 Chevelle, 4 speed. It was rough, really rough, had just hit a tree, and the the grille, hood and radiator were bent like a horseshoe,but the rad didn't leak. We drove it home. I fixed it up, but I was more interested in the performance, and he wanted it to be more show car like. After about 1 year, I bought his half out, and put together a pretty wicked little 350 for it. I proceeded to get myself into a bunch of trouble with it on the streets of NJ. The climax was when the cops showed up at dinner at my house, saying they had seen the car street racing several times, and the night before they know I turned off the lights and evaded them at high speed. They said they are watching, very closely. My dad flipped out and said that's it, I'm removing the license plate, throwing it into the dump in the meadows and its going onto the Want Add Press (The NJ Car trader rag of that era) to be sold in the morning... I then said I want to drag race legit off the road, and wanted to keep the car, but I understand Im headed for trouble or worse on the street. To my amazement, he said ok, "I will buy a trailer for you". We found an "econotrailer" open trailer about 1/2 hour from the house. After several years of bracket racing that pig at Island and Englishtown, then moving to Pittsburgh, in 1993 and continuing the bracket bash still with the 4 speed at Keystone, and Quaker city, I sold it and bought my current car in 1999 (the infamous lime green "slimer" of Joe Scott) rolling, from the Matuska's in Bowling green who had taken it in on trade from Brian McCormick for his new S10 SS pickup. Once we agreed to everything on the phone, I drove to BG the day before our first born son's birthday, turning right around and then bringing her home. My wife was flipping out... "If you miss your sons first birthday to get a stupid car!!".... I pulled into the driveway at 1:30 am, went inside, poured a triple of Johnnie Walker Black, and just sat in the car on the trailer taking it all in. I've always done all my own engine work, head work, trans, everything. And the highlight was my first Wally at Indy in 2021 when I won class. Im not going to lie, when I turned off onto the return road, I stopped and just about folded in the seat, crying like a 14 year old girl whose boyfriend dumped her. When they handed me that Wally, I was still a mess. Kp |
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