Can't resist this thread
First drag race was at Santa Ana (Airport),with the "Clunkers Car Club"
of Fullerton in '49. Neat spot. Art Chrisman was running that day and a of
the new '49 Fords that we were all drooling over. Afterward we would drive
down McArthur Blvd. on way to Corona Del Mar for burgers and shakes at Tip's
Drive-in on PCH. The Buffalo were, at the time, still on the open range that
is now UC Irvine. They were later moved to Catalina Island.
Highlight of the period was riding as "ballast" in the trunk of Dick
Guenthers '40 Ford Coupe "ol' Red Eye" on one of his runs at Saugus shortly
before they closed the strip for drag racing (shut down distance kept
getting shorter). I didn't get to watch the race from Dick's vantage point,
but through an opening in the floor of the trunk!
Last race was in Ridgecrest ('56). My buddy and I drove up from North
Hollywood, in my '47 Plymouth Business coupe, and pitched our sleeping bags
in one of the local church's parking lot to spend the night. I had to find
easy-in, easy-out parking as my reverse gear had gone south.
We couldn't do that today without being run in as vagrants or surrounded
by the local swat team.
Ron Yates, Editor
The Dipstick Digest
Newsletter of the world's smallest Austin Healey club
----- Original Message -----
From: <WSpohn4@aol.com>
To: <Tombread@aol.com>
Cc: <APSF1@aol.com>; <vintage-race@autox.team.net>
Sent: Wednesday, February 28, 2001 10:48 AM
Subject: Re: Greatest Events!!!!!
> In a message dated 28/02/01 9:38:53 AM Pacific Standard Time,
> Tombread@aol.com writes:
>
>
> > For my first spectate, I went to the staging area and
> > stood between the cars, back from the Christmas tree. A couple fuel
> > dragsters
> > were staged. I had no ear protection, wore contact lenses, had no idea
> > what
> > to expect. When the cars left the line the ground vibrated, my contact
> > lenses melted (!), I think I bled from the ears and I am sure there was
a
> > wet
> > spot where I was standing.
> >
> >
>
> Back in the 70s, racing at SIR, we used to camp at the track (barely able
to
> whump up an entry fee, much less motel in those days), and watched the
> evening drags. Next morning, I used to go out on the track early in the
> morning for a walk, and pick up valve heads, sections of connecting rods,
> etc., down near the end of the quarter.
>
> Sort of like watching a fire-breather - impressive, but I always wondered
> why. Bread and circuses, I guess, just without the same degree of violence
> you'd have found at the Circus Maximus (and fewer lions, too).
>
> Bill
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