I always liked cars, when I was a teen in Pittsburgh I was into the cruising thing until I heard about a drag strip, My first trip to a track and first time on one was an old 1/8 mile (I think) track near New Castle Pa by the Ohio border, I went a few times with my 64 Dart. After I moved to N.J. in 73 I went to Island Dragway and Englishtown to watch, then a friend built a 72 Duster for a cool street car after getting tired of that he started racing it and I helped. Then I bought my Dart in 1982 and I started racing it weekly a few years later with help from a couple of longtime Mopar guys including my trans guy/ close friend who raced a Mopar factory sponsored Stocker in the early 70s. Now over 25 years later I`m still racing the same Dart and all my friends are still involved in weekly racing also except my friend with the Duster he broke a motor quite a few years ago and we haven`t seen him since.

In 1954 my Father took me and 2 of my friends to our first drag race somewhere in south Louisiana. We all loved it immediately. However that day a dragster (hemi powered with a belly tank body) went out of control and into the crowd and killed a spectator. We were all afraid he would not allow us to race after that but he certainly did. The next Christmas he gave me a channeled 32 Ford 3 window with a hopped up flathead and it went from there. He was a huge supporter of my racing until I married and left in 1963.

I liked building model cars and U control airplanes in Jr and Sr high school, what really hooked me on wanting to go fsat was a ride in a street rod with a stock J2 Olsmobile (372 C.I.Tri power motor in a 2300 lb roadster). He had built it out of varoius parts, 1929 model A frame Zed, 1923 Dodge roaster pick up bucket, 1949 Olsmobile rear end and suspension on 8.20x15 recap street tires on the rear. It burnt rubber and fishtailed real bad in all three gears (it was stick shift ) like there was no tomorrow, I loved it That was in 1961-62 era and I have been hooked on going fast every since I was 17 and he was around 23, I went to high school with his brother in law and met him thru my friend Johnny Powel His name was Tookie Smith he is now deceased Have fun while you can

Spending years here in the high-desert w/not much to do created some interesting street racing late at night in the middle of nowhere. We would tweek our cars during the week then meet up at a couple of different streets and match em up and go for it. I swore my 14-sec 69 satellite w/a mild 360 was a 12 sec car and the same guys I street raced w/headed to L.A.C.R. to find out what we had. After my 1st pass I was hooked and proceeded to spend the next several years learning,spending and building motors,street racing and track testing to get to where I am today. I`ve gone from 14 seconds to high 9`s and it`s been a long EXPENSIVE but fun road.......wouldn`t trade it for anything. I have to give Cab tons of credit as he lived south of me and I would pick his brain and go to his house and bug the hell out of him to gain more knowledge so I could beat the guys around here and, IT WORKED.....Thankxx Cab.

There was a couple that lived across the street from us in Charlotte, 1960,1961, that raced a B/Gas 40 Ford Coupe at Shuffletown Dragstrip. The man was involved in and accident and was paralyzed from his waist down. There was a NASCAR racing shop near us. The guys there heard about this guy and took his car and adding all the controls, accelerator, brakes, etc. on to the steering column. They would pay for a couple of teenagers in the neighborhood to go to the races with them on Saturday night change tires, plugs, what ever needed to be done to race. Since I lived right across the street you had to get up early on Saturday morning to beat me to the shop. Started racing myself when I turned 16.

I did

I grew up in a mopar family so mopar is in my blood! I build model cars and listened to stories of the good old days on Woodward and Gratiot ave. As I got older I dreamed of a cuda and just being able to cruise it like back in the day. Well I got two friends who really got me interested in Drag Racing Jason Nimitz (540 Dart) and Alan Lemon (moparal) I would read their posts an think how cool it would be to race a muscle car! So I became close with both and now concider them my best friends! They have taken me under their wing and are leading me to be a racer. I have only limited experience racing a few trips at my local track and a failed attempt during the 2009 Carlisle Nationals when my car stalled at the line when I stomped on it... Im excited to see what the future hold for me and the cuda.

Don

In 1964, I was visiting relatives in Ohio, and was introduced to a guy my cousin had married. It turns out he had just purchased an aluminim nosed 64 Hemi 330 sedan, and it was parked in the wash bay of a Sunoco station in town. He took me down to gander it, and I was hooked from that moment. I was able to accompany him to a lot of races that summer, and I never looked back.

In 1965, I attended a NASCAR drag event (yes, they did have a drag division) and the winner was a guy named Melvin Yow driving OB Hewett's "Big No. 1" 65 Dodge Ultra stock. I fell in love with it, and patterned my car after that one.

My cousin has retired to Myrtle Beach....does not even think about drag racing. The Sunoco station is long gone, and PID has closed many years ago. I understand that Yow is still kicking, but wants nothing to do with drag racing.

But, I'm still around.

One of the lucky kids that got to grow up at the races, thanks to Mom.

And Dad had a few nice rides too.