It is very difficult to just walk away

[Chad Rhodes]

Originally Posted by Greg Hill

Chuck, I just got off the phone with Tommy Mattingly and we were talking about the same thing. If we sell our stuff we'll be lucky to get half what we have in it. In the last few years I have really enjoyed the combo races at Bowling Green. I think this year we are going to have two double races which are Sat. night and Sunday and 3 single which are on Sunday. I have just as much fun at those as div. races or national events. With 5 or 6 races at Ohio Valley this year and the close points races and open's, I'm probably going to stay close to home.

you and Cradduck sharing a brain? same thing he told me. I may come up there and leave the Camaro at his place for the summer just to run those combos

[Dave1695]

Chuck I have been thinking along the same lines; after 42 years as a drag racer and the expectation that retirement from work will probably come in a few years, I wondered if it is all worth the time and money. There are only three events within a days drive from home that I can make this year so I am going to try more of the stock/super stock races just to keep cost under control. and like you I have all those spare parts and the car to deal with. Maybe we should convert the race cars to street cruisers and talk about how fast we once were! LOL Just my $.02 worth.

[Ed Wright]

I fully agree. I may full retire next year. I can't sell this stuff for much. Just bracket racing here locally. About as exciting as painting the house. Probably just sit on it and run a few close points races.

[Frank Castros]

I made the mistake of selling all of my stuff and have regretted it ever since and now to start again from scratch would be cost prohibitive.
If I still had my operation I would just race the local combos and an ocassional divisional race.

[Casey Miles]

KEEP Your car and parts!
I for one would never sell my car, while I can still enjoying it. When I stopped racing it in Stock back in the 1980's, I restored it to only find that it was so boring just ro drive around and not trying to compete with the car. So, I took it bracket racing and enjoyed every minute of it, slowly putting back to Stock Eliminator trim. Now, with NHRA raising costs to go racing, I find myself selecting just a few races to go to. I would like to see more Saturday night races, but our local tracks are not having them like they used to.
Casey Miles
248H Stock?

[TOM KASCH]

Chuck,
You have put so much into your car to made it run so good, just Don't sell it for almost nothing and quit.like you said DON'T give it away.
If you can at least run 2 NHRA races, a IHRA at Martin and some comb. races like Nitro Joes you' ll have a good time & if you slow down a little at a time
it's not like quiting cold turkey.

[Jeff Lee]

Exactly why I have never considered selling my AMX. I've always said it will be my last race car because if it's gone, then that means I'll never go back racing. There's no way I'll go through the building stage again. I had no kids when I started class racing and now all my time and money is in the wife and 4 kids. I'll be lucky to make a couple divisional races and a National when I get it back, but that's OK with me.
I am pleased that my kids (who haven't seen much of the car in 4 years), do ask me if I'm ever going to get the car back. I like that they show some interest (they're 8 & 11 years old).

[mopacltd]

Jeff, I am so glad to hear you haven't sold the AMX. A person we both know told me you sold it a couple years ago at Barrett-Jackson. Bring that beautiful and fast wheelstander out to SIR on 3/25 and 3/26! Does Mark still own the Challenger stocker?

[Jeff Goss]

Originally Posted by Jeff Lee

Exactly why I have never considered selling my AMX. I've always said it will be my last race car because if it's gone, then that means I'll never go back racing. There's no way I'll go through the building stage again. I had no kids when I started class racing and now all my time and money is in the wife and 4 kids. I'll be lucky to make a couple divisional races and a National when I get it back, but that's OK with me.
I am pleased that my kids (who haven't seen much of the car in 4 years), do ask me if I'm ever going to get the car back. I like that they show some interest (they're 8 & 11 years old).

Same issue here. 2 teenagers and a horrible vacation schedule= I don't get to race much.

But, if I sold everything, I could never afford to come back. I would start another hobby. like Golf.

I want to race so bad it hurts, but would not even consider selling out at this point. I will just wait it out-it costs me nothing to have the car sitting. Things always get better.

[Wade Mahaffey]

Chuck, the biggest question is, are you healthy. Hopefully you are and don't feel you need to sell and/or quit because the end is near. Some of the folks on this thread seam to be in the same boat. It seams to me that it would be very tough to walk away from a part of life that you loved that long. Drag racing, just like life ain't what it used to be. A competitor has something special deep in his core. It's called the heart of a champion, and most of the folks on here have that. I would'nt sell anything, unless I needed the money for my family to eat. Now if you were making payments to race, and needed to get out from under them OK. That stuff brought you alot of happiness, and still can!

I build my own cars, and they are a part of me! As I build my stuff, I am thinking of some details that will be needed should I retire the car from racing. I then build the car with enhancements to provide a relationship between us after racing

Would Ben Cartwright walk away from the Ponderosa? When a man loves something, he stays with it till the end!

Good luck Chuck and the others thinking about quiting. Remember you guys (veteran racers) built Drag Racing....and I sure thank you for that!

Wade Mahaffey