Glenn"Mr.Blue"Smith

Man, this is great!
I hope all the younger owners are realizing us old farts use to really rock and built the ledgens they whisper about today!
Keep telling your stories!! Glenn

lil75vette

hell don't feel old!!!

i am 22 and remember when i raced for the first time. i had a 1970 chevelle ... 4 door ... but it was quick... quick enough to stomp some of the ricers that laughed at it!!!

there is an airport down here in the Toms River area with a prefect two lane strip...

we used to meet at white castle and then at about 1 everyone would go out to this airport and lane the road....

only raced twice but i still remember the feeling of winning... and of thinking how busted i would be if there was a cop sitting there... which many times there was. it was great hearing the echo of a BB screaming down the street... eventhough it wasn't mine!!!

great stories... makes me kinda wish i was around back then...

ps... it was the older guys with the amazing cars that made me appreciate the hobby

SIXFOOTER

SE side of Grand Prairie Texas, late 70's I had a 69 Chevell SS. was always a lot of fun to run for a beer. Back then there were new roads out there and no houses.

Glenn"Mr.Blue"Smith

Yeah, the roads were black and new and there was nothing but open spaces...and trees! Too many homes and cars on those old roads now, and they aint so smooth anymore! Sorry you guys missed it when it was fun AND safe (sort of). Glad to hear some of you young lions are still tempting fate too. Glenn

MIKER

Here’s one from “back in the days”. . .

In my small rural Texas town, around 1983-84, I owned a 74’ Pontiac Formula 400/TH-400. It was a really stout running car and I won a fair share of street races with it.
Early in the evening on a Friday night I was challenged by an “out-of-towner” with a ’72 Camaro, 350/4-speed. We headed to the, often used, makeshift ¼ mile run located a couple of miles out of town on a two-lane highway. Several car loads of people came to watch.
The starting line was an old mailbox in front of an abandoned farmhouse. I chose the left lane. We were going to leave the starting line on the last of 3 honks from my horn. We roasted the tires a bit for show, staged, and I honked once…, twice…,before I managed to honk the third time, a Texas State Trooper flew up onto the roadway right in front of us in his Mustang pursuit car. BUSTED!!!
All the car loads of spectators that had lined up in the ditches fled like rats from a burning building.
The Trooper started with the guy driving the Camaro as I stood by my car waiting for my turn. You could still smell the burnt rubber from our burnouts and I was as nervous as a cat poopin’ razor blades. When my turn came, the Trooper walked up to me and said. . . I’m going to give you a ticket for being “parked in the roadway”. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. A cool State Trooper! Whooda thunk it!?! He said that if we had taken off before he caught us, it would have been a different story.
While standing there writing the ticket, he said “When I was a kid, we raced here too. We would have people at either end looking out for the cops. I simply drove right up into the crowd of people completely un-noticed.” As he handed me the ticket book for my signature, he asked ”Who do you think would have won? That Camaro looked pretty fast!”. I was worried it was a trick question so I said “Won what?, we were just parked in the roadway talking”.

Years later, I told my Dad about that night. Sure enough, my Dad knew of the State Trooper whom had grown up in the area. Pretty much, they had done basically the same things we did when they were youngsters. Thank goodness he had a nostalgic moment and cut me some much needed slack.

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While I don’t publicly condone street racing, I find that many of the forum members who will cry the loudest at the slightest mention of it live in well-populated areas. Especially those living in the Northeast. Many have no idea what it is like to grow up in areas where the population is small, life was simple, hours upon hours of cruising around and street racing was just a normal part of the times. I can totally understand the city dwellers distaste for youngsters who race through heavy traffic endangering countless people around them. I just wish they could have experienced the miles and miles of rural farmland with scarcely traveled hi-ways running through it.
20 years ago and beyond, the small town cops were more or less baby sitters who rarely harassed the youth during their late night gatherings in various parking lots, country road, or lakeside gatherings. Nowadays, most all cops have zero tolerance. I’m glad that I grew up during some of the simpler times.

MIKER

Those TXDPS Mustangs were intimidating back in the day!

James B

amen to that!!! Yall's stories are awesome!

Red 69

While at my local motor head hangout over the summer of 67, two guys decide to change the local pecking order with a race. One was a warmed over 67 396 Chevelle and the other a 67 Chevy II with the 350 HP option. Eight to 10 cars filled up to watch these guys duel on a one mile stretch six miles out of town. This was an ideal spot with the 1/4 mile marked out and it seen regular action. There they were, lined up side by side and the starter drops his arms and simultaneously a gumball light comes on from behind. It seems the local police were watching the spot and crept up from behind in the shadows. Neither driver lifted and the police cruiser now had his lights on and siren blaring in hot persuit. Things got real interesting real fast. It didn't take long for the dueling cars to disappear around the bend and out of the headlights of the persuing cruiser. The spectators quickly disappeared into the cars they came and vacated the area. Cars scattered down different side roads to avoid any nearby authorities. About 20 minutes later we drove back from the next town away and spotted the cruiser. It had a 66 rustang pulled over who we did not recognize and was not with us. They had our sympathy, but little good it did. After making our way back to the hangout where we started, there were plenty of adrenaline laughs. Nobody from our crew got caught. The cruiser must have had a 318 and was no match for the race ready Chebbies. I had just graduated HS and looking forward to starting college in the fall. Wasn't there a movie about that?

Trent Mayo

I agree, these are awesome stories and man I wished I could have seen those days! I'm 18 myself and have tested the traction of Goodyear Eagles several times, but not in a muscle car/hotrod.........yet, haha. I race late-models across the southeast so my fix is oval track racing, but I do love the challenge at a stop-light. I should have my first project, a 75 Vette, ready in August for some good summer fun. Its cool to see that no matter the age, that "right foot itch" never fades. Love hearing these stories!

black77c3vett

back in highschool i had a 72 chevelle bright red witha a 350/350, holley and headers. now it wasnt a slug but it really wasnt that fast. one of my class mates had a GTO and it was fast and we were riding around the little town where i grew up and he sed lets go and we did and he went into a 45degre turn way too fast spun out and hit the imbankment just missing my car. crossed my lain inches in front of my car. now i am freekin out i spin the car around and go back and see if hes ok, and there out of the car and everyone is ok and the front of the GTO is smashed and we are all standing around and WHEEW!!!!! the cops roll right up behind us and sez" do you guys know anything about some cars racing" and we say no. and there sets my big red chevell still running in the middle of the road, and the cop sez, "whoes car is that?" and i go " Ummm thats my car oficer." and he sed where are you goin? i sed ummm i am goin home as soon as i help get my buddys car out of the ditch. he sed "well if you see anyone racing tell them that the dragstrip is open on the weekends." and then we started goin to the drag strip.lott safer

Bangkok Dean

I only street raced once back in 61 ran my 56 Ford vert against a 57 Dodge, ended up in a ditch. So I went and joined a Car club in Pawtucket RI The Eliminators. Ended up a started at Charleston RI drag strip operated by the Southern New England timing association.I raced mostly Fords Till I went on to Street Roding in Miami South Florida Street rods.

Great memories

Bangkok Dean

ghoastrider1

well,down in the land of cotton,,Columbus Georgia to be exact, warm nights and hot cars spelled out teenagers heaven.The GIs from Ft. Benning mostly ran victory Drive while us "civilian" kids ran Macon road...It was great when the two mixed.The two biggest surprises to me,running my brothers 61 fuely vett..was some "new" kinda Dogde or plymouth.I believe it had one of those 340 motors,,was a good race till i was ready to power shift from 3rd to 4th...pulled it out ot early and almost blew the motor....second was cruzing macon road,a 4 lane,and some old timer was in a big white caddy going slow as hell.I started to pass..he didnt want me to as the 4 ended just up ahead.I barely beat him..i couldnt believe it.

crazywelder

I've attached a link to an article describing one of the most famous street race cars, maybe of all time. This car sat under the Sunoco sign every day as I drove past, it was a very cool Mopar. A car this fast that was driven daily on the street was very rare in the 60's. Especially when a lot of cars he raced on or off Woodward were trailered in.

http://www.carcraft.com/featuredvehicles/906/

Glenn"Mr.Blue"Smith

I didn't know that was you, I would have slowed that Caddy down and let you by!! Glenn

Dadhada66

Back in my younger days (old fart alert) we used to hang out in downtown Naples at the "Hot" Rod and Rudder fri and sat nights. Used to have some great races up at Bonita just off I-75. Still remember funniest ticket I ever got: "Exhibition of Acceleration".

That 68 Chevy II won us a lot of beer....

Glenn"Mr.Blue"Smith

Thanks to everyone for the memories! Glenn

Bangkok Dean

If it weren't for these stories I wouldn't have a memory..............What was I thinking................oh never mind

gliot1

I lived in Schaumburg, IL in the 70s and our spot to race was in the Centex Industrial Park, which was barely populated. The cops usually didn't bother us there as there no one really in there at night. The key to this place was only one street went through about 1/2 mile. the others were not yet cut thourgh. So one night My buddy and I line up....I had a '70 Chevy Caprice, small block 400, T400, 12 bolt....fairly quick but a heavy car. I did know how to race it though and won many a race. My buddy had a stock '72 Chevelle. We take off, I get the hole shot, he catches back up, I go back by him about 70mph when all of the sudden I see about a 4' pile of dirt at the end of the road....we were on the wrong street! I lock 'em up and stop about a foot from the pile. Scared the crap out of me.

Clint's C3

You mean highway 360, way south of town and no traffic? I remember that too. Many a good race.
I once raced my '55 Chevy against a Shelby Mustang. I'll admit it, I lost.

I now live off of that road and traffic is major crazy. Bardin is now a decent spot for a tuning run but cops are on to most racing hang outs.

BTW, I graduated Arlington High in 1976. My wife went to South Grand Prairie High. We might have know each other.