How did you get started in Drag Racing?

[GUMP]

I left home when I turned eighteen. I purchased an old beat up 1969 GTO soon after that. I got in a bunch of trouble with that car....

[Bob Lasko]

My older brother Joe took me to Dover Drag Strip (Wingdale NY) in 1966 and that gave me the bug. My first race in my Nova was in 1972. Here I am 71 and still doing it and loving it..

Bob Lasko

[Dave Ley]

My dad raced and he took me with him the first time in 1966 to Atco Dragway and the rest is history.

[1320racer]

Started in '91. A guy that worked for me from long Island talked me into to going to Island Dragway to see what my Chevelle could run and I was hooked ever since. Raced with and against James Perrone at Island starting back in the late 90s.

[Ken Kopecky]

My older brother took me to the Super Stock Nationals at NY National Speedway when I was 15. I thought it was awesome and loved it. Made my first 1/4 mile pass at Island dragway when I was 17 in my 66 small block Chevelle. The rest as they say is history. LOL!

Ken Kopecky

[L.Fite]

Stock/SuperStock shows at Eastex (AKA "Porter")...

Saturday!Saturday!Saturday!... Houston International Speedway!...
(As told by the guy that gargled with Comet)

When I turned 16, first car I bought was a 69 Chevy with a 396...
(There's a song in there somewhere)

Hanging out at the Jack In The Box...
Racing in the streets...
(There's that song again)

[jimmyparker]

Attended the '57 US Nationals at Okla City as a 14 year old paper boy, been hooked every since. Won my first trophy there in '61. I see other racers adding a bit more info so i will do the same.
The race I won my class at in '61was a NHRA Regional, the precurser to divisionals. I won J/SA, still have the trophy, clipping out of the local paper with results and some pages of the ND that covered the race. NHRA added quite a few stock classes in '61 with "L" being the lowest, my Oldsmobile ran "E" in '60.
I remember Dale Ham being at least one OCTA meeting in that era explaining the next years rule changes.
Okla City only lasted a couple or three more years after that with the closest track 70 or 80 miles away.
When I was drafted in Dec, '65 i was sent to Fort Benning, Ga. I asked a local about drag strips and he named off about three that was in the immediate area with 3-4 more in withine 100 miles. That was music to my ears so I, with a little luck spent my whole tour at FB and been here since.

[Mark Ugrich]

The first job I had at 16, was a lot attendant at a local Chevy dealer. I bought a tired 65 Mustang 289 4speed that was a trade in and headed to the crusher for $190.00. I’d race the car every Saturday night, then monday at work i’d search through the used tire pile for a set of rear tires that didn’t have the cords showing One of the techs taught me how to use the tire machine after the third set of tires.

[Pete Lanciers]

Gus Puskas brought me to Englishtown in the late 60's, I was immediately hooked and spent the next 2 years before going off to college, crewing with him and his 67 HEMILANE B-body in Stock and later Modified Production. This story captured elsewhere on this site, entitled "the Gift". Later that year I made my first 1/4 mile pass in a Henry J Gasser 300CI Ford inline 6, 3 on the column, lol!!!

[Tim Barrett]

When I was 15 a friend and I hitch hiked over to our local Dragstrip,,South Glens Falls Dragway. That was back in 1969,,we peeked through a fence and that's when I fell in love with the 69 Camaro Z/28. In 1972 I purchased my brothers 1969 Z/28 and that's when I first started Dragracing. The same Camaro I'm Dragracing today,,but not with the 302 and 4 speed. They are in my basement waiting for me to retire so they can go back on the street.