how did you get bit by the racing bug?

[MEXJOE]

OPEN TRAILERS!!
I live 60 miles from Brainerd, MN. I would see cars drag go by on trailers. And I wanted to go see them race. My brother Brad took me to my first drag race in 1985
IT WAS AWESOME !
The div. 5 NHRA at BIR I will never forget it. As I watched I heard the announcer say,
"Here is Lawrence Line from Wright, MN".
I said to my self...Wright, MN,.. we play little league baseball against Wright.
They were very a good team, the one no one wanted to play because we got blown away every time! What a pitcher! (I'll let you figure out who that was).

Well, any way I'll give you two guesses who the Wright little league baseball coach was.
He had a 1967 chevy Impala marina blue with satin finish centerline wheels and M/T slicks.
Wow! Some body who drag raced FOR REAL from Wright MN.
I thought maybe someday I could go with him to a race. That would be cool.

One thing lead to another and I got a car. A 1969 Impala. It had auto transmission trouble. Every one said take it to Lawrence Line. I said the guy who drag races?
They said YUP! that's the guy.
Upon arrival it was obvious that winning was a part of life here. One look at all the trophies on the shelf along the wall in the shop, baseball, blowing, and drag racing.
I could see that this was a place of high standards.
After having some "self induced" trouble with the transmission I had Lawrence fix for me, I stopped in again.
This time it was a Friday night. I learned that not only did Lawrence race, so did his son Lance, but for some reason, he had a green Mustang not a Chevy ( I'm still confused about that).
They had open trailers and pickups to tow with "these guys were serious!" WOW!

Then all at once I hear another car fire up with open headers and back out of the shop.
It was a beautiful 68 Chevelle lite blue with a white roof. I had seen the car before but had no Idea it was from the Line Auto shop.
It was Jason. He asked me to go to the races with them on Sat.
I meet them at the track in the pits. I had never been that close to the racing action before. It was exhilarating. All the awesome cars, some I had seen on trailers going by my house. The sound of open headers the smell of race gas, tire smoke and the energy in the air.
Then I see this 70"S ish burgundy Oldsmobile 4 door roll up. original hubcaps, velvet seats, bone a stock grandma's car.
Jason said that's my sister she is going up to run now, we can go up and watch her.
I said, "she is going to race THAT?!" Jason said ya, that's the family car she runs in bracket 4. I thought what in the heck kind of a deal is this?
Jason was then kind enough to explain the fine points of bracket racing to me and it all started to come together for me.
Jason raced in bracket 3 that day. He had a leak in one of his slicks.
I was nominated to run back and forth to fill the air tank and re-fill his slick.
went on to win, It was cool.

The next race I raced my car, man it was slow! It seemed so fast on the street? I thought, this track must be way too long, or something. Needless to say by the next race the Line Auto crew helped me get my car running better and I won the second race I had ever entered in, bracket 4 champ.
That was it ! I've been totally hooked ever since!
Not to mention I gained a second family and we have had a good life drag racing together all over the country.
Jason of course has gone on to do great things in Pro Stock.

So the moral of the story is,enclosed trailers are very nice, AND NEEDED but they have taken away a certain element of our sport that we will never have again. I am glad I got to be a part of it when it was the way it was.

Glen DeMenge

[treessavoy]

Street racing in the '60's turned into regular trips to Atco and on from there.

JimR

[Bill Ringer]

1969 @ CDR - Continental Divide Raceway in Castle Rock Colorado. I was 14 and my big brother took me there. Walking in from the spectator parking we came over a rise by the top end of the track. Just then a pair of Chevys were screaming through the finish line and I just couldn't believe how awesome it was. Of course they were running something like high 12's but they seemed like rockets to me. This place was HIGHER than Bandimere's- 6000ft.

Bill Ringer

[Tom Goldman]

Growing up in the 50's and 60's around 3 uncles who were Hot Rodders .
I learned my love of Stockers and SS cars from one , Comp cars ,Altereds and Gassers from another , and customs and lead sleds from the other.
My earliest memories of going to the drags are of Vargo Dragway in '59 with my uncles '50 Old's C/Altered.
My other friends had Lincoln Logs and Tinker Toys, I had Dual Range Hydros torn apart in a pile in my Grandmothers back yard.

[Dave Ley]

My father raced and at the ripe age of 10 in 1966 he took me to Atco Dragway. I decided right then and there that this is what I wanted to be around the rest of my life !!!

[Mike Brogniez]

Reading car mags, hanging out at the local speed shop, finally got my driving permit, started street racing and after various unpleasant and costly incidents went to local tracks.

[Bob Lasko]

My brother Joe took me to Dover Drag Strip in Wingdale, NY whan i was 14, and gave me the Drag Racing disease. Now at 60 and I am riddled with it.
Bob Lasko

[Wade Mahaffey]

For the folks that did not have family involved in racing....friends involved in racing....or neighbors involved in racing....which I had none of these. It was seeing the cars on open trailers...the crager wheels and M&H slicks were about eye level while riding in moms car. Then you go to the store and buy Hot Rod, Car Craft, and the coolest Super/Stock with your grass cuttin money. Sit down at the end of the road and watch the Corvettes, Road Runners, Mustangs, Chevelles, GTOs and on and on! That's how I got it

Wade Mahaffey

[Jeff Goss]

A guy I knew in High School had a 69 Pontiac LeMans that he took to the High School Drags. Went to Seattle International Raceway in 1986 as a spectator.

Soon after I bought my first muscle car, a 1970 Chevelle SS396. It was a basket case, but I loved it. Sold it to buy a 68 Charger, followed by a 84 S-10 with a circle track 350 in it. Sold that to buy a 68 Pontiac LeMans. Then sold that to buy my first bracket car, a 64 Malibu SS.

Started racing in 1991. Been hooked ever since.

[killintime6968]

Started off in the late 60's with car models,hotwheels and magazines. Then in 69 went to the local chev dealership when i was 8 and i still have my camaro broshure. In 74 or 75 went to the old Mission raceway on a sunday to watch motorcross but picked the wrong weekend. It was dragracing. Watched it for awhile and was hooked. Been playing with cars eversince.