[Adger Smith]

Interesting you mention the shutdown. It was over the hill and down hill so you couldn't see the start line from the end of the track. At a Pts. Meet I was at the end turn around with my dragster taking care of the chute and Bobby was hooking up the tow. All of a sudden we heard a high winding SBC going through the 5 speed gears. Wow, it was sounding so good and buzzing only like a Comp SBC 5 speed can do. As it came over the hill it started gearing down and braking hard, tires skidding and no chute out. It was buzzing almost as hard as when it was going down the track. He slid around the turn around and headed up the return road without ever checking up, poping a few gears. I knew the driver and when we got time we went over to his pit area and ask what all the gearing down was about. It was the pit area of our famous Div. 4 stick driver Keith Hall. He said he forgot to pull the safety pin on the chute so he just geared it down. I didn't know you could do a clutchless that way. Sure sounded like Keith knows how!
I'm sure Bobby Jackson and I will talk about a lot of memorable things that went on at Hallsville.
I just got off the phone with Troy Zimmerman and he said he would be there with some special history of Hallsville. A few years ago Dave Botking gave him the original "Official NHRA Flag set" used before the lights & timing were installed at the first Hallsville track. The first time he brought them to the shop he said Harold Hayes had told him there was one part of the set missing. The .45 he used for settling finish line disputes!!