I've noticed alot of people on here have a lot of performance parts on their cars, but have never gone to the track to see how it actually performs.

Why not take it out and see what it does?

I just installed a new engine in my car last month and have been climbing the walls waiting for the track to open to go see how it runs nows. First races in 2 days from now, woohoo.

Time for one, money, and the weather. Pacific Raceways has there test n tune on Wed and Fri. They're pricing is rediculis. A one time 10.00$ number fee, and then 25.00$ there after for each session. Luckly I know the track painter and can get in for free, but never have gone, and I dont know why either. I guessed mine by finding a good straight away and guessing a QM, then having a buddy time me with a stop watch, not accurate by anymeans, and a launch on the street, even with a good burnout, still sucks. Plus im too afraid to break parts at the track, I aint got all the money to fix it right away.

I do! 9.925@72.6MPH in the eight, I'm guessing that's about 15.45 in the quarter. Slow, but I know what it runs.

I might make it to one of the "Test-n-Tune " sessions, but it's not likely.
We also have the "Midnight Drags" almost every week, but there are SOOO many freakin cars, and mostly kids with civics and crap. I just don't care to hang out in the staging lanes for hours and maybe get 2 runs in all night!

Time for one, money, and the weather. Pacific Raceways has there test n tune on Wed and Fri. They're pricing is rediculis. A one time 10.00$ number fee, and then 25.00$ there after for each session. Luckly I know the track painter and can get in for free, but never have gone, and I dont know why either. I guessed mine by finding a good straight away and guessing a QM, then having a buddy time me with a stop watch, not accurate by anymeans, and a launch on the street, even with a good burnout, still sucks. Plus im too afraid to break parts at the track, I aint got all the money to fix it right away.


Jebus! Remind me not to go there. I don't know the Woodburn fees, but Portland International Raceway has Fri/Sat night 1/4mi nights. One time $10 fee, $20 for racing all night.

The real reason is most guys don't want to be disappointed in the "real" times they will get. Setting a car up to drag race requires both engine and chassis tuning. Anything more than a stock or mild warmed over small block will most likely require drag radials as a minimum. Then you get into issues of carb tuning. And another very unfortunate issue is - most if not all insurance companies will not cover you or your vehicle while racing.

The real reason is most guys don't want to be disappointed in the "real" times they will get


... I agree.
Worst is ET by proxy..I've heard "I beat my buddies low 12 second car from a rolling 20 MPH start,so my car must run high 11's"....car in question is a 69 Camaro with a mild 355,TH350 (stock convertor) with 3.08's

Mine is simple. I did race and did a personal best. Same day a guy blows an engine at 3/4 track, wipes out on his own oil and there was nothing left of the car. I saw it all.He had a role bar and I don't. Heck, what do you think a lap belt would do to you? If I ever race again it will be after more saftey devises are installed.

Heck, I ran my 307/PG car at the track... 16.2... I had fun tho! :D

The old 'I cant afford to break anything' is lame, unless the car is highly modified and has the tires to hook it up, nothing's gonna break.

ive always preached to my two boys to do there racing at the track its a lot cheaper than being ticketed or losing your liecents and ill guartee i have broke more stuff on the street than i have ever broke at the track

My reason is the proximity. There was a track out on the island that we used to run at, but it closed. Now the closest one is in NJ (E-town) or Atco, or LVD. The closest one is about 2 hours away, maybe more. That's my main reason.

Am looking at possibly going over the summer however,
Chris

Ive raced my street car at the track since 1982. Stopped counting at 2000 passes. If its done right it probably wont break. So in 23 years Ive broke one stock 12 bolt ( running a 13 second 327 no less ), one converter that turned out to be defective, one piston, to much timing, one hydraulic lifter wich I removed and stuck another one in with no problems, and had one catastrophic failure. A valve kissed a piston and broke the valve, piston, and scarred the cyl. wall. Just gave me an excuse to build it bigger. Drag racing is like bench pressing. Every one can bench press 400 pounds at my gym. Well at least until they put a board up for all to see and started recording results. It seems in the past three years only 3 people have benched 400 or more and a whole bunch bench around 300. And 300 is the minimum to get on the board, Even more folks dont even make that. sounds like a lot of 11 second E.T.s I've heard of!

My car is not back on the road yet. But when it is, I may go to the track a few times for kicks. But I am building this car (albeait VERY slowly cause I have very little time to dedicate to it lately) to hang in the twisties, so I wont be going to the 1/4 track all the time. I am more concerned with road course performance, and I can have that in the backroads in many places out here without endangering anyone but myself. And its free.

Heck, I ran my 307/PG car at the track... 16.2... I had fun tho! :D

The old 'I cant afford to break anything' is lame, unless the car is highly modified and has the tires to hook it up, nothing's gonna break.


I have to disagree...completely! I have a stout 350 in my "not highly modified" Nova, my richmond 5 speed and a 9" rear end. First time out at the track i was getting dissappointing times,mid 12's @ 111, and then all of the sudden my clutch disc let get go. The second time at the track, the clutch was good, and i got it down in the lower 12's but it was missing, i noticed a plug wire came loose and burned up, no big deal. The 3rd time out i was dropping in ET with better runs, launch technique etc, went 11.88@114 and my 3rd member casing let go on the very next run....too bad too because the way things were panning out i was looking for another 10th or 2 to disappear and a mph or 2 to pop up that day!!! Well this year im not going to go to the track very much for 1 reason only.....it costs ALOT of money to fix stuff that lets go at the track. Yeah with street radials and a 16.2 ET your not going to break anything....but when you put a set of Quick Time Pro's on your ride and start making good power youll find your weak link in a hurry!! Do i make a ton of power? Well quite a bit for a little old pump gas 350 if i do say so myself but not compared to alot of guys on this board! I couldnt imagine trying to keep the torqe of a 540 or somthing of that nature from smoking all the internals of a rear end or tranny.

Jebus! Remind me not to go there. I don't know the Woodburn fees, but Portland International Raceway has Fri/Sat night 1/4mi nights. One time $10 fee, $20 for racing all night.

$25 is for all night, not just a short period of time. From what I hear, that's not a bad price. Renegade (Yakima) charges 30 or 35.

I have to disagree...completely! I have a stout 350 in my "not highly modified" Nova, my richmond 5 speed and a 9" rear end. First time out at the track i was getting dissappointing times,mid 12's @ 111, and then all of the sudden my clutch disc let get go. The second time at the track, the clutch was good, and i got it down in the lower 12's but it was missing, i noticed a plug wire came loose and burned up, no big deal. The 3rd time out i was dropping in ET with better runs, launch technique etc, went 11.88@114 and my 3rd member casing let go on the very next run....too bad too because the way things were panning out i was looking for another 10th or 2 to disappear and a mph or 2 to pop up that day!!! Well this year im not going to go to the track very much for 1 reason only.....it costs ALOT of money to fix stuff that lets go at the track. Yeah with street radials and a 16.2 ET your not going to break anything....but when you put a set of Quick Time Pro's on your ride and start making good power youll find your weak link in a hurry!! Do i make a ton of power? Well quite a bit for a little old pump gas 350 if i do say so myself but not compared to alot of guys on this board! I couldnt imagine trying to keep the torqe of a 540 or somthing of that nature from smoking all the internals of a rear end or tranny.
Manual trannys are definitly harder on parts, but I thought 9" rear ends were tough. A friend I race with runs in the 8s with a small block and lots of nitrous in his 70 nova with a 12 bolt. Most of the guys I race with have 12 bolts including me, One friend runs a 12 bolt in 66 Elcamino with a 502 and 175 shot of nitrous. Its held together for 4 years so far.

9" rears are tough. I just happened to get a dud that had probably been beaten on its whole life or somthing...it was a factory center section. But my point is that stuff does break and it cost alot to fix it so when people say i cant afford to race, i completely know what they are talking about.

I don't want the added expense and ugliness of making it comply with tech. I want a car that looks pretty much like stock, but runs like crazy. I suspect with some slicks on there I would need a nice cage put in besides a lot of other things to make me legal. Since I don't want to butcher my car, I'll just cruise on the street and find myself a car to turn into a race car later.

I never went to the track last year or even drove the '67 because I put a 3/4" scratch on the rear 1/4 and I don't like driving the '67 with a little scratch, I hope to make it to the body shop this spring and then to the track.

I took mine to the track last April and was dang surprised at the time and mph I ran :cool: . Ran it like I stole it. Closest track is just over 2hrs drive and costs $40 (add gas and I'm at nearly $100). That's steep. Haven't done anything to the car since so no point in going to the track all the time. I will run it again in April just for kicks at Kool April Nites in Redding, Ca. $15 - unlimited runs. I'm with Beaux though: hanging the car through the twisties is more fun (IMO), lasts longer, and is cheaper. There's a 50 mile long twisty road through the mts. near me. Turn around and there's another 50 miles coming back home. All for $25 or $30 in gas. The track was great though and I know what my car runs instead of throwing out some B.S. claim.

I agree with GRN69CHV. If location is an issue, then you have a good excuse, but usually its fear of running a weak number or getting beat by a ricer. But its not about what people think, or getting beat, its about having fun and finding out what your car can really do. Cost shouldnt be a big factor (usually), especially when you put thousands into building up the horsepower and such. But then again, maybe some ppl just want to cruise around in a cool car, with a nice muscle car sound. I know a lot of guys with loud 15-16 second muscle cars that think they are the king of the hill because of what they drive. They claim how fast it is, or how much power it has, but really dont intend to prove any of it, they just like to be seen driving around in their fast muscle car. To each their own I guess

Believe it or not, Ive auto crossed my Chevelle too. It was a blast. Dont have nothing against road race cars. I plan to eventually build one to do that also. Ive owned a Vette, two Trans Ams, and two Camaros, one a Z-28. So I know the thrill of A well handling car. And I know a Chevelle can be made to handle just as well. I just dont agree with the breakage thing. The group I race with ( about 20 racers ) have raced together for 20 years and we hardly break a thing. One guy with a 4 speed GTO used to break a lot But he was launching at 5000 rpm with a 455 and nitrous. His 10 bolt, M-20 and factory driveline couldnt handle it. Now he has a Jerico, a fab 9, and a chromemolly shaft. Problem solved.

. One guy with a 4 speed GTO used to break a lot But he was launching at 5000 rpm with a 455 and nitrous. His 10 bolt, M-20 and factory driveline couldnt handle it. Now he has a Jerico, a fab 9, and a chromemolly shaft. Problem solved.

Well, if he can afford a jerico, a fab 9 and a chrommolly shaft then i guess money wasnt ever an issue!!! Really thats what it comes back to....$$$money$$$ Heck if everyone could afford a mark williams 9" and a G-force 5 speed everyone would race!!

Well, if he can afford a jerico, a fab 9 and a chrommolly shaft then i guess money wasnt ever an issue!!! Really thats what it comes back to....$$$money$$$ Heck if everyone could afford a mark williams 9" and a G-force 5 speed everyone would race!!
Yeah, thats just one guy though. He is single and a bussiness owner. The rest of us are normal middle class folks. I save 50 bucks each payday and detail cars on the side to support my hobby. I dont feel it would be right to scrimp on my kids college funds so I can go race. I hope I am not angering anyone with my comments. Its not my intention.

gas, distance: 45 miles, part time job, etc. the ticket is cheap at $10 to race as much as you'd like. but I have run my car: http://community.webshots.com/photo/167437609/167438174whuiDC
the run after that run was my best, 14.7 @ 96 I can't wait until I get my setup kit in from sumitt so I can get my 3.73s into my '89 caprice (I made it fit!) 8.5" rear end. I've been told it'll run like a striped ape.

I travel 260 miles round trip to the track 3-4 times a year,and it gets driven there too..no trailer.
$30 to race,$50 in gas
Pretty cheap if you ask me.

The real reason is most guys don't want to be disappointed in the "real" times they will get.

I disagree... I do not know anybody (nor ever have) that would not race their car for fear of being slower than they previously thought...

Alot of those people that do the "ET by Proxy" actually think they are correct, and its not a matter of not wanting to disappointed... Sure, they would be disappointed, but they do not know that before they race...

As for me, its the budget and the time.

I don't have the time or money to replace anything I break right now, so that would mean the car being down for several months (maybe all summer)...

The local track charges $45 (?) for the test-n-tune ($10 for spectators). Lots of runs, but thats alot of extra coin...

I am lucky because I live within 1/2 hour from the local track... I know many people that live hours away...

I have two babies at home, and I can't really afford the "time" to spend a full day out at the track playing... Hopefully in a few years I will get back into it...

I raced mine previously, and found several reasons for poor ETs (cam choice, tires, stick). I haven't rectified all of those yet, so no point in racing again until I do...


The old 'I cant afford to break anything' is lame, unless the car is highly modified and has the tires to hook it up, nothing's gonna break.

Apparently you don't drive very hard, or have been very lucky. :D
Its not that something "Will" break, but the likely hood is greater. I don't know about you guys (or gals), but when I race my car, I go all out. With the manual transmission, that means not letting off the gas when shifting... IF something hangs up, greater likely hood that I be going home on a tow truck... It has yet to happen to me at the track, but I have broken enough pieces on the street with my dismal BFG T/A radials...

I actually want to build a better street/strip car, like a Nova or??? with an automatic, etc (thinking of Nova just because Chevelles are pretty expensive nowdays...).

Believe it or not, Ive auto crossed my Chevelle too. It was a blast. Dont have nothing against road race cars. I plan to eventually build one to do that also. Ive owned a Vette, two Trans Ams, and two Camaros, one a Z-28. So I know the thrill of A well handling car. And I know a Chevelle can be made to handle just as well. I just dont agree with the breakage thing. The group I race with ( about 20 racers ) have raced together for 20 years and we hardly break a thing. One guy with a 4 speed GTO used to break a lot But he was launching at 5000 rpm with a 455 and nitrous. His 10 bolt, M-20 and factory driveline couldnt handle it. Now he has a Jerico, a fab 9, and a chromemolly shaft. Problem solved.

I've autocrossed my '69 as well, it was lots of fun and turned quite a few heads! It'll never outrun the little subarus and miatas around a parking lot, but it puts up a good showing for a big old heavy piece of iron.

My car isn't very quick but I know for a fact, how quick it is, because you never really know till you run it down the track.

Besides, its great fun, and you don't need to worry about tickets or idiots on cell phones, like you would going fast on the street.

Not everyone with a shotgun goes trap shooting either. I haven't gone just because it never really seemed like something I needed to do. I like driving spirited cars on the street, and I like cruising. Just because it has some performance parts doesn't mean I need to go to the track, or that it was built for the track. I really don't care what number it will turn, and that's the honest truth. All that matters is that I enjoy driving them. I guess if I wanted to get into ****ing contests about who's the fastest, or was trying to get every ounce of performance and needed the comparison between runs I would do it, but neither interest me. That's just me though. As long as folks do what is fun for them, it's all good. :thumbsup:

This is America, you are free to enjoy your hot rod just about any way you like - even if it seems lame to others.

I've heard so many excuses about why some people will never take their car to the drags, I no longer ask.

One thing that I have learned is that for a great many people "imagined" speed is all they really want. Kinda like a houdini dragster - its all a good illusion.

Some guys just know they are a lame driver and do not want to be the subject of ridicule in front of family and friends.

What really bugs me are the number of guys with questionable combos who brag loudly about how much power their engine makes - yet no dyno or drag strip testing was ever done. I like it when at major car shows a vendor brings a portable chassis dyno - very interesting to see how each car's owner guesses on power vs. the actual result. One thing I have learned is that whenever someone claims to make "XXX" amount of power, and that number ends in 25, 50, or 75, then I know it is just a silly wild ass guess.

Thomas

I constantly get the same question. "What will it run?!" I've had my car for going on 8+ years and been to the track twice. Everyone thinks that just because you have an old hot rod, you must race the thing on a regular basis. Nope. It only sees about 20 minutes or so of street cruising per week. Besides that, I really don't like beating on her. Next to cruising, I get more pleasure out of keeping the thing spotless than anything else.

Kuddo's to you guys who constantly race your rides though. I have a LOT of respect for people like Jason Gore and others, who are passionate about squeezing every ounce of power out of their set-up.

I dont think someone should take his/her car to the track all the time, just for the sake of doing it. I think its good to get out and run it for the fun of it, if you have the chance. Now I dont want to make it sound that anyone that doesnt go to the track with their car is out of their minds, or doesnt know the meaning of owning a musle car, cause I think whatever is fun/cool to you, knock yourself out, thats all that matters.... But for me personally, I cant grasp the logic of building a car with almost 800 horsepower, and not wanting to put the car through some performance tests. I think it would be beyond cool to cruise around, and open it up for the ppl screamin "light em up" on the corner, but I'd also want to see just how fast it is. But thats just me. I'm very into stats and numbers and performance figures. So ET's, laptimes, lateral G's, dyno numbers, head flow CFM, cam specs, etc, etc, all that stuff facinates me.

I will say this regarding making an actual run at the track in Eliminations. I had not raced since about 1981 until last summer. The last time I raced it was an ex SS car that blistered a 11.98. This past summer it was my '69 with street tires that mustered out a 14.07. Even at 14.07 I had a case of butterflies as bad as the first time I had ran in the 11's over 20 years ago.

Yes you hear a lot of guys at cruise nights with the 500HP motors, rumpety cams, huge tires, etc. claiming they have 11 second or 12 second cars. I say bullcrap - a car with a big motor is just a car with a big motor until you run it and prove it.

Racing is one heck of alot more than just dumping HP into a chassis. It encompasses a little strategy, a little cunning and a little dedication. It also requires a great deal of humility - accepting and understanding that you didn't cover all the bases, didn't do the planning, didn't cut the light, didn't stage right, didn't run the checklist. I have a lot of respect for the Sportsman racers ( I was one of them). They do it week after week for the strict love of the sport. Sometimes it is rewarding, but most often it is disappointing. And I say again, that is why most people won't run their cars.

I'm not ashamed... 15.045@89.9

Slow? yes.
Fun? Damn Skippy!

My stock 190k mile never-been-apart 1977 smogger 400 Chevy pickup truck engine has a pretty good low-end (enough to play with) so it "feels" fast, but I'm pretty sure my 4600lb LT1 powered '95 caprice wagon will beat it.

I beat on my car regularly, without fear, but I've only gone twice because the track is 2 hours away... A new track is scheduled to open in 2 years about 45 minutes away. :cool:

I agree with GRN69CHV, don't see the point of dumpin all that cash and never run at the track. I used to go to the track all the time back in the 70's with my brother, but I finally got to run mine at the final race night of the season. Even took my 12 year old daughter AND my wife for a couple passes!!! What a BLAST!!! Ran a best of 14.08 at 98.33, if I get rid of all the stuff in the trunk and a little tweakin I'm hoping for 13's this year. I built the car to drive first and be fast second so I'm not disappointed in the times,sure 12's would be nice and 11's would even be better, but I WILL be driving to CB-05!!!
I have a video here if I could figure out how to post it!!!

I subscribe to the whats the fun in having it if you don't use it, school of thought.

If you've got a mint stocker, thats cool, and if the show and shine is you cup of tea, more power to you.

But those guys with the "12 second cars" get on my nerves, when they tell me they know their car will run twelves and its never been on the track.

Posers are lame.

I'm not the hottest stick shift drag racer, even in my little corner of the world, but it feels nice to get what actually feels like respect from older guys who seem to appreciate, that I've got a collectable car with a four speed, and I'm still willing to give it my best on the track.

I really enjoy hot footing it down the track.
And doing so without fear of soccer mom's in suv's or the dredded cell phone idiot, or the girl putting on her make up while driving, or the police officer without a sence of humor.

My car is probably safer on the track, than the public roadway.

You guys who haven't, don't know what you're missing.
My 2 or 3 times to the track a year put me in a good mood for a week after each.

Its like a good workout, or punching the heavy bag for a while, really gets the stress out of you.

And its so much fun to hear a big block chevy at 6000 rpm.

I'm so looking forward to my first track day this year.

We're 4 hours from our closest 1/4 mile track, and I make it a point to go *at least* a half dozen times a year. And, I travel 900 miles (1 way) to Stanton, Michigan, each year to run our Camaro in the Pure Stock Drags. I'm a converted street racer, and I've not broken NEAR the parts on the track that I did on the street...even if you just enjoy a quick romp, or a burnout, or whatever, the misconception that you're more apt to tear something up at the track than on the street is just that, a misconception. Most people believe that if your car sees the track, it's guaranteed to break...I hear it all the time. Why people think that I don't know, but it's really common...

I disagree... I do not know anybody (nor ever have) that would not race their car for fear of being slower than they previously thought...


That's because they still believe, right up until they get that little piece of paper, that their car will and HAS ran the number! I've seen it many times - people feel like they have to brag so when someone on the street asks how fast it is - they subtract about 2 seconds.

(The ricers subtract 5 seconds, subconsciously because they don't have any idea how slow their cars actually are HA HA HA)

At our track it's funny how a lot of the ricers will make one pass with all their friends watching, run a 17, then hi-tail it home LOL. Others just have fun and say "so what, 17's?" and keep on keepin' on...

Honestly, I have my car insured for an agreed value of $20k (I know, I know it's not worth that) through a collector car insurance company.

If any damage occurs during or if you race your car at all, getting on it once in a while does not count, your policy is null and void. I believe this is the same as other collector car insurance companies.

I would just hate for something to happen and end up with nothing. I know....I'm a whimp. But I'm a whimp with a Chevelle!

However, I love to go to races and have a great deal of respect for the people who put their heart and soul into it.

Additionally I don't "brag" what my car will run or how many hp it has because I don't know. I do know it has plenty of power for me and I'm ok with that.

It's a running joke with the chevelle guys at Beech Bend "I wonder if the purple car is here?" I've beaten it into my head that I'm restoring a car that happens to make it to the track and not a race car that happens to be my chevelle. It's been 11.65@115 and I've got a stack of timeslips an inch thick. But it is it a race car, no. Do I race it a lot, yes. 1/4 mile is just across town at $5 to get in and another $5 to make all the runs you can Tues and Sat nights, can't pass that up. Stock TH350 right out of chevy truck with a stock 12 bolt robbed out of a '68, and stock driveshaft. 1.68 60' on a regular basis with my stickies and I still haven't broken anything (jinxing as I type). It's made over 400HP and 450TQ on the chassis dyno(thanks to a little goofy gas, its more like 311hp and 365TQ on motor) and nothing has broken. It's got HPM boxed control arms, but all suspension geometry is stock, so you guys that tell me that it takes a "set up" car to make it stick are wrong. The Monroe sensa-tracs do just fine, no 'easy-ups' and stock rate springs in my 3600lb sled. I do agree with you guys that the dyno and the drag strip are instant humility for a lot of guys. My dad's 327 '66 Malibu went 15.6 @90mph and he was humiliated. I can't blame guys that have nice cars for not thrashing them. If mine were nicer, I'd probably be easier on it. I don't know what I'm trying to say. If you race it cool, if you don't that is cool too...as long as its not a "Pro Street" car, you know tubbed with 15 in wide tires that has never been to the track. Those kill me. Cut up a car to look like that, but never do that.

11.96_Pass_vid_lastyear (http://www.gmperformance.org/users/tj/11.96%20Chevelle.mpg)

11.68_Pass_vid_Lastweek! (http://www.gmperformance.org/users/tj/TJ-Run1.wmv)

I like to run at the track, one reason. BIG FUN. I like to set a goal, work towards it over a period of time. Wear and tear on the car, sure. If it breaks, make it better than before. Driving season is very short in Alaska, and we have all winter to tinker and fix on the cars. When the weather's right I have got to get some use and enjoyment out of the deal or whats the point?

This year I will run 11's, drive home from the track and treat the wife to a trip to the ice cream shop. Leave the shoe polish on the windshield all week too! That's a Strip / Street ride in my book, it's what I like.

Your car, your call. What ever brings you joy.

That being said, IF YOU ANIT BEEN TO THE TRACK ITS A STREET CAR. :)

As soon as I get my big block built my car WILL be at the track.

Those that do choose to head to the track. Be smart, rather then just hoping everything is as it "should" be, its a good idea to spend a few hours under the car before race day going over everything.

I worry about something happening at the track, but i worry alot more about the ride to the track and the people driving around me with their head somewhere's else.

One of the reasons why i bracket race is that i feel confident that the majority of the people who line up with me have their head screwed on pretty tight and most have some seat time. A walk around the staging lanes during a bracket event will tell you quickly that a bracket racer is a very high caliber, smart person who's concerned with safety as much as speed.

This year will be my 38th year of running steadily at the track. I can't think of anything else I'd rather do. (Well......maybe one thing....).

I've run everything from a 17 second 64 Malibu station wagon with a 283/2bbl. to low 8 second altereds and roadsters.

I respect guys who don't race their pride and joy but instead enjoy the look, sound, and feel of a high-output car on the street. I DON'T respect people who get in my face and brag constantly how fast their stuff is and have never had it to a track.

I currently run a mid 9 second N/A small block tube chassis door car in Super Pro.

But I rather race my mid 11 second street/strip cars in the footbrake classes.I hate wearing all the safety gear that is required for my fast car during the summer.

BTW, I KNOW I can count on one hand the amount of instances that I've broken parts at the track in all those years.

Randy

I have to disagree...completely! I have a stout 350 in my "not highly modified" Nova, my richmond 5 speed and a 9" rear end. First time out at the track i was getting dissappointing times,mid 12's @ 111, and then all of the sudden my clutch disc let get go. The second time at the track, the clutch was good, and i got it down in the lower 12's but it was missing, i noticed a plug wire came loose and burned up, no big deal. The 3rd time out i was dropping in ET with better runs, launch technique etc, went 11.88@114 and my 3rd member casing let go on the very next run....too bad too because the way things were panning out i was looking for another 10th or 2 to disappear and a mph or 2 to pop up that day!!! Well this year im not going to go to the track very much for 1 reason only.....it costs ALOT of money to fix stuff that lets go at the track. Yeah with street radials and a 16.2 ET your not going to break anything....but when you put a set of Quick Time Pro's on your ride and start making good power youll find your weak link in a hurry!! Do i make a ton of power? Well quite a bit for a little old pump gas 350 if i do say so myself but not compared to alot of guys on this board! I couldnt imagine trying to keep the torqe of a 540 or somthing of that nature from smoking all the internals of a rear end or tranny.
Wow, sounds as if you aren't haven't been too lucky. My son runs a 540 powered big block Chevelle. The car run low nines and doesn't break too much stuff. We are still trying to find a converter but other than that, if you put in the best designed stuff and watch it carefully you shouldn't waste too many parts. Get a good nodular iron 9" Ford rear end and Hotchkiss control arms and you shouldn't have any rear end issues. The Dart Blocked 540 hasn't missed a beat. Turbo 400 by ATI or Neal Chance and a good converter and your ready. By the way, if i had it to do over i'd make it a 555 or 565 for about the same money.

I didn't bring it up earlier in my responses, but I will now that I see a lot of guys on the same page.

First, I totaly agree that Insurance concerns are a big deterent as are parts breakage, buuuuuuttttt, to the guy that has the car and dumped a ton of money into his powerplant and drivetrain and uses this as an excuse, then please don't make a fool of yourself at the next cruise night by beating wildly on your car. We don't need stone chips thrown up because you felt inclined to do a huge burnout leaving the parking lot, we don't need you to rouine it for the rest of us because you felt a need to run from 0-100 when leaving just to prove a point. The issue at hand is - this is what the race track is for. A safe controlled environment where you can do the things you built the car for without endangering a lot of innocent bystanders.

And this goes for every event I have been to. When this type of behavior is being displayed, 99 of 100 onlookers will be heard commenting - "what an axxhole". If you built it to run, run it at the track. Otherwise, unless you are far remote from civilization, drive it within some reasonable constraints of the law, at which point it really won't matter what it runs then anyway!

Didn't want to read em all but here's my problem (I have run once though)

1) Nearest track from school is a lil over an hour away ($gas)
2) $15 fee
3) Track is 3.5 hours from home if I skrew something up bad
4) Track close to home is NEVER open it seems but repeat 1 and 2 when it is

well my 65 vette, i just don't want to tear it up. i didn't build it for that anyhow with it's little 327. when the 75 is done with the blown big block thats where it is heading. all my racing experiance has been on motorcycle. fast street bikes and dedicated track bikes. I quit going cause the bikes never got enough time and where always shunted aside for the cars. this time I'll have a car so i hope to get more runs. the other thing that keeps me from the track is i don't like braket racing. i know it takes as much skill and is a way to race without going broke (relitivly) just never liked leaving before or after someone. still I think car guys shopuld be thrilled with the turnouts at a car event. In the couple years of bike racing it would be the same 20 guys most of the time,.

PS i broke stuff for sure, so i won't race unless i got there on a trailer. otherwise it can get real hard to get home.

regarding breaking stuff at the track and not on the street:

I drive my car harder on the street than I do at the track - not high speed, just acceleration and pounding gears, getting on and off the throttle, turning corners etc, variable traction (spinning and grabbing) so if it will survive the drive to the track it will survive the track.

I have never broke any drivetrain parts at the track - so far in all the years that I've been going for test and tunes (I have zero interest in brackets) I have only had 2 mishaps. Both at 1000feet - one was a split cylinder (truck block bored +.120" and 2 stages of nitrous) and the other was a wrist pin (wrong pin for the job!) And I am VERY abusive to my drivetrain!

With the exception of those 2 mishaps, I have driven the car home on it's own power.

Of the people I know that wanted to run their street cars at the track but were afraid of breaking a rear end or something - they went, and the only things they broke were traction. They didn't hook good enough with their street tires to hurt anything.

My car has been to the track a bunch. The pro street will probably see more track time IF I have the time. Not regular racer, but like to go anyways. The Woodburn Dragstrip has street legal days on Fridays through the summer and the relaxed atmosphere is great. A couple of times I have done 10+ passes in less than 5 hours. I guess Old Blue is built pretty weel as she takes the flogging and keeps on going :). Everyone enjoys their own ride in their own way. Twistys are fun but the 4.10s aren't exactly suited for that. Maybe when I go back to 3.55s :)

I really miss the "put up or shut up" street racing. When you could drive down the road and actually cross paths with worthy competition of the muscle car sort, or finally take a shot at the neighborhood legend. Everybody or every town had its era, mine was from '79-'86,'87 or so. Vegas was a small spred out town (under 100,000). Friday nights meant, anybody that knew what a glass pack was headed west to the last stoplight in town, the Jack in the Box parking lot (1 1/2 blocks from my house). At its peak, hot rods, some trailered to within a block or so, lined the streets for a mile in every direction. I was about 16 and had owned my '66 for a couple of years, but usually only the big boys got it on those nights. The smell of Avgas and disapearing tailights. Hot Rod and Car Craft came, we thought, this is the ship. Everyday a challenger from a rival high school came a callin' either for myself or this '69 302 z28 with a tunnel ram and a mailbox. The whole parking lot would move a block to the west and line a brand new 4 lane divided road that didn't have a structure near it for miles (now there's not a vacant lot within five miles). My first strip action was while attending a tech school in Phoenix, I had a bad day and I new it. couldn't wind it up past 5200 rpm, despite swappin' carbs, plugs, wires etc...13.8 was the best I managed.(stupid triangle weiand foam air filter, removed it the next day, 7500 rpm). Several years later and many "proxy" claims later (low 13's easy) a guy in our shop bought a '70 Charger with a blown 440, he talked smack daily, ultimately we squared off on the strip, both indexed at 13 because we couldn't pass faster tech. At the finishline I could see his front license plate in my mirror. I got the time slip'
11.55 @ 119 mph and was promptly banned from the track, for the night anyway. Those were the days. I got a wild hair a couple of weaks ago and was heading to the strip for Midnight Mayhem, first time in 13 years. Between my house and the track, 12 miles it started raining, talk about a somber ride home. I'll be back though, I've got the itch and there ain't no antedote on the street anymore.
Sorry about the Novel, but I was smiling the whole time, I wrote it for me.
Rowdy

Sucks to hear about all the guys who have dropped thousands into their car, and now the ~$20 track entry fee is too much.

Worried about breaking your car, then you probably never travel very far from home. Probably not laying much of an angry tire against pavement anywhere, street or track.

Cost of gas??? C'mon now.

Traveling time. Let's see, you just spent possibly a thousand or more hours building a bad ass car - now a couple of hours drive time will keep you from the track?

Your insurance is questionable for coverage in a street racing accident. The controlled environment of the track assures far less vehicle damage in the event of a crash, and is far safer for spectator and driver alike. Street racing accidents claim far more vehicles and lives than track based incidents. There is no tech inspection for street racing, oil leakers are welcome to the street races. No helmet, no problem on the street. Night time street racing never clears the road of debris or spills.

The legend of muscle cars will go down as a bragging rights bs contest - wait a minute, it already IS that.

Happy Motoring!

Thomas

Sucks to hear about all the guys who have dropped thousands into their car, and .......

Worried about breaking your car, then you probably never travel very far from home. Probably not laying much of an angry tire against pavement anywhere, street or track.


Your missing the point here....im still going to take my car to the track and drive it like i stole it on occasion. Ive personally driven the 4 1/2 hours to get to Car Craft in ST Paul, drove it all over up there all weekend and drove it home and laid many a patch with my "angry" tires. The point is i dont have the money to fix stuff when it does break....and to top it off i have no where to fix it this summer because they are tearing up our street and re-doing it. I agree with the fact that somone can sit around all damn day and say how there car should run 11's or 10's or what ever, but the fact is its probably a 13 second car at best.....thats what my 11 second car was first time i had it at the track. I guess to sum up this whole thread..... dont let your mouth write a check your ass cant cash....or in this case your car cant cash.

Man, Rowdy, I read your post with tears in my eyes.

I went thru two of those street racing eras. First was late '68 to early '74 when we would gather 150-300 cars on a weekend in an Acme Markets parking lot in northeastern PA. Mostly hopped-up factory muscle with some hard core guys thrown in. I first had a '64 Malibu with a HOT 355, 4 speed, and 4.88 gears that I replaced with a '70 Nova SS396/375 four speed with a blueprinted engine, 4.56 gears and 7" slicks. It ran 12.20's in a day that most fast cars were in the low 13/high 12 area and it was my daily driver.

Followed up in '73 with a '67 Camaro that I built with a 427-425, 4-speed, 4.88 gears and 10" slicks, also my daily driver. It ran mid-11's when most fast cars were in the mid 12's.

I put myself thru college streetracing for money in the spring and fall and shooting 9-ball for cash in the winter. We used to streetrace as much as 5-6 nights a week. I lost 1 race between 1971 and 1975 to a '70 Maverick with a Jack Rousch 321" motor, nash top loader and 5.57 gears. The owner and I became great friends and still are today.

The second era was here in Dallas between 1982 and 1988. Huge amounts of street racing but MUCH faster cars now that nitrous and blowers had made appearances. We'd be out EVERY weekend doing battle with my '67 442 with a sprayed 455. It ran mid 10's on spray and pump gas. Did pretty well.

I've gone "straight" and only race at the tracks now but I'll still occasionally bet money on grudge race nights with one of my street cars.I truly miss those days but I'm glad I got to live thru 'em. The young guys will unfortunately never see anything like those times.

Randy