First Car to the Strip

[6130]

Originally Posted by GUMP

Bone stock 1979 Trans Am 403 automatic sometime in the late eighties at Moroso. Memory says it ran mid 15's.

I remember racing against stock 1979 Trans Ams with the RPO L80 Oldsmobile 403 engine and the required automatic transmission. They weighed about 3,700 pounds, and with the 175hp small block engine wheezing through a single pellet converter, a 3-speed automatic, and 3.23 rear gears, it should come as no surprise that they were no quicker than mid-17s.

Car & Driver tested the more powerful 200hp Pontiac 400 "T/A 6.6" Trans Am 2 years earlier, and it ran a best of 16.9 at 82 mph.

I think all of our cars her faster in our memory, if we don't keep the time slips.

[BillK]

Bought my 71 Chevelle new in Aug 71. Put about 600 miles on it at home in the DC area then drove to Boston to visit cousins. They were going to NED so I naturally went along. Car ran mid 15's on E-78 Uniroyals. I still have the time cards and the car. Thinking about trying to figure out a way to go back to Epping for a 50 year "reunion" this Sept if the Covid thing doesn't screw things up.

[GUMP]

Originally Posted by 6130

I remember racing against stock 1979 Trans Ams with the RPO L80 Olds.......

.........I think all of our cars her faster in our memory, if we don't keep the time slips.

The car definitely ran in the 15's. I was bummed that it was that slow. I find it interesting that you chose to take issue with this.

There was a 1989 T/A there running high twelves on one occasion too. Why not Google up some stuff on that one......

[Lew Silverman]

My first trip down the track at the then "new" New York National Speedway was my Regal Red SS396 (360HP/M21 bench seat with the "radio-delete") that I bought in April of 1966, my Senior Year in High School.Your typical "Day 2" vehicle - Hurst Super-shifter, Sun tach and gauges, Grant steering wheel and "baby-moon" hub caps. I worked on it constantly for weeks and then made the trip to Exit 60 on Sunrise Highway to one of the first SS&DI "Super Stock Nationals". Have absolutely no recollection of how quick it was - I only knew I wanted to go "Faster"! Lot of interesting stories with "The Bomb" through 1966-67. Came back from Boot Camp in September '67 to find my parents had forged my signature on the registration and traded it in for a second car for them! Took me a while to get over that! Memories!

[GUMP]

Originally Posted by Lew Silverman

My first trip down the track at the then "new" New York National Speedway was my Regal Red SS396 (360HP/M21 bench seat with the "radio-delete") that I bought in April of 1966....

It's stories like this that influenced the purchase of my new Pontiac Formula in 1995 as a zero option AC-delete car!

[Randall Klein]

Cornhusker Raceway, Millard, NE, 1969 Nova Cortez Silver, 396/375, headers, slapper bars, 7" Firestones, 5:13, Hurst shifter, otherwise just as GM built it

4 lbs air in slicks (!), 5 yellows on tree, B/S for trophy, 5 wins in 6 tries

12.76 best (1969)

[dragracedr]

1966. I just turned 16 and took my parents' 1961 Chevy Impala, 4--door, 235 6 cylinder. to Great Lakes Dragaway. Went a blistering 24.2 seconds at 62 mph. When i picked up my time slip, the attendant said "what you got there, a bicycle?"

[The Hawk]

My first pass was during a $2 per run session during a jet car event in the mid 80's. Had my parent's '80 Olds Omega fwd 4 cyl turd. Ran a 21.96@62. Not much different from future projects I raced et wise! Planted the seed for my near future for sure!

[gcasey]

First strip run was at Onondaga 1965 Sunday afternoon. Drove my first car - 1957 BelAir 2dr HT. which was getting me back and forth to Michigan State. The "new" wrecking yard 327 w/cam, headers, 4-spd, etc. dumped me in C/MP against real MP cars, with predictable results.

Losing didn't lessen the joy of later cruising downtown Lansing with the class shoe polish still on the windows and, if lucky, a class trophy displayed in back window tray. Less enjoyable was taking the girlfriend back to her dorm in a wrecker when I just had to show her how to hammer it off the stoplight (broke a lot of parts back then).

Dorm mate was Jon Callendar (Chevairs Racing Team) who won Stock at Indy with his twin to Dave Boertman's K/S. He got me interested in Stock Eliminator and the challenge of making a low HP combo work. (RIP Jon)

Ah, The GOOD OL' DAYS!!!

The '57 is in the shop slowly becoming a FI combo for Stock/SuperStockAssn. racing.

[MR DERBY CITY]

Yes, you read it correctly .....my first time EVER at the track was riding along with good ole Captain Jack. I remember it like yesterday. The Captain asked me if I wanted to go to the track with him on Sunday, the Harrison County Dragway located just outside of Elizabeth, Indiana. We were flat towing and I remember the ride vividly as we were traveling right next to the Ohio River. And then, a hill, a big fricken hill .... what a relief to get to the top .....About thirty minutes later we arrived at the track. Even though I grew up in Kentucky, I had never seen an outhouse before , or the optional rain gutters lining the wall. Fortunately, Jacks older brother recommended that I hold my breath upon entering. Jacks race car was a 66 Chevelle, 283 4 bbl with a stick. Walking through the pits I noticed a yellow 66 nova in line to make a run. It’s hard to believe but after 44 years that same nova is still being campaigned by my good friend Buddy Hughes .....I don’t remember how many rounds the Captain won that day but I do remember a few things. It was a whole lot easier coming down that hill on the way home, UNLESS you were the brake pads on the tow vehicle. The ham sandwich that I purchased at the concession stand was delicious. Styrofoam coolers don’t have a long lifespan at the drag strip .....