Author Topic: What was your first (or most memorable) street racing experience?  (Read 2113 times)

Side-Oilers

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I think it'd be cool to hear from you guys.   What were your street-race hangouts?
« Last Edit: March 22, 2022, 12:27:45 AM by Side-Oilers »
Current:
2006 FGT. Tungsten. Whipple, HRE 20s, Ohlin coil-overs, 3.90 gears. 210.7 mph.

Kirkham Cobra. 482-inch aluminum side-oiler. Tremec 5-spd.

Formerly:
1968 GT500KR #2575 (1982-2022)
1970 Ranchero GT 429
1969 LTD Country Squire 429
1963 T-Bird Sport Roadster
1957 T-Bird E-model 3-spd stick

427heaven

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VAN -Many of those places have been mentioned on here and I occasionally go by some of them late at night like I did so many years ago, and can still see and here the Ghosts or memories of those VERY impressionable times of youth. It was the sights and sounds, the chicks, the friends, the fights, the betting, the pride of competition and being a winner in something you created, and sometimes people getting busted. AHH youth was crazy good times, most of the time! ;)

Side-Oilers

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Re: What was your first (or most memorable) street racing experience?
« Reply #2 on: March 22, 2022, 12:30:37 AM »
I remember discussing that you and I frequented Van Nuys, back then.  Great times. 

We probably gave each other the "cool ride" head nod as we cruised past.   
Current:
2006 FGT. Tungsten. Whipple, HRE 20s, Ohlin coil-overs, 3.90 gears. 210.7 mph.

Kirkham Cobra. 482-inch aluminum side-oiler. Tremec 5-spd.

Formerly:
1968 GT500KR #2575 (1982-2022)
1970 Ranchero GT 429
1969 LTD Country Squire 429
1963 T-Bird Sport Roadster
1957 T-Bird E-model 3-spd stick

67 GT350

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Re: What was your first (or most memorable) street racing experience?
« Reply #3 on: March 22, 2022, 10:35:10 AM »
If we can talk about Upstate NY, there was always a Boss 302 VS Shelby thing......seems like Bosses came from behind for the win.

Once I was "racing" myself doing burnouts from lights in my 67 Shelby. One time I did a nice one by a local Mall, got to the next light and a car pulled up next to me, the guy motioned  to roll my window down, he said, "Nice car!" I said "Thank you!" then a badge came out and he said, "If I see you doing that again, you will be in trouble!" I said "Yes officer." he took off.....Strange though, I found out that he owned a 69 Shelby....maybe his could not do nice burnouts? and he got mad, because I could?
I later became friends with his daughter, small town! I was 20 years old then....
« Last Edit: March 22, 2022, 04:22:20 PM by 67 GT350 »
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FL SAAC

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Re: What was your first (or most memorable) street racing experience?
« Reply #4 on: March 22, 2022, 11:01:53 AM »
This is totally FICTION and never ever happened

Once upon a time there was a magical place called Nebas.  Nebas was located in a wonderful place called Fort Lauderdale Land.

It was a early Friday night and these young folks from Miami Land decided to venture north.

They got on a mystical highway called Eye-95 traveling north until they found the exit to State Road 84.  As they headed peacefully east towards the beaches they encountered a very ugly and nasty 1967 Chevy Nova. The Nova snarled and spouted fumes that made everyone cry in the next car.

Oh that car was a docile and kind 1972 Pontiac Trans Am 455 H. O.

The Nova kept revving and making all sorts if noises. The kind people on their journey kept ignoring it. The driver said what a beautiful night to be cruising. (What he actually said was turn down the radio and turn off the AC)

Suddenly the light turned green, the Nova lunged ahead about 20 feet.

Now the Trans American being a heavier vehicle and on that particular night had 4 , yes 4 passenger's occupying it's lush Interior,  did not burn out, but squatted down, accelerated and just before it's owner shifted into second gear he looked at the Novas driver face in distress. 

In came second gear and that heavy Bird flew by the Nova as if it was standing still ! (Gets interesting)

Less than 1/4 mile ahead, the TAs driver notices flashing lights, attempts to slow down.

The trooper hears the car, leaves the car he is ticketing and proceeds to the middle of the three lane highway. He puts up his ticket book waving it so the car pulls over.

The TA doesn't seem to agree with him. The trooper decides to put his had on his gun and extends the ticket book as if it was a bible.

Suddenly the TA turned its lights off and rapidly but cautiously accelerated by and around the trooper.

They say the trooper was left spinning in circles as the TA went by.

The TA arrived at Nebas, they greet all friends and start to mingle.  About an hour later or so the TA group is walking around and is approached by an
unhinged individual, screaming it's you,  it's you !

That trooper wants your ass, they have a bolo out for you the white firebird your ass is grass.

Well,  we'll, we'll they immediately evacuated the premises and what was a 45 minute ride home on the interstate took them 4 hours on the back roads

Of course this never ever happened and they lived happily ever after.


Living RENT FREE in your minds...

Home of the Hertz Musketeers 

A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs.  It's jolted by every pebble on the road

I have all UNGOLD cars

I am certainly not a Shelby Expert

Life is short B happy

FL SAAC

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Re: What was your first (or most memorable) street racing experience?
« Reply #5 on: March 22, 2022, 11:05:31 AM »



Living RENT FREE in your minds...

Home of the Hertz Musketeers 

A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs.  It's jolted by every pebble on the road

I have all UNGOLD cars

I am certainly not a Shelby Expert

Life is short B happy

6s2055

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Re: What was your first (or most memorable) street racing experience?
« Reply #6 on: March 22, 2022, 12:51:52 PM »
Late 1967. At the stop light on Market St. & Castro in SF. In CSX2192. New Corvette pulls up along side, light changes and we take off. Watching across the street was one of SF finest! Pull the Vett real bad and look in the mirror and he is coming with red lights. Figure he can only get one of us so I turn on Noe street and wait. He turned also. That became an exposition of speed tick….5 points. Had to ask why he didn’t go straight and get th Vett? His response was that I had pulled the Vett so bad that I deserved the reward, aka ticket! I protested the ticket as my license was on probation. I beat the ticket only because the officer didn’t show up for the court date!

deathsled

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Re: What was your first (or most memorable) street racing experience?
« Reply #7 on: March 22, 2022, 01:21:56 PM »
Late 1967. At the stop light on Market St. & Castro in SF. In CSX2192. New Corvette pulls up along side, light changes and we take off. Watching across the street was one of SF finest! Pull the Vett real bad and look in the mirror and he is coming with red lights. Figure he can only get one of us so I turn on Noe street and wait. He turned also. That became an exposition of speed tick….5 points. Had to ask why he didn’t go straight and get th Vett? His response was that I had pulled the Vett so bad that I deserved the reward, aka ticket! I protested the ticket as my license was on probation. I beat the ticket only because the officer didn’t show up for the court date!
Lol!  Good result!
In DuPage County, they call the officer if you answer ready for trial and the court waits for his arrival if not already present.
"Low she sits on five spoke wheels
Small block eight so live she feels
There she's parked beside the curb
Engine revving to disturb
She's the princess from his past
Red paint gold stripes damned she's fast"

98SVT - was 06GT

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Re: What was your first (or most memorable) street racing experience?
« Reply #8 on: March 22, 2022, 01:23:04 PM »
Side street off Whittier Blvd. Cop nailed us after about 100 yards. I stopped the other guy tried to split. Cops got him after 4 blocks. When I went to court (mandatory appearance) I bravely asked the judge if I could do traffic school. He and the cop conferred and he said since I stopped and had shown the "right attitude" he's let me do school so it wouldn't show up on my record. He issued a bench warrant for the other guy who decided not to show up at all.
Previous owner 6S843 - GT350H & 68 GT500 Convert #135.
Mine: GT1 Mustang Track Toy, 1998 SVT Cobra, Wife's: 2004 Tbird
Member since 1975 - priceless

6R07mi

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Re: What was your first (or most memorable) street racing experience?
« Reply #9 on: March 22, 2022, 01:38:55 PM »
I can neither confirm or deny the following actually happened to someone known to my brother :)

If you are familiar with Dearborn MI then this account setting will be known.

Driving a 1970 Mustang, 351C 4v, shaker hood scoop, C/R 4 speed, 4:11, competition suspension, Koni all around, Crane Fireball cam with tuned B351 intake and Autolite 4350, down Ford road toward Telegraph Rd, (westside street racing venue), good friend alongside on Honda 750 wants to "run", so he pulls a wheelie while crossing Outer Drive, and Dearborn's finest (sitting in a parking lot, blacked out) observes this display of driving technique go by,...

turning north on Telegraph, the thought of attempting to evade is quickly discarded when the blue & red lights appear coming around the corner and picking up speed behind,

both the car and Honda pulling over to the shoulder are met with the flashing lights,  then the driver of the Honda decides to bail on his friend in the Mustang, and screams off with lights off......

as the Dearborn B&W pulls around the Mustang to begin the pursuit of the Honda, the officer yells out the window to the Mustang driver,
"you're lucky tonight because of your stupid friend, you better just go home, if I see you back out here pulling that kind of stunt, you'll spend the night in the station"!

Friend on Honda drove back home in Livonia via side streets without lights on to prevent being observed by law enforcement!

went back the next night to cruise, but without friend & Honda.
never got ticketed on Telegraph Rd in THAT mustang !

jim p
« Last Edit: March 22, 2022, 01:44:14 PM by 6R07mi »
Former owner 6S283, 70 "Boss351", 66 GT 6F07, 67 FB GT
current: 66 GT former day 2 track car 6R07
20+ yrs Ford Parts Mgr, now Meritor Defense

deathsled

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Re: What was your first (or most memorable) street racing experience?
« Reply #10 on: March 22, 2022, 01:41:53 PM »
You mean none of you were staring down at your iPhones huddled together, texting each other without eye contact instead of tearing up the roads and living life to the fullest?  Huh!
At age 16, I had an undeclared race with a Pontiac Firebird (early 70s from my recollection) and me in my first car, a 1969 Mustang coupe with a stock 302.  We got into it along Warden Avenue in Scarborough.  Warden is a four lane road, two lanes northbound and two lanes southbound.  The roads were dry and we were headed due north.  We were running side by side in the middle stages but he began to pull away. The Firebird occupied the right lane and I (along with my best friend) were in the left lane.  Up in the distance, a car pulled out from a side street to my left and proceeded to go northbound as well, now occupying my lane of travel while I was doing about 80 mph.  I came up on him fast and so I hit the brakes hard and not having experienced drum brakes that pulled unequally, it sent us swerving side to side until I hung the wheel hard left and did a 180 ending up facing southbound on Warden in the southbound lanes.  The Gods must've smiled upon us that day because even further ahead the southbound traffic was stopped for a red light at east/west St. Clair Avenue next to the Warden subway station.  The Mustang just sat there, engine humming, waiting for its next instructions.  I looked at my friend and asked him, "what just happened?"  I pulled into a small grocery store parking lot and unpacked the experience, rather a bundle of nerves.  A very eye opening experience that made me a much better driver today, with better survival instincts.  My first drag race and from that point on, I refrained from engaging deciding it wasn't worth it.  I just wanted to stay alive.  A bit embarrassing when I relive it now in this short account.
"Low she sits on five spoke wheels
Small block eight so live she feels
There she's parked beside the curb
Engine revving to disturb
She's the princess from his past
Red paint gold stripes damned she's fast"

deathsled

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Re: What was your first (or most memorable) street racing experience?
« Reply #11 on: March 22, 2022, 02:00:49 PM »




The best year for the Trans Am.  Round headlights versus square.
"Low she sits on five spoke wheels
Small block eight so live she feels
There she's parked beside the curb
Engine revving to disturb
She's the princess from his past
Red paint gold stripes damned she's fast"

Steve McDonald Formally known as Mcdonas

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Re: What was your first (or most memorable) street racing experience?
« Reply #12 on: March 22, 2022, 02:26:38 PM »
In the early 70’s we used to race a Mustang in NHRA Modified Eliminator B/Gas with a 427 SOHC, first with 2 4 barrels and later with fuel injection
We decided to head down to Ocean City maryland for a little R&R before heading to Delmar Delaware to US13 the closest drag strip on Sunday. We had 1957 Ford school bus with a ramp built onto the back to transport the car
Since the car needed to be  “tuned up” and we were sleeping in the school bus on the side of the road north of Ocean City we decided that the nice flat, straight and somewhat deserted ocean highway would be the perfect spot to test it.
We put the ramps out and had backed the car down unto the street. Fired it up and pretty much woke up the neighborhood. The Indian River inlet bridge was about 1/4 of a mile away and my buddy drove it down to there turned around and did a couple of burnouts that would have made the Chi Town Hustler blush with envy. A blast down the road and going through the gears sounded so good he turned around and did 3 more passes. We then proceeded to load the car back on the bus and had just locked everything down when two local county sheriffs one Maryland state trooper and one Delaware state trooper showed up. (we were just on the state line). They asked what we were doing racing on public roads and of course we looked at them with shock, Us race on public roads, of course we wouldn’t do that. We had just started the car on the ramp truck to make sure everything was ok. We pointed out that there were no tire marks in the street, that showed we had not been racing. Of course 1/4 miles away it looked like the starting line at a drag strip, but the Maryland and county sheriffs had not driven that far down the road and the Delaware cop had not noticed them. The stench of burnt rubber, hot oil, and clutch was lingering in the air and we said because it was a race car it always smelled like that when starting. They knew we were lying, we knew we were lying, but knowing it and proving it were two different things. They sternly said if they got any more reports they would lock us up, impound they school bus and the car and make sure we lost out licenses for a very long time. We then started the bus up and drove very slowly away from the area. We arrived at the track around noon and found out they did not open until 5 because it was so hot during the day. We spent the afternoon with the two professionals that were the booked in show, TV Tommy Ivo and Don Gartlis. It was quite an entertaining afternoon to say the least but that is a story for another time
But launching a full out race car on a pretty much major highway on an early Sunday morning was and still is a great story of what we did when we were you and dumb
Owned since 1971, now driven over 245,000 miles, makes me smile every time I drive it and it makes me feel 21 again.😎

98SVT - was 06GT

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Re: What was your first (or most memorable) street racing experience?
« Reply #13 on: March 22, 2022, 02:38:15 PM »
I hit the brakes hard and not having experienced drum brakes that pulled unequally, it sent us swerving side to side until I hung the wheel hard left and did a 180 ending up facing southbound
I've got 2 drum brake stories - both in the rain and in my Jeep FC170 shortly after I got my license. Went through a flooded (2') underpass then smacked a guy waiting at the next light - vertical learning curve that drum brakes don't work when wet. Next was a couple weeks later rears locked when stopping for a light it spun 90 degrees and we ended up in the middle of the intersection perfectly lined up for what became our new direction of travel.
Previous owner 6S843 - GT350H & 68 GT500 Convert #135.
Mine: GT1 Mustang Track Toy, 1998 SVT Cobra, Wife's: 2004 Tbird
Member since 1975 - priceless

deathsled

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Re: What was your first (or most memorable) street racing experience?
« Reply #14 on: March 22, 2022, 08:38:12 PM »
I hit the brakes hard and not having experienced drum brakes that pulled unequally, it sent us swerving side to side until I hung the wheel hard left and did a 180 ending up facing southbound
I've got 2 drum brake stories - both in the rain and in my Jeep FC170 shortly after I got my license. Went through a flooded (2') underpass then smacked a guy waiting at the next light - vertical learning curve that drum brakes don't work when wet. Next was a couple weeks later rears locked when stopping for a light it spun 90 degrees and we ended up in the middle of the intersection perfectly lined up for what became our new direction of travel.
It's no wonder why we went to four wheel disk brakes.  But then, the Z/28 had the JL-8 option as far back as 1969 (which very few ordered apparently).
"Low she sits on five spoke wheels
Small block eight so live she feels
There she's parked beside the curb
Engine revving to disturb
She's the princess from his past
Red paint gold stripes damned she's fast"