Forgettable Racing Stories - Page 4

Bret Kepner · 03-11-2010, 03:46 AM

I've attended 3,099 events in my life and 1996 IHRA Steele event was the only one...the ONLY ONE...at which I ever witnessed cash refunds issued to every person on the property.

Jody Lang · 03-11-2010, 10:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bret Kepner

I've attended 3,099 events in my life and 1996 IHRA Steele event was the only one...the ONLY ONE...at which I ever witnessed cash refunds issued to every person on the property.

Bret, you can't just round up 1???

GarysZ24 · 03-11-2010, 10:50 PM

July 3, 1993, my first summer with my Cavalier @ a race @ Bandimere Speedway. Afternoon winds came up to nearly 100mph!!! Porta Johns were being blown over, the young lady @ the e.t. booth was sprayed with broken glass caused by the rock pebbles that adorned the pit area from the end of the 1/4 mile to the final (main exit) from the race track...thank GOD she was ok. I left my tool box out with my spare tire, and jack (I street drove my car then). Since rock pebbles heavily pitted my car (hince half of the need for repainting back in '06), all of my glass had to be replaced (especially the rear window when a large gust of wind slammed so many pebbles into the back of my car, that I heard this loud WHOMP, followed by the whole rear window falling into my rear seat as I drove to the fence overlooking the race track hoping it would shield me from the rocks. In so doing I tried to recover my tool box, because (by todays prices), it had around $1,000 worth of tools in it. when I tried to position the car so I could grab the box, was when my rear window was slammed into, and if I'd have positioned my car any other way I would've risked having my door ripped off, or unsprung...the pit in my right side tail light is my reminder of that harrowing day.

Ohh, the topper, if all of that wasn't bad enough, once the winds died down and I was able to return to my pit area, my tools were gone (STOLEN, AS WAS MY JACK)!!! I told the track about it, and it was announced at their next Bracket Race, but I never got them back. My tools (and the box) were marked (I'll update this post tomorrow with the actual marking), 221 (the number I had on my '76 Chevy Vega when I won the equivalent of the state championship in high school drags, from a Memorial Day Dragfest also @ Bandimere). Thank GOD my car then being a street car, and my having full coverage insurance, or I wouldn't have gotten my glass replaced, and most of my tools replaced as well. OHH TO HAVE BEEN BLESSED TO HAVE THE JERK WHO TOOK THEM IN A SQUARED CIRCLE FOR JUST FIVE MINUTES...I HAD JUST CAUSE TO BE LIKE A SHARK IN A FEEDING FRENZY, & WAS FIT ENOUGH TO DO SOME DAMAGE!!!!!!!

CMcAllister · 03-11-2010, 11:41 PM

Maple Grove. Hurricane. That's all I can say.

Bret Kepner · 03-12-2010, 03:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jody Lang

Bret, you can't just round up 1???

Actually, Jody.....NO. I'm a freak about that kind of stuff. LOL!

Quote:

Originally Posted by CMcAllister

Maple Grove. Hurricane. That's all I can say.

Nothing against those who suffered at Maple Grove for that event but there will never be a another drag racing/hurricane nightmare like IHRA Bristol during Hurricane Hugo in 1989. I eventually told everybody the governor of Tennessee had declared October to be "Fall Nationals Month". The fourth time was no "charm" but that's how many weeks it took to get it completed. Randall Campbell said he mortgaged his house to stay in the race!

Bob Bender · 03-12-2010, 04:22 AM

Last October at Atco when Lenny Williams broke his trans and I had a flat at 106 mph at the stripe..............not fun

Dennis P Chapman · 03-12-2010, 08:36 AM

Hey Bob I was there for that story.

Jim Caughlin · 03-12-2010, 02:46 PM

I've got all of your stories beat. A few years ago at Boise, someone got the brilliant idea to suprise everyone by having a funny car do a burnout down the length of the staging lanes with no advanced warning. It did suprise everyone, particularly the three people that got run over, one of which died. Needless to say, the remainder of the event was cancelled.

west coast · 03-12-2010, 05:07 PM

I have been to Montana race a couple of times twice the pits turned to mud and a hail storm that left its marks on every ones trailers, broke the windshield out of Jody S/S. The track had equipment and dump trucks running bring in gravel. Weekend turn out all right for racing got it in.

AaronLX03 · 03-12-2010, 09:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Casper68

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.

I was there also. At 13 years old that was the scariest storm I've ever been in! I remember seeing a funnel cloud right above the track and being terrified. But kinda funny though every track we went to after that, people said, "Been to paris lately?" Dad had an open trailer so of course the top and passenger side of the race car was beat to hell...holes in the lexan windows and glass hood as well. Not good times!

Aaron

03-11-2010, 03:46 AM	#31
Bret Kepner Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Saint Louis, Missouri, USA Posts: 418 Likes: 1 Liked 11 Times in 2 Posts	Re: Forgettable Racing Stories I've attended 3,099 events in my life and 1996 IHRA Steele event was the only one...the *ONLY ONE...at which I ever witnessed cash refunds* issued to every person on the property. __________________ Bret Kepner BRETKEPNER@Prodigy.net Saint Louis, Missouri, USA

03-11-2010, 10:50 PM	#33
GarysZ24 VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Tempe, Az. Posts: 1,277 Likes: 926 Liked 246 Times in 97 Posts	Re: Forgettable Racing Stories July 3, 1993, my first summer with my Cavalier @ a race @ Bandimere Speedway. Afternoon winds came up to nearly 100mph!!! Porta Johns were being blown over, the young lady @ the e.t. booth was sprayed with broken glass caused by the rock pebbles that adorned the pit area from the end of the 1/4 mile to the final (main exit) from the race track...thank GOD she was ok. I left my tool box out with my spare tire, and jack (I street drove my car then). Since rock pebbles heavily pitted my car (hince half of the need for repainting back in '06), all of my glass had to be replaced (especially the rear window when a large gust of wind slammed so many pebbles into the back of my car, that I heard this loud WHOMP, followed by the whole rear window falling into my rear seat as I drove to the fence overlooking the race track hoping it would shield me from the rocks. In so doing I tried to recover my tool box, because (by todays prices), it had around $1,000 worth of tools in it. when I tried to position the car so I could grab the box, was when my rear window was slammed into, and if I'd have positioned my car any other way I would've risked having my door ripped off, or unsprung...the pit in my right side tail light is my reminder of that harrowing day. Ohh, the topper, if all of that wasn't bad enough, once the winds died down and I was able to return to my pit area, my tools were gone (STOLEN, AS WAS MY JACK)!!! I told the track about it, and it was announced at their next Bracket Race, but I never got them back. My tools (and the box) were marked (I'll update this post tomorrow with the actual marking), 221 (the number I had on my '76 Chevy Vega when I won the equivalent of the state championship in high school drags, from a Memorial Day Dragfest also @ Bandimere). Thank GOD my car then being a street car, and my having full coverage insurance, or I wouldn't have gotten my glass replaced, and most of my tools replaced as well. OHH TO HAVE BEEN BLESSED TO HAVE THE JERK WHO TOOK THEM IN A SQUARED CIRCLE FOR JUST FIVE MINUTES...I HAD JUST CAUSE TO BE LIKE A SHARK IN A FEEDING FRENZY, & WAS FIT ENOUGH TO DO SOME DAMAGE!!!!!!! __________________ Gary Hampton '86 Z24,173 V6 CF/S #5824 (#78 in 2021)

03-11-2010, 11:41 PM	#34
CMcAllister Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Fulton County, PA Posts: 616 Likes: 17 Liked 920 Times in 259 Posts	Re: Forgettable Racing Stories Maple Grove. Hurricane. That's all I can say.

03-12-2010, 04:22 AM	#36
Bob Bender VIP Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Maryland Posts: 1,735 Likes: 1,601 Liked 460 Times in 91 Posts	Re: Forgettable Racing Stories Last October at Atco when Lenny Williams broke his trans and I had a flat at 106 mph at the stripe..............not fun __________________ Bob Bender 144 O/SA 2010-2012 National Record Holder

03-12-2010, 08:36 AM	#37
Dennis P Chapman VIP Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Toms River NJ Posts: 1,594 Likes: 419 Liked 53 Times in 25 Posts	Re: Forgettable Racing Stories Hey Bob I was there for that story. __________________ Dennis P Chapman 1904 STK NHRA National Record Holder Car Owner.

03-12-2010, 02:46 PM	#38
Jim Caughlin Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Woodburn, Or Posts: 685 Likes: 83 Liked 805 Times in 245 Posts	Re: Forgettable Racing Stories I've got all of your stories beat. A few years ago at Boise, someone got the brilliant idea to suprise everyone by having a funny car do a burnout down the length of the staging lanes with no advanced warning. It did suprise everyone, particularly the three people that got run over, one of which died. Needless to say, the remainder of the event was cancelled.

03-12-2010, 05:07 PM	#39
west coast Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Rainy Washington Posts: 610 Likes: 12 Liked 227 Times in 74 Posts	Re: Forgettable Racing Stories I have been to Montana race a couple of times twice the pits turned to mud and a hail storm that left its marks on every ones trailers, broke the windshield out of Jody S/S. The track had equipment and dump trucks running bring in gravel. Weekend turn out all right for racing got it in.