I have had so many its kinda hard to pick just one, but i will anyhow..

Few years ago i was at the IHRA Northern Nationals at US131, was a huge event back then, 10 years ago. At that time my car was running 10.50 ish. Had w5 heads, and a dinky flat tappet cam in it then, and stock gas tank with 3/8 pickup and Holley Blue pump.

Over the weekend we got three time trials, car was running good, and i was ready for action when they called us up for 1st round right after the night of fire show.
I come around the corner to a full house and am amped up. I look over and see i have an 11.50 Firebird in the first round. Have raced the guy 3 or 4 other times and he has always gotten the best of me....but tonight i am gonna get him

We stage, and i take off after him, feeling like i had a good light( i did, 509 to his 540 something)
I am reeling him him, put the car in high gear...and splat..it dies out on me as i see him driving off in the distance
Let off, get back in it, picks up, stumbles again, so i just coast out
For the first and only time ever, i showed up to the starting line with about 3/8 of a tank of gas and stupid me the pickup uncovered.
I immediately the next week put a cell in the car, but the damage was done.

Doug, the guy i was racing, came over to my pits and says" Hey, what happened, i thought you had me"...Me..."Doug, I ran out of friggin gas"

did the firebird have a big block?

I guess it would be the time I was in the finals and the dude red lighted, I hit it and broke the throttle cable... I should have putt putted the car down the track but I got out..big fat LOOOOOSER.

Had a 5.03 light he had a 6.15 light drove it out back door like a Dumb a$$ .never looked and broke out ! have no idea what I was thinking . not like I did't know any better..brain fart Wife says Was you just trying to see fast it go ?

First Round .. Division One Bracket Finals back in the 80s at Maple Grove, I pulled into the burnout box.. then was backed out as something happened down track. When they started us back up I left the e brake on and the car would`t move much, Rather than put it back in park I put it in neutral and put the e brake on. I heard about that for awhile. If you race long enough you acquire quite a few " embarrassing moments".

During the burnout the fuel gauge starts to flutter and dive..... should have filled the fuel cell..

2nd weekend after I built my car... pulled to
the line and put the boot to the fast pedal and as soon
as it launched the throttle cable broke... get back
to the pits and fix it(enough to get through the day)
and head back up the the lanes.. sitting in the burnout
box they have a short hold on the track so I shut
down... couple minutes later we get the fire them
up sign.. do a short burnout and pull to the line
and the light starts.. I hit the pedal again.. as
soon as the car moves.. it quit... forgot to turn
the pump on... 2 times in 1 day it didnt make it off
the line... the starter said... why dont you come
back when you get it fixed up... then as they were
getting ready to push me off I remembered the pump..
fired up and ran it down the track..... and loaded
it up.. I was too embarrassed to try again

Staging with the rear tires.

I left my windows down. I could hear my brother calling "rookie"!

For me, Good Guys at Indy. Set up to run Doug Duell. BSing in somebody's trailer, missed the round. For my opponent, finals at NMCA in Memphis. I leave the line and one carb linkage stud breaks off on my cross ram linkage. My car misses the index by 1.8 seconds, my opponent breaks out. He had me by 20 cars.
Doug

Didn't happen to me but we were watching some guys on a test & tune knight and an older gentleman rolled up in his new mustang and rolled streight through the water box to the beams which he blew through and had to be backed up and staged. He got both bulbs lit and started power breaking it. As soon as both cars were staged the lights dropped and he was out of shape right away, Never lifted even when he backed it in the wall. I felt bad for him.

"gettin it" with the gf in the enclosed trailer when the racer next to me wanted to borrow a distributor wrench face in palm

ya gon have dat lol

Gee, let's see...

Running out of gas on the return road and causing a back up.

Forgetting the hood pins after tech. Man those 6 bbl scoops catch alot of air!

Leaving the foam in the scoop for a run.

Going. 002 to a. 150-something light. Being so excited I was going to my first final not paying attention...11.41 on a 11.43 dial.

Going -001 red and going 10.430 on a 10.43 dial.

Forgetting to put the shifter in park and watching your call roll backwards off the trailer after getting out.

burnout in reverse

I race a K-car... and I have another unfinished K-car race car...


First points race snapped a ball off the carb linkage on the launch, idled down the track.

First license pass took most of the teeth off the 8 3/4 ring gear, idled down the track.

Finally started started going rounds after a convertor swap. First time shot the next week I break an axle in the 8 3/4, idled down the track.

Hood pins too!

Walter,

Have you ever thought of dialing your car based on what it runs idling down the track? Your have a good log book of passes to compare it to....

It's consistent idling because the clocks time out!