I can't remember all of the cars I ran against that day. I do remember one of them was a VW that was slower than me. And THAT messed me up. And with the low first gear those things have I thought Crap! He was way out on me at the green. But the old Buick stormed (ok, creeped,) around him about the time he hit fourth gear. It had launched like a rocket, but when he hit fourth it was like he hit the brakes. But it had worried me for a bit.
The Buick had cooled down a LOT before the first round. And I wish like heck I could remember who and how I beat anyone with a 21.70 dial, especially with the first win being a 22.01. It took seven runs including the final that day.
I had formulated another game plan before the first round too. I would leave the dynaflow in low range until the speedo was straight up - dead on 60 mph - then no matter where I was I clicked it to high range. Which as I remember just a few feet before the finish line.
Back then the win lights were strung across the track right at or just a very few feet after the finish line. I remember not being able to see them. Unless the other guy left the time slip booth all pissed off I had to wait to get my slip to know if I had won.
So, now that it's easy to reflect on what happened that day, I'm thinking the Buicks block was so heat soaked from all of those time trials and it was a hot summers day, I see now the date was 8/15/71, that the ET's started dropping quicker than they did during TT's. I started wondering if the 21.70 was low enough.
22.01, 21.97, 21.93, 21.90, then jumped to a 21.77, which had me real worried, but the next one, semi-finals if you will, was a 21.74 and it had me sweating bullets now. There was one run left and I was too close to my dial.
I do remember this competitor... It was a small block 1968 Chevelle dialed in at the bottom end of the bracket. 15.00 flat.
As I had mentioned to Len in a previous post - at 42 you could get REAL close to the starting line as a spectator. Their chain link fence narrowed right up close, close enough that I could see and more importantly hear all of my Kent buddies going crazy.
Of course there were no reaction times to cloud our heads back then. All I knew I was holding the brake harder and harder and laying into the gas pedal more and more. Had my routine together too. I'd light that top light and stop, take off my horn rimmed glasses, wipe the sweat off my face, put my glasses back on and bump in. Count - FIVE amber lights - and on this last run - after all of my pre-stage prep - and my pals hanging on the fence, and in front of 30,000 people, the Chevelle sitting next to me at an idle, and of course the Buick was a quiet as a church mouse, as the lights came down I remember pushing the gas pedal a-l-l of the way to the floor. Remember, other than the announcer who was REALLY having a ball with me all day and the Chevelle idling, it was pretty damn quiet.
When I let off the brake - the Buick for the first time ever - the right rear tire - went CHIRP!!
I saw all my pals F-A-L-L off the fence laughing their axxes off. It was hilarious. The Buick, my unbelievable super slow beast, actually chirped the tire when it left. What a riot.
I remember now after looking at the car, I had taken the PolyGlass tires off my '65 2+2 cause it was sitting the garage with a broken four speed.
Here's the et slips including the semi-finals. Remeber - read left column top to bottom first -
