Grew up around drag racing. My dad had a little "pro" camaro when I was a little kid, ran 11's and we raced every weekend, and at the time guys like the Snake and Big Daddy match raced once a year or so at our local track (Wichita International Raceway). When the pros stopped coming we still bracket raced locally and went and watched them run at Bandimere and Ennis. When the "super" categories came about my dad picked up an old Pro Stock Vega and made a "super gas" car out of it, I was still in grade school but loved going to the track. In 1988 HPT opened, and while there we ordered a dragster to go Super Comp racing. In 1990 I had saved enough mowing yards that I was able to buy a class at Frank Hawly's Drag Racing School, but since I was 15 I did the Mechanic corse, still a great time. The next year my dad allowed me to get my Super Comp licence, I kept working part time and instead of buying a car for the street I bought into the racing operation. We have been racing Super Comp ever since (and bracket racing along with some Top Dragster stuff here and there). My oldest son is now 9, he has been driving a Jr for 2 years, my twin sons (5 year olds) are helping us with the Jr. Motor maintance and cant wait for their 8th birthday. We are 3 generations of happy racing, the sport keeps us close and traveling together. It's always fun rolling the two cars out of the trailer with the crisp air in the morning with a full day or weekend of racing ahead. I cant immagine a better "hobbie".

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Nemo

It's great to read the responses. Alot of knowledge in Mater Land. And they are no nobodies. Just somebodies that haven't been discovered. Suzie,Kelly, and PJ are Mater Legends that I look up to when I read.(how's that for sucking up)? Am I a bad judge of character?

Legends???..............hmmmmm.............wow! Nah, not a bad judge of charachter, I guess you are crazy in the head like us!!!

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It is double pleasure to deceive the deceiver.
Niccolo Machiavelli

Legend? Suzie? Oh my, you will give her a swelled head!

Not to worry...........I can take constructive criticism!!!

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It is double pleasure to deceive the deceiver.
Niccolo Machiavelli

I'm not a racer, just a fan. I grew up in Coon Rapids, MN, home of Minnesota Dragways (the track Warren Johnson and Tom Hoover would call home back in the 60's and 70's). My brother's best friend's dad worked at the track on weekends and he'd always let us in for free. My mom would pack my brother and I a lunch and we'd ride our bikes the mile-and-a-half from our house and hang out at the track. I consider myself lucky that my brother, who is 8 years older than me, was kind enough to let his 6 year old brother tag along that first time in 1970. Minnesota Dragways was a nice track, had one of the few Chrondek timing systems in the Midwest, and routinely booked in big name match racers from around the country. I saw the Snake & Mongoose in their Hot Wheels cars, Flash Gordon Mineo, Harry Schmidt's Blue Max (pre-Raymond Beadle), the Little Red Wagon wheelstander, jet cars, and even Evel Knievel jumped some cars in July 1972, and they also hosted a Winston Points event for Div. 5 racers (complete with TF, FC, and Pro Stock) each summer in July. Minnesota Dragways closed due to the encroaching population in 1977 so we started going to BIR in 1980, which started hosting the D5 event after the demise of MD. BIR finally got a National event in 1982 and I have gone pretty much every year. After doing that lone event each year, my brother and I went to Indy for the first time in 1996 (yep, that one). I've added Chicago and Vegas to the itinerary and now will add Houston and Dallas to my schedule for '08. Well, sorry for the long-windedness (is that even a word) but that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

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"I never said most of the things I said."

Good call on Suzie and Kelly but for including me you may need to get a checkup from the neckup

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Awwww.....aren't you sweet?!

Well I got into drag racing in the mid 70s when I worked for Hotrod Exchange in Dallas.did a long stint with a record breaking blown gas hydroas crew cheif for Gerald Johnson and the quik-n-ezy boat.that got me into working on a Mark Kinsellas top fuel car for years.I worked on Vinny Arcadi`s fuel funny car all of the 2006 season,doing the clutch.I am now playing with a cackle car. Bobby Langley`s Scorpion 5.We have been to Columbus,Bakersfield,and a neat race in Temple Texas.our next outing will be at the Texas old geezers (OLD RACERS)lunch in Sachse,texas on Dec 8, I think.pm me if you want more info on the Texas old geezers.Other than that we have been racing Jr. Dragsters for 6 years.My son is going to be in a full size dragster next year.I do have a 7.90 jr. dragster for sale if any of you have a kid that wants to run fast.

hey paul i will be at that meeting too on dec. 8th hopfully the weather is nice hate to be stuck inside the whole time

I guess I'd be the OLD nobody here. I'm one of the older guys around here, that was racing back in the late 60's through the 70's. I've built and raced cars in Stock, Modified Production, Gasser's, brackets and Comp. Eliminator. I raced at many great Dragstrips, that are long gone, but known by many of the old timers. I've raced at Lions, Orange County, Irwindale Raceway, Fremont, Ontario, Fontana, Famosa, and Pomona. So I guess, I'm nobody famous, but I've been around a lot of great people and some great Dragstrips.

My avatar was my last car in Comp. I managed to set the NHRA record at OCIR in 77 with it. Here's a link to a few of my cars.
JEANS32 - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Jean Muntifering
#7897 Comp.

I was introduced to drag racing by my dad.
It all started when he and my mom moved to California in 1967 when my dad wanted to be closer to the hot rodding scene. After a few stints at various shops around L.A. my dad got his big break about a year and a half later when he was hired by Ed Pink in Van Nuys.
In a nutshell he eventually worked his way to shop foreman. Along the way he has built engines for some of the greats in the sport such as: Don Prudhomme, Barry Setzer, Don Schumacher, Ed McCulloch, Pat Foster, Sush Matsubara, Larry Dixon, Gene Snow and a host of others that were Pink customers.
He quit Pinks and moved back to Nebraska from 1978-1980. Raymond Beadle asked him to come to work for him, so we moved to Dallas in the spring of 1980. While there he and his crew built the engines, short blocks, and freshened up heads and anything else that needed done. When Raymond and the crew would wear out the inventory in the trailer they would swing by the shop and pick up fresh equipment and drop off the wore out stuff.
When Beadle had the Nascar and sprint car team starting in 1983 with Old Milwaukee, Beadle appointed my dad and his crew to build the engines for the sprint car team with driver Sammy Swindell.
When things started going sour in 1986 my dad had an offer to use Steve Carbone's (my dad also built his engines while at Pink's)shop until we found our own place.
We started Wesmar Racing Engines in 1987 and have been going strong since. We specialize in 360 and 410 cubic inch sprint car engines.
Drag racing holds a VERY special place in my heart. I am very thankful for the many people and icons that I got to know as a youngster because of my dad!

Been lurking here for a couple of years but my 1st post will be a response for this post. I am a member of Nhra. I first became interested and involved in drag racing when I went to BIR for the first time in 1987 for their show and go event. I had never been to a drag strip prior (spent my teen years at a roundy round track playing in their starter division) and was hooked instantly ( I ending up entering my brothers low rider chev pick up that I was showing in the drag races and that was my start (I was 20 years old). After that I was racing my street car any chance I had to go to a track. In 1995 I was able to become a Sfi tech inspector for Bir and also worked at the divisional and national events at Bir in the tech dept. In 1999 I had the chance to work with the safety safari at the Bir national event and have done so since. I have continued to work in the tech dept at Bir and have worked the starting line, staging, and on fire rescue. This past year I accepted the position of race control and spent my summer in the tower running the races. I also race a low 10 second bracket car and hope to have it in the low nines next year.

...AND A GREAT CONNECTION IT IS! Rich, I can say this with all honesty...I now have a new Hero in drag racing! A guy who is doing in drag racing what I've always dreamed about doing. I just watched that Video, and I am honored to be in the same DRAG RACING BOARD as YOU! OUTSTANDING work Rich, and the best of luck to you and your Team! I look forward to meeting you some day!

Tim Charlet
5636 S/C

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Let's see if I can remember this correctly. My uncle took me to a LaPlace dragway in the 70's. After that anytime I thought he was going to the races, I would jump in the car. We would go to LaPlace dragway, Southland dragway and State Capital Dragway. He was into hot rodding and would always get me to help him work on his car. I don't think he would race at the track, just the street. He was in a bad accident one time and my grandmother made him give it up. He started going to the circle tracks and I just could not get into that. In 1991 a friend ask me if I would go with him to the dragstrip(State Capital) and watch our cousin race. I was hooked again the moment I smelled the rubber. I later started helping with his car(stocker) and other friends with their cars. Off and on I would race other friends car or my truck on street night. Started going to National events with a pro stock bike friend also. Finally got tried of watching and my friends and I are building me a 1985 Camaro to run a superstock GT class. If I don't run out of money, the car will be ready by April. If that works out o.k., we would like to get into Competion Eliminator in the future. I just love the sportsman's side of drag racing. Yes I am a N.H.R.A. member.

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