Quote:
Originally Posted by Gary Smith
Wow I didn't know Wilbert Thornton was still racing, last I saw him was at the '80 Gators with his SS/P Safari wagon and that thing cleaned house in class back then!!
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Yeah, there are a LOT of us old timers who would still be racing, if we had the money to do it.
Even local bracket racing cost a lot nowadays. It would cost me well over $200 per race, just to go to a reg bracket race at our local track, 50 miles away. That doesn't count ANY money for the racing equipment.
Hey, according to our race expense records, in 1975, my wife only won $75 for each Stock win. But, that $75 MORE than paid all our racing expenses for the weekend. IIRC, gas was still only about 50 cents per gal. And the entry fee was LESS than $10.
Even in the late '70's, after we started bracket racing, out-of-state, where it was a 3 hour drive to the Sat nite track, and we had to rent a motel room, we won enuff to more than pay all travel expenses for the entire year. Most weekends we made 2 races, 49 total, in '78. Even tho 4 races were washed out, & we didn't win a penny, we still had the same travel expenses.
We now live in a completely different world. It takes lots of money just to stay home, eat, keep the power & AC on, & pay necessary bills.
Not many po boys making the Stock/SS racing circuit, nowadays. I realize, now, that we didn't have enuff money to race. But, I'm glad we did it anyhow. For most who really love drag racing, no other activity can really be a good substitute. Put another way: "Nothing else really does it for you."
But hey, even tho I haven't been able to race near as much I'd have liked to, I still enjoy reading about & posting about the guys & gals that are racing and/or have raced Pontiacs.
