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Dan Bennett · 01-03-2021, 01:50 PM

If you love racing enough, you make do with what you have.

1966, Pacific Dragway, 1959 Nash Metropolitan running in AHRA (I think) XF/G class.

The car? Two reasons. It was all I could afford, and all my parents would allow me to buy. I'd been a car nut for a long time and I guess they thought I wouldn't hurt myself too bad with such a lack of horsepower.

Interesting sideline - they were still using a flag starter but also doing handicaps between classes with a spot system. I never had another car in my class. I remember running against a new SS Chevelle. The starter kept pulling me farther and farther down the track from the starting line.

Of course, he had to be in front of me. I suspect the guy in the Chevelle was wishing he had brought binoculars since the flagman was so far away from him. But my car was snail slow and my huge head start was gone just after I shifted to 2nd gear.

And even with that awful beginning, I was hooked.

01-03-2021, 01:50 PM	#29
Dan Bennett Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 355 Likes: 562 Liked 353 Times in 78 Posts	Re: First Car to the Strip If you love racing enough, you make do with what you have. 1966, Pacific Dragway, 1959 Nash Metropolitan running in AHRA (I think) XF/G class. The car? Two reasons. It was all I could afford, and all my parents would allow me to buy. I'd been a car nut for a long time and I guess they thought I wouldn't hurt myself too bad with such a lack of horsepower. Interesting sideline - they were still using a flag starter but also doing handicaps between classes with a spot system. I never had another car in my class. I remember running against a new SS Chevelle. The starter kept pulling me farther and farther down the track from the starting line. Of course, he had to be in front of me. I suspect the guy in the Chevelle was wishing he had brought binoculars since the flagman was so far away from him. But my car was snail slow and my huge head start was gone just after I shifted to 2nd gear. And even with that awful beginning, I was hooked.