First Divisional or National event stories

[Jeff Swanson]

My first points meet was at Memphis in '95ish. My car was very stock. Stock camshaft, valve covers had never been off, etc. Would just barely run the K/S index. I was running pump gas and wasn't sure if it would pass fuel check. But the bigger problem was that Red Anderson was running fuel check and he scared the crap out of me. So I man up and go down there with my fuel jug, picture the one you use to fill your lawn mower, and ask Red if he will check my fuel. He looks at me like I was completely clueless (he wasn't wrong) and tells me he's too busy and to come back later. So I do, and the 2nd time he tells me to leave my fuel can and come back later, he wasn't happy. I come back later and my fuel can is right where I left it and he growls at me "It's fine" or something similar and I get my fuel can and get out of there as quickly as possible. I think he could smell the fear on me.

[Casey Miles]

I was at the Gator nats with Rick Stewart was the starter, when I came up to the starting line I looked and my dial was wrong. I racing the car through the mufflers so there was no other way to get Rick's attention, so I blew the horn, Rick nearly jumped over the Christmas tree. Evidently he didn't expect a car horn!

Casey Miles
248H Stock

[Carl Battis]

What A Great Thread Idea!

2005 Division 7 Bakersfield

My first Points Meet was Div 7 in Bakersfield in 2005. I took my B/SA 69 Camaro there with a borrowed open trailer to make the trip. The car was a good piece - I got a lot of great advice and help in the two years when I was building it. I ran the Test N Tune and with the help of Chuck Echmalian, John and Terry Schloe the car ran really well. My big debut awaited the next day and I was really pumped up to go racing.

When it came time for the warm up the car made a weird noise when I went to start it, and the motor didn’t turn over. As I pondered what it could be, the guy pitted next to me came around the front of his trailer with something in his hand. “Looks like you could use one of these” he said and held out a starter for my 396. I didn’t know what to say - I was there on a bare bones budget and had virtually no spares. Even worse - I had to leave Saturday to go to work and knew I couldn’t return it that weekend. “No problem, just bring it to your next race whenever and you can give back then.”

Once again I was amazed at the generosity and good sportsmanship of Class Racers. Although I think he knew who I was from my years of crewing for my friend, I didn’t really “know” this gentleman at that point. We went on to become good friends over the years. Always humble, and a really good driver - God Bless you Larry Belden!


2005 AC Delco Nationals Las Vegas

This was my first National Event driving, and I was really excited to be there and get a chance to run in Class Eliminations. My car was running great and I had found some performance in the events leading up to this one. They called Stock to the lanes and I coasted down the hill to the staging area to join the group of racers in B/SA and sort out the pairings for Round 1. In 2005 the racers were still doing the pairings and this group decided to use a deck of cards for the line up. I felt like I had snuck into a Stock Eliminator Hall of Fame drivers meeting: Dan Fletcher, Stevie Wann, Clark Holroyd, Mary Ann Method, Dick Dreher, among others...nine of us in total. I got lucky and drew one of the non-legends like myself with car that I knew I had covered by a couple of tenths.

As it turned out my opponent red-lit so badly that he left before the tree was activated. I did not have to run the car out and reveal my hand. Second Round we drew cards again and I got the bye run - Lady Luck was on my side. I did not run my car out on the bye run - I felt it was best to keep the others guessing as to what it might run (not that it mattered actually - no way was my car as fast as the legends’ cars) Round Three had me paired up with Clark Holroyd’s 70 Nova - a rocket ship for sure. Clark had done the carbuerator on my car, and I consider him a friend. My improbable run was about to come to an end, but man what a blast so far!

I did my burnout and pulled up to get ready to stage. After what seemed like an eternity (in all likelihood probaby 15 seconds) the starter rapped on my window and held up one finger. I looked over my shoulder and they were pushing Clark’s car back out of the waterbox - I was getting a single into the final. Once again I launched the car but did not run it all the way out. I would arrive at the final an enigma; the new guy on the scene who had yet to make a full pass that weekend.

Now came the final and I was paired up against Mary Ann Method in the 1970 Nova that she and her husband Cal had campaigned so successfully. Cal Method builds some really fast motors, and they both had more experience already than I will probably ever achieve. There was no way I was going to outrun her that day, but as they say - anything can happen. And boy did it! Despite trying to focus 100% of my attention on the bottom bulb I caught a sliver of motion out of the corner of my eye as we launched. The race was already over because she was half a car length ahead as our front wheels came down. There was no way I was going to catch her.

But as I looked down track I noticed my win light was on. I glanced up at the scoreboard and saw the dancing lights indicating I had won. How could this be I thought as I let out a war whoop suitable for a John Wayne movie. I had just won the Class Elimination Final in B/SA at my very first National Event - despite the fact my car was not the fastest by a long shot. When I got my time slip I saw just how lucky I had been.....she had gone red by -.001 and I had dodged a major bullet. On that day I was not the fastest, but I was the last man standing. It was a day I’ll never forget.

[Bob Gullett]

Brainerd points meet 1986. Zenon Kotelko and I were having coffee and he was bugging me to come with him to Brainerd. I'm not a good spectator and was in the process of converting the Nova into a stocker so had no ride. At the time I worked at the local Ford dealer. The had a used 1981 Ford Escort wagon with of all things a stick in it. At the time it fit FF/S. I took the exhaust off it and loaded it up on the trailer and went to Brainerd. Ran the test and tune and was I think 4 tenths over index. New I was going to be a duck. First round drew the A/SA mopar of Marlin Bogner though if I remember someone else was driving the car. We were a few pairs back and some guy walks up to the car and says he bracket races the same car I was driving. I asked him how do I make it go faster? He said when it don't rev no more then shift it. I thought I got nothing to lose. Launched the car and tried it. Thought I had a decent lite. Got to the MPH marker and thought he's not going to catch me. And he didn't. I went a hundredth over the dial in and won my first round. IN A FORD ESCORT STICK CAR! The guy who I beat was pitted close to me so I thought I would go over and talk to him until I saw the helmet and a few other things flying. Figured I'd better keep my distance! LOL. Raced Dave Young in Scott Carlson's car next round and got my butt wooped but still had a great time.

[Mike Schwartz]

I enjoyed reading the stories. I'll add mine.

It was 1982, when NHRA first allowed FWD cars into Stock. I read an article in one of the magazines on how they built a Daytona (?) for the Winternationals. They seemed to have no problem getting it under the index so I thought I would try. I was working at a Dodge dealer in north Jersey at the time, so I rented a Dodge Aries 4-door sedan off the lot.

I drove the car down to the Division 1 WCS opener at Englishtown. The total modifications to the car that I made on site were: apply stick on numbers and class (Y/SA), remove the hub caps and air cleaner assembly, insert a remote starter switch into the radiator fan wiring so that I could run it at will, and guesstimate advance the distributor.

The car was a dog. It was at least a second off the index. I knew I had no shot in eliminations, but I actually dialed down a tenth to try to throw off my opponents. I deliberately tried to line up against the quickest car I could find, and I succeeded. I had Dave LeBrun's A/SA Camaro in the other lane for Round One. I had hoped that the huge handicap would force him onto a foul, but no luck.

I kept the car for one more week before returning it, and raced it at Island where I made the money rounds in Street Eliminator. A couple of months later a magazine did an article on the variety of cars in Stock and a picture of the car from the WCS race was in it.

[jimmyparker]

In July of 1961Okla City had a NHRA Regional event which preceded divisional races. I had a '53 Olds that I had been running in J/SA for a little while on a weekly basis but had never won class. At the divisional I went a couple or three rounds for class and had to run a similar Olds from Kansas for the class. I had a mentor who was Fonzie before Fonzie was and he told me to watch the flagman's muscle and leave when I saw it flex. It sounded far fetched at the time but I tried it and my opponent sat there a bit and I won the class on a hole shot, first ever trophy and I still have it today along with the clipping out of the paper listing all the class winners. My late friend Freddie Cain had the Dragster with the race in it but it didn't list individual class winners. I'm sure there will be much better stories posted but probably none will go back further than mine.

Jimmy Parker

[Justin Graham]

MAN! I can't thank all you guys enough for the stories. I hope everyone reading has enjoyed it, and it's helped you get through this time, by remembering the good times and why we love these classes so much.

Thank you for the kudo Carl Battis. I hope to meet you at a D7 event soon.

So far, I've learned to know what parts are in your car, keep weight handy, and run some good fuel...of course, lady luck is always good too . The horn honking had me crying with laughter, I'm still cracking up as I'm typing.

I hope we can keep this going. Thank you again guys...really, really thank you!!!

[Bob Don]

Originally Posted by Mike Schwartz

I enjoyed reading the stories. I'll add mine.

It was 1982, when NHRA first allowed FWD cars into Stock. I read an article in one of the magazines on how they built a Daytona (?) for the Winternationals. They seemed to have no problem getting it under the index so I thought I would try. I was working at a Dodge dealer in north Jersey at the time, so I rented a Dodge Aries 4-door sedan off the lot.

I drove the car down to the Division 1 WCS opener at Englishtown. The total modifications to the car that I made on site were: apply stick on numbers and class (Y/SA), remove the hub caps and air cleaner assembly, insert a remote starter switch into the radiator fan wiring so that I could run it at will, and guesstimate advance the distributor.

The car was a dog. It was at least a second off the index. I knew I had no shot in eliminations, but I actually dialed down a tenth to try to throw off my opponents. I deliberately tried to line up against the quickest car I could find, and I succeeded. I had Dave LeBrun's A/SA Camaro in the other lane for Round One. I had hoped that the huge handicap would force him onto a foul, but no luck.

I kept the car for one more week before returning it, and raced it at Island where I made the money rounds in Street Eliminator. A couple of months later a magazine did an article on the variety of cars in Stock and a picture of the car from the WCS race was in it.

I wrote that article for Super Stock (lol).

[Mike Schwartz]

Originally Posted by Bob Don

I wrote that article for Super Stock (lol).

You're right, Don. I remember that from the last time I posted this story.

[Randall Klein]

This is a little different, hope it is ok
1968 my cousin and I took off for Tulsa (Finals?) with no clue about anything
We drove a 57 2 door and slept behind a gas station in the car
Next morning at Denny's we asked someone if they knew where the drag strip was....he pointed to the sky and said follow the planes!

We got to the track: watched Jenkins, Strickler (?), Smothers Brothers, I think George Cureton among others, a great trip and memory