First time I ever had race tires on my Spitfire (after the Michelin Xs
finally wore out) -- which was also the only time I ever bicycled it.
Dunlops, on the rears only, damn things STUCK!
My first bigtime interviews at a 1971 NASCAR race at the old Ontario Motor
Speedway. I got 2 minutes with AJ Foyt before the suits came and rushed him
off to something. I got half an hour with Richard Petty, who was sitting on
a stack of tires eating a bologna sandwich and acting very much NOT like the
star he was. I also got Pedro Rodriguez, Tiny Lund and Pete Hamilton that
same day. Getting a NASCAR garage pass was not much easier back then.
My first race win, in a Showroom Stock Pinto. Led the whole way with a
Datsun 510 right on my tail. Went off in one corner late in the race, came
back on and couldn't find the Datsun until I looked in my mirror.
Afterwards, the Datsun driver said he was concentrating on my taillights so
hard, he followed me off!
First autocross win, in the Spitfire, in a driving rain.
First GP race win in the Spitfire. I had pole and an SSA RX7 was outside
front row. He had the hp to pull ahead on the long straights, but after 3-4
laps we both realized nobody was behind us so we just cruised to the
checker.
--Rocky Entriken
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