Since the age of 5 I've been around dirt track racing in some form or another. After graduation when I was 18 I partnered with a guy and built a 61 bubbletop Catalina which wasn't terribly successful, it ran fine, driver wasn't too talented though. He footed the majority of the bills, and I supplied some parts and 90% of the work. He was the driver and as soon as someone showed him a fender the next corner he'd overdrive the car and spin it out.
I got tired of bustin my butt for little reward, and I split from the partnership after building a second 61 bubbletop with the same results. 3 years with no wins for all that work wasn't cutting it.
I built a 67 GTO the next year and drove it and wrenched it myself, in 2 years 13 wins. moved up a class and built the 69 GP in the signature picture. Not as good a win ratio, but a tougher class and I never got the car to corner near as well as the GTO. My daughter was born (1982) and racing took a backseat. I was in the process of building a 70 Judge replica, but never got to finish it. Although I still built Pontiac engines for local racers, did their carbs, etc.
I've always loved sprint car racing and follow it all around Ohio and Pa. There used to be a local guy in Pa, where I'm from, that ran a Pontiac powered sprint car back in the 60s.
Spnints can run a 1/4 mile dirt track in the 10 second range, to me tons more exciting watching 20 cars run on dirt 1/4 mile, than watching 2 cars run side by side on asphalt in a straight line. Yeah they pull wheelies, even in the corners.
Too old, and too poor to race anymore, but I just got back from a rainout of the Allstar Circuit Of Champions sprint car race that my wife and I drove an hour and a half to the track just to get rained on tonight...................
If anyone cares to read it I put pics and a little bit of story about my dirt track racing here:
http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...d.php?t=507440
