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-   -   Forgettable Racing Stories (https://classracer.com/classforum/showthread.php?t=24297)

Robert Swartz 03-09-2010 05:12 AM
Re: Forgettable Racing Stories
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Schwartz (Post 173886)
- Finally, I'm at Maple Grove on a Saturday night for the Bracket Finals. After I'm eliminated, I decide I'll go north to run Numidia the next day. By the time I get there at 1AM I'm dead tired, so I park outside the track gates and go to sleep. I wake at sunrise and wait for the track to open. 8AM: nothing happens. 9AM: still nothing. It's almost 10 when someone towing a drag car drives past me, gives me a funny look and continues down the highway. I finally realize: "Duh! There's no race today" I rush home, and two hours later I make it to Island Dragway and manage a last second time trial just as cars are being called for eliminations.
Real similar to this. We had a week once, weather was bad all week. Really couldn't decide whether it was worth getting ready or not. We prepped and loaded the car on
a Saturday during a lull. Woke up Sunday morning, sun was shining, weather was nice. I proceeded to my my partners house, picked him up, off to the races we went.

We get to the track, there's about a dozen other cars sitting in line. This probably about 9, track usually opened at 10, no problem. We wait for someone to show up. 10 comes and goes, no one. 10:30, still no one. This was mid 80's, no cell phone instant communication like today. Finally, we pool up and find someone with a driver car, I just happened to have one of the track operaters number. We send someone to call them. They come back 15-20 minutes later, tell us, they "woke him up". Said, the weather report was for rain last nite, THEY decided not to race Sunday. Nice 50 mile trip for nothing. It never rained that day!

BRIAN SEATE 03-09-2010 09:50 PM
Re: Forgettable Racing Stories
 
I was running a bracket race about 10 years ago and learned a lesson about top end. A 5.70 1/8th mile car got loose and went on the roof, tripped the timers over 120 and came through the guardrail upside down. The car hit a dually and catapulted into the air. I was unhooking my battery and time stood still as this car flew through the air. My dad and others were on the fence and I could see them running. The car went over my dads head and landed on a scooter. I could not see my mom or sister for a few moments, thankfully they were out of the way. Two people were swept up in the mayhem, both by the quarters unfolding with the roof as the welds broke. The driver walked away, one of the carbs hit my sisters car where she had been standing moments earlier. The potential was there for 8-10 serious injuries or worse. The lesson learned.... dont watch on top end or park there if at all possible. Those few seconds seemed like forever. We stood around and took it all in, we all realized that a dually saved everyone. That car would have taken a direct path into the pits on the ground.

Urraco 03-09-2010 11:27 PM
Re: Forgettable Racing Stories
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Cimarolli (Post 173692)
Houston national event a few years back, we all got stuck, couldn't get our rigs out, NHRA wouldn't let us even try. We had to get home on our own, come back the next weekend to another postponed event. By the time we did get pulled out the next weekend nobody from NHRA was even there to supervise the situation. There was one track employee there with an old tractor, he had his hand out, and he jackknifed trailers into trucks, tore up hitches etc., and just shrugged his shoulders and said he was sorry. I got my pickup out on my own, but my trailer had to be pulled about an 1/8 of a mile through mud knee deep.
that is why Houston is on the no race there list

tim worner 03-10-2010 11:45 AM
Re: Forgettable Racing Stories
 
Boy I have a few but I guess the best of the worst are being stopped in a construction zone in Missouri with a motorhome stopped behind me and having a 18 wheeler shove the motorhome 4 ft into my trailer. Pushed me into a flatbed truck demolishing everything. Nobody got hurt though. But without a doubt the best of the worst is stopping @ Lake Station Flying J on way home from Chicago race. Gone 10/ 15 minuets to come outside to find entire rig stolen. Now that my friends is an awful empty feeling. Away from home about $10 in my pocket no cell and keys that fit nothing and all your hard work and property gone. got very lucky to get it all back less tools spare parts tv vcr ect. Trans ruined in truck had to stay 4days till I got it fixed. Not a good weekend.

k.pascoe 03-10-2010 03:38 PM
Re: Forgettable Racing Stories
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Bailey (Post 173865)
Shreveport ,LA ....IHRA World Finals 2000. The last year I drove Doug Herbert's IHRA Snap on Tools Top Fueler. Saturday Night. Wayne Bailey and I shook hands before our final qualifying run. He said, "Jim, let's just go out and have some fun!" Three minutes later, his broken in half racecar went by me in the lights at 290mph, he was a least 50' in the air. $h** was on fire, and flying everywhere. And Wayne died. Something's aren't forgettable.
Jim you're right, I'll never forget that either.

Bret Kepner 03-10-2010 06:59 PM
Re: Forgettable Racing Stories
 
Jim and Kent, I spent some time with Wayne's daughter, Harmony, today and she appreciates everybody keeping Wayne's name out there.

Todd Boyer 03-10-2010 09:59 PM
Re: Forgettable Racing Stories
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Bailey (Post 173865)
Shreveport ,LA ....IHRA World Finals 2000. The last year I drove Doug Herbert's IHRA Snap on Tools Top Fueler. Saturday Night. Wayne Bailey and I shook hands before our final qualifying run. He said, "Jim, let's just go out and have some fun!" Three minutes later, his broken in half racecar went by me in the lights at 290mph, he was a least 50' in the air. $h** was on fire, and flying everywhere. And Wayne died. Something's aren't forgettable.
Jim, I'm assuming you and Wayne weren't related...not that that makes the experience any easier...

Bret Kepner 03-10-2010 10:06 PM
Re: Forgettable Racing Stories
 
No relation despite the uncanny resemblance.

Casper68 03-10-2010 10:23 PM
Re: Forgettable Racing Stories
 
Paris dragstrip around '95....car, truck and trailer torn up in a hail storm....along with my dads car and truck parked right next to mine. Lots of cars torn up that day.

treessavoy 03-10-2010 10:27 PM
Re: Forgettable Racing Stories
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by FLEMING (Post 173693)
1996 Steele Alabama,On the way down there the newly rebuilt motor in our dually decided shatter a piston... So the decision was made to buy a crate motor from a local dealership and we changed it at a local guys garage.. Get back on the road and finally get to the track... Well they had gotten snow there in the weeks before, we got there it was beautiful sun was out, in the upper 60's... Well... all the water in the ground from the snow decided to come up through the track, there was nothing they could do so after 1 round of time runs the race was cancelled..

Man I miss the old days..

I remember that race. I used to bracket race there and we all knew it was going to be a problem. IHRA was pissed and never held a race there again.

JimR


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