My second race car wasn't supposed to be one, but I bought (thanks mainly to "Da Grump") a new '76 Chevrolet Vega. When I bought it, I wasn't even planning on racing anymore since the best I did with my first car (a '64 Chevelle), was a runner-up at the '76 Memorial Day drags at Bandimere in Bracket Four (after my first two seasons of drag racing). However, when I started this mechanics school class at the Career Ed Center (my senior year of high school), some class mates poked fun at me when I told them that my Vega was my present car. I thus called them out with their ma & pa bought V8's to next years High School drags, and when they didn't show, it gave me great pleasure to go back to school the day after, with the Bracket Four winning trophy, and the announcement that I also won the "KING OF THE HILL CHAMPIONSHIP", with my 4cyl Vega, that had a "Pro Stock" header, "Gabriel" rear air shocks, A60 rear and A70 front wide-oval street tires on it, with Lakewood traction bars for a cool look on the street....remember those AC spark plugs that were half cut over the electrode and came in the black & white boxes instead of their regular blue & white boxes? I had some of them too! Being mentioned on the Channel 7 news at 10pm, and having a picture article in the former "Drag News" magazine was the icing on the cake. I had the last laugh at school, and won the equivalent of the state championship in drag racing my senior year with that "laughed at" car...those who lost to me weren't laughing though!!!
I also went on (in '79), to being able to say (for 2-3 months), that I was a professional drag racer...I won 5 bracket races in 6 final rounds at the former "Mile High Raceway" (originally Thunder Road Dragway), and made the semi's at the D5 ET finals in Street Eliminator with the car (as a fill-in for a top ten points finisher who couldn't make the trip to Marion, Sd. for the finals).
That car was so good for me, that I remember (to this day) the vin number; 1V77B6U220942, and I haven't seen the car since Jan. 1992 when the 3rd or 4th owner had replaced the original 140ci cyl and turbo 250 auto that I enjoyed from when I bought it new, to a Pontiac 151 engine and a 4spd. I wanted to buy the car back but not after seeing that! Given the challenges I've had trying to make my Cavalier competitive in Stock, I often wish that I would've bought it anyway and just replaced those pieces with the originals...it would've been easier to work on, and I could've spent (likely) less money to be competitive, than I have on the Cavalier. It's probably scrapped metal now, but I'll always remember that '76 Chevy Vega!
If by some luck of major proportions that car is still around, I'd certainly try to buy it back, no matter what engine/tranny was in it...the history with that car was unmatched by any others since, although I hope to make some better memories with my Cavalier....
