how did you get bit by the racing bug? - Page 2

Bill Ringer · 03-08-2013, 03:41 PM

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 · 03-08-2013, 04:42 PM

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 · 03-08-2013, 05:14 PM

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 · 03-08-2013, 06:28 PM

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 · 03-08-2013, 06:29 PM

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 · 03-08-2013, 06:40 PM

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 · 03-08-2013, 10:26 PM

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 · 03-09-2013, 02:01 AM

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.

Nitro Joe Jackson · 03-09-2013, 02:02 AM

this is me right before 1964 Nationals, and also me at the 1970 nationals, i dont think i need to say how i got the bug, lol

1964

1970

Geerhead55 · 03-09-2013, 02:24 AM

In April of '68, I'm in 9th grade and me and a couple buddies have been reading Hot Rod, Car Craft, Popular Hot Rodding and Super Stock & Drag Illustrated for about 3 years already, and I mentioned how cool would it be to go to a drag race if they had any around here. My one friend says they have a dragstrip out in Puyallup! I didn't even know it existed! None of us had a driver's license, so we talked his mom into dropping us off at the gate one Saturday, at the track, which was about 20 minutes away. We walked by the cars in tech, and found our way to the stands, and sat up front across from the tower, as the stands were still pretty empty. I remember the announcer talking to us,, asking how were we doing, if we'd been to the races before, you know, all the usual things you would ask " first timer kids".
The cars started making runs, and soon were we in sensory overload from all the noise, smoke, wheelstands, watching the gearbangers,, all really cool to us!
Some of the cars I recall from that first outing were "Wild Bill" Ireland's '66 Fairlane, Harry Holton's "Hemi Count Down" '65 Plymouth and Crazy Corky's "Charlie Brown" Javelin.
There were lots of dragsters and altereds, coupes and roadsters there too, but I can't recall any of them. It was the stockers and superstockers that impressed me the most, and its stayed like that with me all these 45 + years later.
Thats my story, and I'm sticking to it.
Danny Durham

03-08-2013, 03:41 PM	#11
Bill Ringer Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Colorado Posts: 108 Likes: 34 Liked 145 Times in 26 Posts	Re: how did you get bit by the racing bug? 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

03-08-2013, 04:42 PM	#12
Tom Goldman VIP Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Allentown,PA Posts: 2,476 Likes: 891 Liked 882 Times in 236 Posts	Re: how did you get bit by the racing bug? 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. __________________ Tom Goldman 1500 SG , 1506 STK

03-08-2013, 05:14 PM	#13
Dave Ley Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: South Jersey , The 51st. State Posts: 424 Likes: 1,809 Liked 241 Times in 44 Posts	Re: how did you get bit by the racing bug? 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 !!! __________________ Dave Ley

03-08-2013, 06:28 PM	#14
Mike Brogniez Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Montreal Posts: 476 Likes: 7 Liked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: how did you get bit by the racing bug? 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.

03-08-2013, 06:29 PM	#15
Bob Lasko Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Wilton,CT Posts: 629 Likes: 0 Liked 185 Times in 54 Posts	Re: how did you get bit by the racing bug? 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

03-08-2013, 06:40 PM	#16
Wade Mahaffey Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 581 Likes: 0 Liked 17 Times in 7 Posts	Re: how did you get bit by the racing bug? 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

03-08-2013, 10:26 PM	#17
Jeff Goss Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Burlington, WA Posts: 361 Likes: 1 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: how did you get bit by the racing bug? 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.

03-09-2013, 02:01 AM	#18
killintime6968 Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Whitecourt,Alberta,Canada Posts: 236 Likes: 4,646 Liked 91 Times in 29 Posts	Re: how did you get bit by the racing bug? 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.

03-09-2013, 02:02 AM	#19
Nitro Joe Jackson VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Loudonville, Ohio or where ever the Nitro Lounge is parked Posts: 2,293 Likes: 58 Liked 67 Times in 19 Posts	Re: how did you get bit by the racing bug? this is me right before 1964 Nationals, and also me at the 1970 nationals, i dont think i need to say how i got the bug, lol 1964 1970 __________________ Nitro Joe Jackson STK 3431 nitrojoe@neo.rr.com

03-09-2013, 02:24 AM	#20
Geerhead55 VIP Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Tacoma, Washington Posts: 1,632 Likes: 0 Liked 5 Times in 5 Posts	Re: how did you get bit by the racing bug? In April of '68, I'm in 9th grade and me and a couple buddies have been reading Hot Rod, Car Craft, Popular Hot Rodding and Super Stock & Drag Illustrated for about 3 years already, and I mentioned how cool would it be to go to a drag race if they had any around here. My one friend says they have a dragstrip out in Puyallup! I didn't even know it existed! None of us had a driver's license, so we talked his mom into dropping us off at the gate one Saturday, at the track, which was about 20 minutes away. We walked by the cars in tech, and found our way to the stands, and sat up front across from the tower, as the stands were still pretty empty. I remember the announcer talking to us,, asking how were we doing, if we'd been to the races before, you know, all the usual things you would ask " first timer kids". The cars started making runs, and soon were we in sensory overload from all the noise, smoke, wheelstands, watching the gearbangers,, all really cool to us! Some of the cars I recall from that first outing were "Wild Bill" Ireland's '66 Fairlane, Harry Holton's "Hemi Count Down" '65 Plymouth and Crazy Corky's "Charlie Brown" Javelin. There were lots of dragsters and altereds, coupes and roadsters there too, but I can't recall any of them. It was the stockers and superstockers that impressed me the most, and its stayed like that with me all these 45 + years later. Thats my story, and I'm sticking to it. Danny Durham Last edited by Geerhead55; 03-09-2013 at 02:26 AM.