What got you started drag racing??

[W J]

I was 14 and a high school freshman. 1960...Worked after school a couple afternoons a week and weekends pumping gas at my home- town Gulf station. A few older 19-20 yr old guys that came in and occasionally hung out there had some pretty nice cars....one was a '57 Chev convert that was a 283 power-pack. powerglide car. Color was that Tropical Turquoise (aqua) w/blk top...a beauty. Well the guy decided he was going to turn it into a stocker, and make it a .030 over, 292", 270hp solid lifter, dual quad car, and also install a BW 4-speed, and 5.14 posi rear. Well, I became his "gofer" and helped him out throughout this almost 1 yr. project. Car turned out to be a beauty and ran excellent. He taught me how to turn wrenches and took me to the drags w/him to help out and learn. He's the one who got me going with this sport. I ended up buying that '57 from him when I was 17. He then bought a brand new '65 big block 396, 4sp Impala, which also did well at the track. His next drag car was a '62 340hp 327 Corvette stocker. He also ran Modified Production for a short time with it. Then, he and a partner built a 1940 Ford C/MP Chevrolet powered coupe, and competed at the 1967 Indy National event w/it....I went from the '57 270hp car to a '64 Malibu 283-220hp, 4 sp. stocker....Orange, Ma. Drag Strip, Sanford, Me. Drag Strip, Charlestown, R.I. Drag Strip, Connecticut Dragway, Lebanon Valley Dragway, New England Dragway. Great times.....Thank you, Jay O'Day, for all your patience and teaching when I was just a kid trying to grow up...WJ