[Myron Piatek]

My 10 year older brother had a couple of '65 GTO/Lemans' over the years that he always stuffed a later model 400 RA engine in. He took me to some street races, drive-ins and junkyards a coupe of times. That planted the seed.

My dad, knowing about my brothers urge to go fast and tickets, told me that he would help me get a car if it didn't have an engine bigger than the 383 he had in his 1965 Polara, which was a 383 2 barrel. Well, I got lucky! While my dad was a smart jack-of-all trades handyman, he wasn't particularly up on auto mechanics. One day I found a good deal on a used '72 Challenger Rallye. Yes, it had a smaller engine - a 340 4 barrel/auto/3.23 open rear! Rallye Red, black vinyl top, side strobe stripes & black interior. Red wasn't my favorite color, but I wasn't going to complain. Bit by bit, I was fixing it up with wider tires, Holley carb, headers, etc. But after some close calls, tickets, almost being banned from driving it to school because of local complaints and me ending up in a canal once, I finally wised up and decided that if I was going to go fast, it would be legally at the track. First year out in 1978 at Orlando Speed World, I won the Street class track championship running 14's and went on to win many more in other classes, including Div. 2 Pro ET in 1980 while Lex Dudas was director. Got to go to Ontario, California with 2 other division class winners from Orlando. That was actually the first year NHRA had an ET World Champ, but then shelved the concept till many years later. (At the Division 2 banquet, I got my pic taken with Miss Winston, Tina Gayle (C.H.I.P.S. and a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader). I'm still mad that I never got to have or even see a copy!)

By 1985, the car was literally worn out, especially after being cut-up, lightened, etc. After stripping it, I shed tear after hauling it off to a scrap yard. Too bad I didn't know then what I know now.