WHEN RACING WAS FUN...

In 1961, I raced my first car, a 1949 Ford Coupe V 8 flathead.  I welded dumps on the exhaust pipes, an overflow cam, and a drive shaft strap. I drove it to the drag strip in Connecticut from East Providence, Rhode Island with a couple of my friends and referred to them as my "pit crew".

The ride to the race track was always an adventure. We would stop for breakfast at some little out of the way diner; flirt with the waitress, whose name was always "Flo". Brag how great we were as a driver or as a mechanic and how we were going to beat the competition that day; and, win a trophy!

When we got to the track everyone had a job to do. Put on the slicks, change the plugs, check tire pressure, check the water but there never seemed enough time to get them done, but they did.

We would hang out and check out the dragsters and gassers and hope someday we'd own and race one.

I always was competitive in my class. I would win or come in second. After the race, I would get my trophy, change the tires, close the dumps and start for home. The drive was always fun. We talked about the events of the day and whether it was good or bad. We'd stop at a restaurant, have a meal, flirt with the waitress "Flo", then head home.

It was a great time to race and have fun. Those times are long gone. Now it's all money, sponsors, big rigs, and corporations.

But...once in awhile I see some one at the local track with a low budget operation, with his wife and kids running around full of laughter and smiles. He is having a ball racing his car with his family and having the best time of his life!

Racing is still fun!
Keep them Rolling!
Bill