Old Farts that don't have enough sense to quit
 

In response to the thread about "girl racers"....I only thought it appropriate to start a list of us old farts that don't have enough sense to quit>>>>>>>my name should near the top of the list. Been racing since 1965.

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since 1960 at York, Pa 58 Pontiac

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1964 Started at Cecil county.

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1974 New England Dragway (Wow, I'm just a youngster!)

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1963 at Spencer Speedway just east of Rochester, NY...........but I have had the good sense to quit

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1964 at Atco, in a 1964 Valiant.

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1969 at Englishtown, in a U/Stock 63 Chevy wagon.
1972 at Englishtown, Island, and Sanair in an O/Stock 65 Bel Air.
Then quit for 40 years - now building a V/Stock 67 El Camino.
All powered by 230 6 cylinders!

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9528 BC, when the Wheel brothers, Goe and Vast invented round objects for the transportation of dirt, a very good commodity at the time since rock was very hard. That's when I got hooked, should of quit when I had the chance. Been involved ever since.

Ron Ortiz
U/SA from dust to dust

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Since '69. Mountain View Dragway ,Wind Gap Pa. & Kel Reca Raceway , Tamaqua ,Pa

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1958 Great Lakes Dragaway Union Grove Wisconsin-- used to ditch High School classes to go race my 1950 Olds Super 88!!!

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Wow, Union Grove.........I watched 4 wide racing there in probably 1964....Drank "Near Beer" and watched Arnie Beswick...and a ton of altered wheel base cars. Great memories

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1966 Island Dragway. and many others including Indy......

I have raced just about every sportsman category.....either as the driver or as a wrench......

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1968 kettlersville dragstrip in ohio 1957 chevy

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First time racing was at Omaha Flightland Dragstrip in 1963, I was already 24 years old, and I have been hooked on it ever since. Now days the Senior Citizens Center wants me to join, I told them that's for old folks, I am only 74, besides I said, that I didn't have the time, cause I got to run back, and forth, from Nebraska, to Indiana to help my son, Todd with his race car. Oh it's been a wonderful 50 years, with the same wife, and a whole bunch of cars! Eddie Rezac

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1964, Arlington WA. Quit at the end of the 1970 season, somehow got back into it in 94. Neet cars back then, straight 8 Buicks, Hudson Hornets, early V8 Oldsmobiles, D dragsters.

Jim Mantle 6632 V/SA

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Eddie, my first trip to Flightland, I raced Judy Lilly when when she had the 57 wagon. Oh....she beat me. Later raced her Hemi Cuda (as did you)....way too many times. I talked with Judy a couple of years ago in Denver and told her that was probably the first race she would not beat me....LOL she wasn't racing and I was.

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Another name for the list....Dick Mierhenry.....Been racing way too long....LOL

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I know that the East Coast guys haven't "chimed in" about this......I was a midwesterner living the "California dreaming" before the Draft. It was all about fast cars and fast women....I would like to hear about the East Coast racers in the 60's... hints: tow bars, 7 inch slicks, flag drop....

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1st win at drag racing 1957 Easy Street DragStrip Benson NC 1949 Ford ,two Stromberg 97.s Offy Heads,3 speed overdrive
? Gas Class 74 MPH no et.s at that time.

1st Stock Eliminator Win 1960 with 335Hp tri powered 348 4 speed at BroadSlab,Benson NC, was thankful that Bobby Warren was not there.

I did not quit when I lost to Bobby Warren or Haywood Register, David Surles, David Ward, Sonny Robbins,James Bullock, Odell Lee, Ronnie Yopp, George Duff,Troy Humpries,JA Bray, James Shelton,Jimmy Morton, The Pickle Man,Bobby Smith, Harold Denton, Harold Stewart, Bobby Brown,Charlie Taylor, Bobby Warren (oh, I already said Bobby Warren)Doc Bilbrey, Bobby Smith, Jerry Ball, Jack Strickland,Ed McLawhorn, Jim Reynolds, Ronnie Sox,Herb Hickman,Billy Merritt,Charlie Blalock, Bobby Warren (excuse me, I already said Bobby Warren) etc, you get the idea?..........Why should I quit now????

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Got a killer scar on my arm from catching a rasp while shaving a 7" slick in the staginglanes at Englishtown!

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I guess old farts that don't have enough sense to quit could include techmen. I raced from 1964 through 1970 but started teching in 1969. That makes this my 44th year as a techman.

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That is funny, and we all have done it.....I remember shaving my slicks in Sioux City, Ia....even though I couldn't run within 2 seconds of the the winner....It was really important to me as an 18 year old...

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Started racing in 1960 in western new york, niagra falls, lancaster speedway, spencer speedway in rochester. Then moved to north carolina, then texas. Now retired but still love racing, but not the cost involved these days.

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Now that is funny...is their anyone that we have not lost to?

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I raced a 1969 VW bug at NY National Speedway in 1969.It was classed X/FF
(Expertimental / foreign F).Won class that weekend.I caled it quits in 2010 and found out there was life after drag racing.

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1967...... Osceola Airport/ Daytona Timing Assn. Won class with a 273 "D" Dart. I was 16 years old. Jim



.

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Pomona Raceway, 1958, when they still had a flag man.

http://imageshack.us/a/img594/1482/b...hariotrace.jpg

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First drag race was in High School 1975 in my mom's Nova. She was not happy. :rolleyes:

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Nothing good can be said about tow bars and flat towing.

I have lots of stories about wheels coming off and being lost on the highway....

A tow bar coming loose on my friends car in front of us and me trying to get his attention that something is way wrong....horn---lights....
Traction bars hitting railroad tracks and ripping off....same friend
Exhaust systems and brakes failing on tow cars.....my car..
Going thru a red light on a downhill section of road with a car in tow because I know I can't stop....at 5 am on the way back from Indy....A Milk truck in sight but thankfully not at the intersection as I sailed thru it......my car..

Cutting slicks with a razor knife or a body file was not fun

Doing a burnout to heat up the new super sticky Firestone tires and getting melted rubber stuck into my ankles.....not fun...burnt the heck out me....

and stationary burnouts were NOT done in any designated burnout area.
We did it back in the lanes to break in new tires.......and they were not ours and this was what we were told to do......heat them up once....

Doing a Muncie transmission.......in the dark without any grease to hold the bearings in place.....I used yellow glue....and got it all over myself....fell asleep under my car on my ramp truck.....Maple Grove Park....

Ahh the golden era.......right!!!!

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1968.....Winterport Dragway, Winterport Maine. They opened in 1967 and are still in operation.

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Yall really don't want to know. I don't want to know either. 50 something;. And I assume yall are referring to legal racing.

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Started going in about 1960 and started trying to raceing around 1964.
Jerry Davis

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Started in 1967, been class racing since '88. To old or to stupid to quit now!

#5457

Curt Rees

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Who you calling an "Old Fart"? Not the best way to make friends and influence people :D

I take great pleasure in reflecting on the memories I've managed to make over the last 48 years, and being very blessed that I am still around to remember them! What amazes me is that I still feel like that 17 year-old kid at New York National Speedway every time I fire up my race car. And I plan on doing what I love for as long as I possibly can!

Lew

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1960 at the old Pierre airstrip with my frist new car 62 chevy conv with a 283 and a pg. Them were the days. Jim Hanig

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Good thing we don't all quit at once , or NHRA would loose half of it's field ! Like many people on here have said in the past, the pits in many area's look like a "old folks" convention with cars !

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Talking about Old Farts, I believe Pete Kost started around 1956 Vic Hobbs was close behind.

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My first pass was in 1976 at the original Irwindale Raceway with my 409 Chevy. Those just happened to be the cheapest 400+ horsepower engine available, since there was so little demand for them. Car was a '62 Impala SS hardtop. red with spoked American mags. Real piece of American Graffitti. Since then, I bracket raced wherever and whenever we could,got involved with Stock Eliminator with Tony Janes and Chuck Norton, first class race for me was the '83 Winternationals, and since then, we've done the best we could with what we had. I know I'm the kid here at 58, but the thing that stands out on this thread is the absolute centuries of combined experience contained here-not just separate races,but engine building,trans building, chassis and rear end setups, and all the things that go with all this experience. Why stop now? Age is but a number if you got your health and strength. I hope to do this for a long time to come,just like so many of you are doing. Keep it up! Oh,yes. I still have that 409 on an engine stand at home.

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1955 53 corvette green valley alabama biggg

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Got Dad to take me to Connecticut Dragway in '62

Raced whatever I could mooch a ride in 63-67, including Mom's slant six ,three on the tree Dodge..Reminds me ,,,I forgot to tell her we won that trophy!

1967...Tied up for most of it with Uncle Sam

1968- 2010...Spent a lot of money, traveled a lot of miles, made a lot of friends, broke a lot of ***** .

Present..Won't say I quit ..I just don't want to work that hard now be able to race NHRA.
I never say never.. That 2014 Class Nationals is enticing . Back to the mooch program?