Remember when we had to leave the pits ?
 

Just found this picture of us working on our ss/ha 69 Camaro in the hotel parking lot. I remembered going to all the motels in INDY in the 60's & early 70's to watch who was working on their cars.
This must be about the last year we had to leave the pits, don't remember for sure.

Re: Remember when we had to leave the pits ?
 

great post Tom.

I have several hotel shots that I'll have to dig up.....

I brought this same topic up several times this year at the races.

I vividly remember visiting the hotels to see all the cars (at night after the races).... what I don't remember is .... DID WE LINE UP EARLY "EVERY DAY" TO GET A PRIME PARKING SPOT?... that part I can't recall doing. I am assuming that rigs were so small that we all got good spots no matter hwat time we got there (just guessing).

Re: Remember when we had to leave the pits ?
 

I remember geting up at 5:00am just to try and get in the pit for a good spot.
& when we got to the gate we were 80th in line, some guys slept out side the gate......

Re: Remember when we had to leave the pits ?
 

In the late seventies we would leave motel in Indy(Nationals) @ 4 A.M. to get one of the 1st. ten free shots in SS. We never were the 1st ones.

Re: Remember when we had to leave the pits ?
 

indy '86 saw dick sherman and crew doing major engine work in motel lot. coolest thing i had seen up to that time as a 17 year old .

Re: Remember when we had to leave the pits ?
 

Hi,

I remember back in the 70's at the WinterNationals that no matter how early in the morning we got into the lanes to get our FREE hit (not a charged qualifying run, but to test the clocks operation) we never and I repeat NEVER got there before Cal & Mary Ann Method.

This happened so many times that we actually tried to beat them into the lanes, but we never did.

I also remember many a fun night working on the race car in parking lot of the Pomona Motor Lodge and fighting off the pimps & hookers.

That was when the NHRA liked the racers, not like now

Bob

Re: Remember when we had to leave the pits ?
 

I remember in the early 80's doing this. I was helping Bob Gipson with his SSEA 69 Camaro. We would string all the extension cords we had out to the parking lot to work on the car after dark. I remember also going to Indy one year and a local muffler and brake shop let us pull in and work in their shop too.

We bent some valves on a run at Thunder Valley in Marion. Gail Trent from American Speed took new valves out to the airport and flew them out to us. We worked on it in the parking lot and then drove out to the airport to pick up the valves.I think Sioux city. We were able to put it together and it ran pretty well.

Pretty cool stuff for a kid going to the races. I guess it rubbed off. We are always working on something.

Re: Remember when we had to leave the pits ?
 

In the late 70's or early 80's at Indy. The car half on the trailer with the trans out and we in the motel room(bath tub) overhauling the 4 speed in Gary Burrs 68 Z-28 stocker. :) Always loved leaving Indy for the motel and the drunks wanting you to unload the car and do burnouts in the street!!:) Same drunks in the morning were lying in the ditch, passed out from the fun the night before!! Duane

Re: Remember when we had to leave the pits ?
 

At Indy we always stayed at the "Capri" Motel on route 40. It was (is?) an old Bates motel type place. They didn't care if you worked on your stuff or set up a grill in the parking lot. The lady at the desk's name was Grace. She was about 118 years old. If you said you were there for a race, you paid the same price as you would at the Waterfront! If you said you were just in town visiting friends it was about 30 bucks! LOL.

Re: Remember when we had to leave the pits ?
 

I remember being at Indy around 1970 and someone was trying to push start a Top Fueler in the parking lot. It wouldn't start so they went out on the highway and brought it back running. Those were great times

Re: Remember when we had to leave the pits ?
 

Stock Eliminator 70 Winternationals

Re: Remember when we had to leave the pits ?
 

Another shot at the Winternationalshttp://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...e/crmchar2.jpg

Re: Remember when we had to leave the pits ?
 

1981 u.s nats we stayed at a campground near the track ,what a zoo,we changed a set of lifters in a k/sa 68 chevelle that night with 2 trouble lights till 2am some people never slept at that place.it is a memory i will never forget,good times

Re: Remember when we had to leave the pits ?
 

Back then even the bag boys had to work in the motel parking lot.

Re: Remember when we had to leave the pits ?
 

What was the reasoning behind not being allowed to spend the night in the pits??

Re: Remember when we had to leave the pits ?
 

Security issues I believe. My first nationals was INDY as spectator 1961. Hitch hiked over and slept in a garage across the street under the Drive in Movie screen. Sneaked into the track the first night and picked up by security to take us back out. Beer Burn outs were supposedly done on the road outside the track. Hayden Profitt supposedly ran down the street that night from his Motel to test it out.
Motels trashed by guys working on Motors in the rooms... Sad but interesting history. Touring the Motels was a big deal then when ALL cars went back to the Motels at night..
The entire area outside track was camping and Beer and etc...

Re: Remember when we had to leave the pits ?
 

I remember a story my neighbor Maynard Rupp (Top Fuel) told me when they were in Tulsa for the World Finals. They carried up all of the parts and pieces to build a long block in a second floor motel room. They put the whole motor together and realized the motor was too heavy to carry down the stairs so they took a bunch of matresses from the rooms and threw the engine over the side rail onto the matresses. They also used the bath tub as a parts washer.

Re: Remember when we had to leave the pits ?
 

The reason was ;
NHRA made you leave the pits, BUT when IHRA didn't after a couple of yrs guys said it doesn't make any sence why not let us stay.........
Plus motor homes were coming in to play.

Re: Remember when we had to leave the pits ?
 

anyone else with pictures from Hotel Parking lot Jamboree, these are from OCIR.

Re: Remember when we had to leave the pits ?
 

I remember driving out to the 1967 Indy Nats w/3 good friends. We stayed at some big Holiday Inn in downtown Indy....it was simply wild. From people working on racecars in the parking lot to carting motors/transmissions into rooms for service and even overnight re-builds....Hardly anyone got any sleep for sure---some partying hard and some working hard for tomorrow's qualifying or eliminations.....will never forget those fun days.....:D WJ

Re: Remember when we had to leave the pits ?
 

I remember in Pomona at the uplander hotel Herman Chapman had a station wagon with 7 or 9 inch rear tires with the 402 combination he finally decided the 9 inch tires were better as the 7 inch tires were a hand full on the top end after qualifying number one on 7 inch tires ,needing to pull the pan to check the bearings and no one had a cheery picket but there was some telephone repair people with a huge crane like device so herman paid them to bring the truck over to pull the engine out to check the bearings , wow it was I think a lot of fun those days . i used to change the convertor in the parking lot and never thought any thing of it lol at "youth "

Re: Remember when we had to leave the pits ?
 

Hope more guys will continue this tread, I know a lot of you guys have photo albums full of pictures dying to be seen again. I can remember going to Indy with my older brother fresh from his second tour in Vietnam as a cobra pilot and all he wanted to do, was go to Indy see the mad trash in the motel parking lot, for him it was just getting back to normal. Those were the best time, maybe not so much for the one doing the trashing but for us viewing it , sure was a great show. Claude

Re: Remember when we had to leave the pits ?
 

I remember the late night thrashes.

You weren't a "real" racer unless you had a bunch of greasy Holiday Inn towels in your tow rig!

JimR

Re: Remember when we had to leave the pits ?
 

In 1970, we went to Indy to watch and stayed at the Howard Johnsons as you went back to IRP. They were holding the mini bike "Nationals" in the back parking lot. Someone had devised a Christmas Tree for this event and it even showed red lights. Shumacker was working on his Funny Car and someone borrowed some fuel and ran that in their mini bike. That wasn't so bad but they made a pass down the hallway and the place smelled like a starting line. What a fantastic evening.

Jim Henderson
Stock 1029

Re: Remember when we had to leave the pits ?
 

Priceless

Re: Remember when we had to leave the pits ?
 

I remember one year @ the Summer Nats Englishtown not only did we leave the track every night to a motel but they had an area to park our trailers after we pitted our cars. Talk about a mess going to get your trailer to load your car up to leave every day.---Also the big thing for me every year @ Indy were the campgrounds. The Lions Club campground was always alot of fun............................if you stayed out of jail.

Re: Remember when we had to leave the pits ?
 

Heres a link to our 70's super stock & stock photos


http://public.fotki.com/tk3300/super_stock_drag/

Re: Remember when we had to leave the pits ?
 

Thank you Tom and Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.

Re: Remember when we had to leave the pits ?
 

No motorhome -- no motel -- not even a station wagon to sleep in -- but big fun for sure .Pictured with myself at Englishtown circa 1975 is Stan Welsh ..........great times for sure ! ! !

Re: Remember when we had to leave the pits ?
 

Great picture, where did you get the water to fill the pool?Come on guys don't let this tread die.

Re: Remember when we had to leave the pits ?
 

Drag racing wasn't the only ones to do this. Our town used to host Hydro Boat races and we used to make the "hotel circuit" during those days, heck most of them had about the same motors as a drag car. They used to have some very wild combinations too.

This explains why my father never took me to Indy, had to end up going on my own.

Re: Remember when we had to leave the pits ?
 

This thread does bring back the memories.
Working on the car in the motel parking lot. Watching others do the same.
Towing an open trailer with a station wagon.
I remember a guy coming up to us at Maple Grove after sizing up our tow rig and our very nice SS/EA '67 Corvette and saying, "I know where all your money is being spent!"
I realized we where good at packing the tool box on our open trailer when all of our buddies would come to us to borrow stuff!
Those where the days.

Re: Remember when we had to leave the pits ?
 

I remember sleeping under the truck in sleeping bags because we couldn't affort a motel.
I also remember hearing about a certain Ohio racer that backed his trailer or truck through the window of his competitors motel room. (By accident) I wasn't there, but enough people verified the mishap.
Another time someone put a transmission or parts on their bed, enough fluid leaked out the the maid called the sheriff thinking a murder had been committed.
We left for California fron N.J one year with a total of $300 in our combined pockets. And no credit cards.

Re: Remember when we had to leave the pits ?
 

Memory is a little fuzzy on the water fill deal but I think we got it from a local volunteer fire company..............Remember , this was the Summernationals and it sure was hot ! ! ! Speaking of hot -- its coming back now -- my friend Stan Welsh ( "Hobby Horse" Pinto wagon stocker ) always brought his wife Adrian along -- I'll have to dig up a picture of her in our pool ................

Re: Last Page
 

?????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?

mods-first post-looks like a spammer!

Re: Remember when we had to leave the pits ?
 

Thanks Jack, I know some of you guys would come through. I wasn't smart enough to take pictures, DAH! Happy Thanksgiving to all ! Claude

Re: Remember when we had to leave the pits ?
 

where is stan now

Re: Remember when we had to leave the pits ?
 

Stan has left us. Hey Jack, wasn't that 1974? I, somehow, got my '74 Wagon over to your campground area and it took about 30 of us to put my motor back together after teardown. I remember you telling "Tomato" to "get the guy a burger, and the drinks stayed cool in the pool! That campground was unbelievable with all the things going on around us. That's when "streaking" was a big deal...........do you remember "Delaware Annie"?

Re: Remember when we had to leave the pits ?
 

I was a spectator at gainesville around 1989 or 90 and we had no place to stay and not much money.we heard some friends from our town were racing and staying at the university inn,we pounded on the door til they woke up and talked them into letting us stay the night,13 of us filed out the next morning(i slept in the tub)because of that weekend i havent missed a gatornationals since
scott

Re: Remember when we had to leave the pits ?
 

Don -- Sad to hear about Stan .Could have been '74 -- maybe it will come back to me today as I've taken my meds this morning ."Delaware Annie" ? Maybe that will come back too ..........."Tomato"-- she will always have a special place in my heart.As for the Streaking -- those stories should be left untold as most wouldn't believe us anyway ......