First Car to the Strip

[Mike Gray]

Like a number of you I made my first pass down a drag strip with a 390 Ford. I purchased a 1967 390 GT Mustang fastback on graduation day in 1974 and took it to Irwindale raceway on Wednesday grudge night. It was a little tired 70k mile 390 C6 with 3.00 gears. Ran 15.30 on first pass with some tire spin. Freshened motor and added headers and it went 14.70 still spinning. Pulled the 3.00 gears and installed 4.11 and it went 13.90 with lots of spinning. Didn’t know enough to switch to a locker or spool back then but as a 18yr old it was more fun driving around town and being able to smoke a tire most of the way down the block.

[shelbydragracer]

My first pass at Black Hills Dragway, in Belle Fourche,SD was in 1975 with my 71 Mach 1, 351 cleveland 4speed, 3.25 open rear. Went mid 15's at low 90s mph. Had to drive it out and then get on it, to keep it from spinning. It was all stock then. Second time I raced it I won $100 for winning slow et. That $100 has cost me many thousands since with this drag race addiction but wouldn't change a thing.

[larrylomascolo]

Well my69 chevelle sml blk first trip was expensive ,borrowed trailer,borrowed truck from work,was restoring a 80 GMC 2500 p/u not done yet no time for trailer lights ,on our way 3cars of us i was in middle cause of no lights,almost their DragwayPark Cayuga Ont.i was exposed in rear ,cop pulled me over,,Fine was over a $100 and had to hook up trailer lights on side of road,,at track went 12.20 down to 11.70s,,.i was so hyped up i broke a bolt holding shifter to floor,,had a Hurst 1/4 stick a2spd. glide tranny,tapping bolt that came with it,,Garage queen now, i bought car for $125. in 1979 300 deluxe 250 3speed standard shift on column,3rd peddle still in it ,had 4spd in it when it was on street,i broke 3 muncie,s,i wanted to run a stick but a nice T-10was big bucks

[Mike Schwartz]

In 1976: a 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu coupe 307/200hp automatic. I remember that Englishtown classified it in P/SA to run in the Cups eliminator. Surprisingly, it is still classified by NHRA as an O,P,Q/SA car.

I had no idea what I was doing. The best it ran was 18.23; by the time I moved on to something else it it wouldn't get out of the 20's.

[SGSST109E]

1968 Chevell Malibu 250 straight 6. 18.55 at 85 mph at englishtown in 1971.

[Bret Kepner]

First post here in many, many years. In July, 1976, I took my Citron Gold Metallic 1966 Plymouth Barracuda "UnCommando", (using the 180 hp 2bbl 273 and TorqueFlite), to the original St. Louis International Raceway in Madison, Illinois, to race in K/SA and won class but got my head caved in in the first round of the eliminator. That car kept Badger Pistons Company in business for a while while I got it down to the point at which, on one wonderful, cool evening, it ran within a solitary hundredth of the class record...and then the AHRA hung ten horsepower on the combination. I then starting throwing my money into a 4,000-pound, 120-inch wheelbase bonfire resembling a refrigerator-white '70 Plymouth Fury II, (with the 290 hp 2bbl 383 "Commando" engine and TorqueFlite), running in O/SA "because nobody had ever done it". I soon discovered why.

[Kent Pascoe]

Long time no post Bret, nice to have you back.

BTW My 1st pass also at St. Louis International in my '73 Gran Torino Sport fastback w/a 429 with a 2.73 rear gear 15.80 86 mph.

[Floyd Staggs]

1960 or 61. 1954 Ford, 312 .30 over, Speedpro pistons, tri power with 97's, Harman Collins cam, Ducoil ignition, 3 speed with floor shift. Ran Pomona in C/G. Broke the low/reverse slider almost every time I speed shifted. We still had the flag man back then.

[Belair 7548]

First and last...55 Chevy of course!

[Mike Meier]

Back in 1998 snuck off to Englishtown with my mom's 1987 Chevy Corsica after borrowing it to "go to the movies" with some friends.

She knowingly lent it to me to go racing with it a year later because I was in 1st place in points for High School Eliminator and she didn't want to see me fall behind when my Toyota broke an axle.