First off my Dad had almost zero interest in racing but one time going to camp and don't ask my why, my Dad floored it. The old 1971 Chrysler New Yorker (440 engine) went from 55 mph to 115 plus and I'm in the back seat rubbing my hands like I won the lottery. Mom was half screaming, half laughing, saying what are you teaching Johnny. Well Dad, you taught me well. THANKS!!!!!!

Then it was around 130 mph in an old Pontiac grand prix with a 425 engine and shortly after that a Friend took me for a ride in his 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner with a 440 (6 pak) that from my view was in the 140 mph area. All well over 30 years ago but I remember it like it was yesterday. I've been stuck at a personal best of 160 mph since 2010 when I wrecked my Daytona. Since my heads up car will be set up for 1/8 mile racing that may end up being the life bar for me. I will never be a dragster guy or we could raise the bar some.

My dad used to buy used cars from a junkyard. He was always buying some old guy's car that died or whatever. Pretty nice clean 70s cars. My brother and his friends always had pretty cool cars. Not real race stuff but some cool rides. Mostly go stuff. My probably favorite was our friends 70 gto 4 speed and gen built a 455. He used to take me out looking for races and I was just a kid. Some of them had some weird stuff too. One guy had a 76-78 nova with a 454 and 4 speed. I always wanted a dart or a body barracuda and my dad used to give me a hard time, telling me go was where it was at. When I was looking for anproject car I tried to humor him so he would be involved and found a non running 69 gto that I still wish I could have got, he said no because it didn't run and the whole drivetrain could be junk. Then I found a 68 Malibu with a crate 350 and 4 speed for about the same money. No dice it was too much money. I realized he wanted me to have no part of what he taught me my whole childhood. One more try, I found a running driving 69 dart for 1200. No good. I forget the excuse. Then a raggedy running scamp for 275$. Too rough, it really wasn't that bad.
I got mad and bought the 69 dart.

After getting out of service my Dad ordered a new 69 Hemi Roadrunner 4 speed

Lots of rides in this car to influence me.

Took this pic right after getting his Cragars for a father days gift

Still wears original paint.

Dart - that is a beautiful car!

I started out racing Motocross and for 20 years thought that was the best speed high around. Boy was I wrong! My first real speed high was a bit out of a movie - my buddy's brother took me for a ride in his blown small block Dart. I couldn't believe how hard it hit! Not only was it the fastest car I'd ever been in, we ended up in a street race against a 69 Chevelle with a blown big block. We waxed him and I was instantly hooked. That's where all my money has gone ever since...

When i was 16, a friend took me for a ride in his 68 GTX...
375 hp 440, 4 speed, 3:23 gears, headers, exhaust out in front of back tires, 625 AFB.
Got on the hiway and hit 130 and i was hooked!

As soon as he put it up for sale i bought it.

Still have the registration sheet for it too.

Hate to admit it but it was a Ford. I was 11 and my older brother bought an 65 ford custom with a 428 police interceptor. With a highway gear that car was insane.

At about 10 years old, me and my two younger brothers road coaster wagons down a long and steep pasture hill through a lot of trees, having to crash rather than go over the bank and into the river. It was a blast! Tore the front wheels off three wagons that day. Never forgot the thrill!
If you are only counting vehicles, i got a fast ride in a 1967 442, and got to drive it! Fall of 1966, i was 16 and driving a flathead Ford Vicky. A bit of a step up!

Me and my dad went to test drive a B5 blue '70 Super Bee a local guy had for sale when I was about 11 years old I think. Was a 383/727 car and according to him it was a dog, but felt pretty fast to me at the time.
Not too long after that I went w/ my uncle to test drive a '68 road runner 383/727, but this 383 was hopped up. He laughed at me b/c I was just standing behind it smiling listening it to it idle...had a real lumpy hydraulic cam in it and sounded good. That car was a strong runner.
Been hooked ever since and the sound of these cars is still my favorite thing about them.

In 67 I bought a used nova with a 4sp solid cam..
was a quick car.. in 70 I went in the service and
during my over seas time I told my brother to fire
it up about once a month.. well when I got back
from Nam I asked my dad how it was running(this
was on the way back from the airport.. they started
looking at each other(mom, dad and my girl friend)
when I asked again and asked them if I still had a
car.. dad told me that my brother totaled it.. he
hit a light pole then a brick wall then into a
apartment(he ended up in the front room) after he
took out the 2' tall riser in front..he was lucky
he didnt get hurt.. boy was he scared when I walked
in the door at home.. he payed it all back and then
I bought a 70 442 W30 4sp.. that car cam out of the
GM tech center... I did a lot of racing in that car.
I lived 1 mile from 13 and Woodward.. where did I
spend the next month.. yep every night on Woodward
and had a riot with it

Visiting my Dad in SC years ago I went on a crazy ride in a 68-69 BB Road Runner w/relatives and remember being in the back seat at looking at the wavering speedo hoovering at around 115 mph on a windy azz swamp road. The sound and feeling was amazing then I used to go to races w/my uncle Bob in his original 289 AC Cobra and watched him autocross that bad boy then drive it home which explains why Mopar is #1 and Ford #2 in my world............

I think the 1st time the hook was set was by my parents' friends; the husband owned a Triumph TR3 and took me for a spirited ride; then it was off to a sportscar race at Torrey Pines where I saw my 1st Ferrari, a pontoon-fender Testa Rossa. Around this time we'd take summer trips back to Chicago in Mom & Dad's '57 Sport Suburban, which soon had a transplanted engine from a CHP car; it was a BB, I remember that, but not if it was a 383 or 413. Dad always liked to get on with the program on the highway, and regularly passed cars like he never wanted to see them again...

My older brother had a 66 charger when I was 16. He let me drive it (i only had a permit at the time), of course I had to let it rip. At 125 he said that's it. that was a rush. My first car was a 68 dart gts 340 4 spd all black. I drove it everywhere coz high test was only 25cts a gallon. Never took it to the strip, just a little street racing. Drove it in the winter with studded snow tires too. Couldn't afford a beater car back then. Lol.

Dirt /trail bikes, somewhere between age 8-10. Grew up on the prairie near pavement, so not much to jump besides the roads. We would burn the knobs off the back tires doing brake stands on the pavement, then we would drag race the bikes down the long flat gravel roads spinning all the way thru 3rd gear. Made those little 80-175cc bikes feel like rockets when you are a kid 😂. From that point on my brothers and I were hooked on blasting the tires off anything and everything....

My dad had a '66 D100 with a 318 3 on the tree when I was young that I thought was the best thing since jam, that planted the seed. An uncle had a '67 Coronet with a cam/intake 383 that basically set the cast for fast Mopars. Lots of old cars around my grandparents place, all of the boys worked at a wrecker and would drive the best ones home: '60 Dodges, '62 Chrysler, lots of '64 Galaxies, probably 6 or so Sweptlines. At one time there was probably 50 cars in the back there. Oh, another was when I was around 11 or so, an uncle had a '76 Ford F150 with a 351W in it that he would take up to the highway and pull powerturns till you couldn't see the truck, lots of influences growing up

I don't know which was the first but a few stick in my head. Around 2000, the street racing scene was very big around here. A guy I know (not very well) has a 89 Mustang with an Incon twin turbo kit. I rode in the car one night and at the time, I think it was making around 600HP at the wheels. The guy hammered it at about 60-70 MPH and the car broke loose and went side ways until about 110MPH. The electric poles just started to fly by. If I had to guess, he probably let off at 160 MPH. The 140MPH speedo had been buried for a little bit so; I don't know how fast we were going.

Years later, I was in the guys shop and got some pictures of the crank laying on the floor in pieces, with pieces of the block attached to it which came out with the crank. A few years after that, back in his shop and it was back together making 1050HP at the tires. I've just always been impressed with the car. Very stock looking, doesn't sound like much, still gets good MPG's, everything works and it could be a daily driver.

I've had two cars on his dyno and have felt inadequate when making pulls knowing what kind of power the thing has seen.

Racing snow mobile impressed me; the brakes did not. Hit a ditch going 50MPH; just did have enough field left before reaching the road. Some side by sides and Raptors have really impressed me over the past few year.

In the mid-'70's my friends older brother took me for a burn on his CB750.I was no more than 9 or 10 years old,he sat me on the front so I could hold the bars,and watch the speedo/tach.I remember going over 85 is a 25 zone,passing the church and my dad's best friends house,worrried for days that he saw me and would tell my dad!

Probably my first exciting, memorable high speed ride was in my Dad's 68 4dr Satellite with the whole family in the car, mom smacking him as he passed an old lady who was going 45 in the left lane on I20 heading to Shreveport La, he passed her on the right side going well over 100, afterwards he looked back at me and laughed..."did you feel the car floating?" LOL

My Dad was stylist at Chrysler. He started getting lease cars in 64. First one was a 64 300K 4 speed. From there we had Formula S Cuda, 68 383 Charger. Then it was time to get my license. He let me pick the lease car. 70 Hemi R/T SE Challenger. Took my road test in it to get my license. I've been ruined ever since.
Doug

dvw,That is awesome!

Great stories guys. Our love is deep in our sport