[ponyakr]

My Pont dirt-racer friend that I've mentioned finally talked me into giving it a try. I thought "Well, I'm not gonna really launch another serious bracket effort. I've already been there and done that. So I think I'll give this dirt thing a try. It might be fun." So we looked around and the best thing we could find was an old beat up (I later find out they were all beat up) Cutlass. The owner said "I know it looks bad, but it handles good." And he was right, but I was skeptical. You gotta start somewhere, so I drug it back to the shop and started throwing it together. As I remember I used the alst 455 I had raced in '83. Headers weren't legal so I used the RA3 manifolds off my old goat. The only carb that was legal was a Roch. 2bl. So I got the biggest one I could find. I'll never forget that first lap. I'm flyig down the straight heading toward the banked turn and I did not have a clue how to make that left turn. I didn't know if I would spin out like I had seen some do, or just not be able to turn and hit the wall. but the boy i'd bought the car from was right, it did handle good. I actually made it thru the first turn ok so I nailed it again and took off flying down the backstrectch. Each turn I got a little braver and a little faster. I was surprised to find that the harder I got into the turn the more it dug in and tried to turn left. I could soon pitch it into the turn and instead of spinning out it would just turn left, dig in and go! "Hey, this ain't bad, it's actually fun!" But that was just the hotlaps. My real education was about to begin. I wan't to sorta hang back and take it easy and see what was going to happen. But you can't do that. The flag man motioned me to close up the gap. So I pulled up right on the bumper of the car in front of me, just like the car beside me was doing. And when the green flag dropped all H??? broked loose. The sound of all the motors was loud and the cars in front of me were slinging mud in my face. I was reaching for a tear-off to peel off so I could see and at the same time keep it headed in the right direction and then there was the thought of the curve coming up quick. I couldn't pitch it in like in the hotlaps, cause there was a car right beside me. And to make matters worse, the car behind me had already started bumping me from behind. Ya'll, I was in a pickle. Flashing thru my mind was, "What on earth am I doing out here, this is crazy!"