Will, maybe Dan was a alterboy(LOL)

My best memory of Dan Pastorini was the fact that he had a unique vantage point for viewing this milestone drag racing run at Gainsville:

"Garlits' slippery Rat (1986): Streamlining was all the rage in Top Fuel in the mid-1980s, and, of course, "Big Daddy". Don Garlits was at the front of the pack. His slippery Swamp Rat XXX featured an enclosed cockpit and enclosed front end over small 14-inch solid stainless-steel wheels shod with high-speed generator fan belts as tires. Garlits chucked the belts off on a 268-mph blast before a torrential rain postponed the event a week. Garlits came back the next weekend and not only won the event but also blasted the 270-mph barrier with a run of 272.56 mph - losing the front tire/belts on every run."

Dan was in the opposite lane when Garlits blew through the 270mph barrier. Sure was cool to see it with my own eyes.

Dale

It was relatable to Pastorini in that I drew his car in school and got into trouble as he was my favorite Top Fuel racer at the time and to this day I find myself thinking "What ever happened to that guy".

If anyone is offended because I got into trouble by nuns or that our priests used to let us drink a half bottle of wine after every service ... well then I guess I am sorry, it was not my intent to derail the thread to tarnish the stellar reputation of the Church. It was only my intent to inject a humorous anecdote regarding a kid and an art class and some angry nuns.

PS no nuns or erstwhile Catholics were harmed during the composition of this post.

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I don't have a microwave ... I have a clock that occasionally makes popcorn.

The only time my parents got me to the race track(tried on other time got in car accident at the gate) was because Dan Pastorini was racing. Of course I was begging to go as I did every year,but my dad the Raider Season ticket though it might be cool to see Pastorini.The first racing T shirt I ever had was a Pastorini .

Flickr Photo Download: Canjun Nationals BIG and Dan

Flickr Photo Download: Quarterback Sneak

Flickr Photo Download: Dan's Coors Light , Houston

Flickr Photo Download: Dan hard at work

Dante was hard core on the football field as well. one year he played half the season in a flak jacket...he didn't miss many downs.
Any body remember seeing him and Shirley match race at Houston International in Dickinson? Muldowney took it 2 out of 3.

if the shoe fits right....

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I'm still DamnYankee

"A Friday night run in a Funny Car is just really intense" - Whit Bazemore

That "Hat" won Atlanta!!!!....Think it was one of Sid's deals!

I remember that race. I'm somewhere behind all of Big's tire smoke in that photograph!

Looks like Shirley did !


Flickr Photo Download: Shirley , Canjun Nationals

Shirley had one on the car when she crashed at Sanair. I don't recall Amato running one though,

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Go Hight!!! Prock Rocket 2009 Style
Quickest to 1000' 4.00
Quickest to 1320' 4.63

You can see Sid behind the burnout to the right of the car. You could never miss that shirt and hat!!

Late..........Mitch

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"We'll just put another engine in it. That's the way this game is played if you have to." Big Daddy Indy '86/ONFIRE '03

Dan Pastorini made an appearance with his car at my friend's bar back when he had the Coors Light deal. At the time, my friend's bar sold more Coors Light than any other bar here in the Twin Cities and was able to set up an appearance with Dan a few days before the race in Brainerd that year. I'm not sure if they fired the car in the bar parking lot but they did have it on display. My friend still has the large banner that hung inside the front door of his bar that advertised Dan's appearance. It's now hanging in his garage at his house.... I just saw it again 2 weeks ago.

Basically it says.... Come meet Dan Pastorini, Driver of the Coors Light Top Fuel dragster on August 14th 198X. I'll see if I can get a picture of it some day.

I wasn't there that night but I remember my friend saying Dan and his crew were a great bunch of guys. They had an absolute blast that day and into the evening.