Good Times

My creative writing professor from college would probably shoot me - I was mulling over, for too long, the title of this weeks blog. Numerous times, he used to say to the class, "Just write your piece. Don't worry about the title. It will come later." That's what I finally did. As I write this, it is now mid-October, I haven't written a blog for something like 2+ weeks because of my hectic schedule, and for all intensive purposes, the car show / drag racing season has drawn to a close, as far as events are concerned, for 2017 here in Maine. I was able to attend a large (for Maine anyways) drag racing event last weekend at Winterport Dragway. It's a small track that's only an eighth mile. The closest quarter-mile professional track is in Epping New Hampshire. While we all could wish for a longer track, better seating, or some other instant gratification aspect, there's some inventory to be had here.

First off, it's a drag racing venue, regardless of it's size. That in itself, seems to be a miracle nowadays, especially when you consider this track has been in the same location for 50 years. How many times have we read in countless automotive and hot rod enthusiast magazines about "...yet another drag strip has closed" due to complaints from nearby residents, financial problems, or some developer wants to turn the place into the latest homogenized condo development. Second, it has a certain nostalgic coolness factor - that while they have restricted areas for safety concerns - it's more or less an open area where you can get pretty dang close to the lanes, the burnout boxes, the return road, as well as the racing pits.

I'll admit it - I'm an old fart. I can remember going to NHRA events at Englishtown New Jersey raceway back in the '60's. While the stands were a ways from the actual staging lanes and quarter mile track, the pits were an open invitation to watch and mingle with the race teams and drivers you saw on what passed for TV back then. While other kids traded baseball cards, I used to love watching Ronnie Sox, Dick Landy, Don Nicholson, and Bill Jenkins - you name it, I knew who they were. Pro Stock, Gassers, Top Fuel, Funny Cars; it was all good. The kicker was, when you wandered through the pits between rounds at Englishtown, you could literally rub elbows with these same people. The same was true at Winterport. I was able to talk with drivers, photograph their rides REALLY up close, and have a blast like I did when I was a kid. And even though this was considered a "Gasser" weekend, every type of race car was welcomed. Dragsters, street rods, muscle cars, and modern bracket racing cars. When was the last time you saw a Royal Bobcat prepped 1963 Pontiac Catalina Super Duty take some power-shifts down the tarmac?

That weekend also held a large car show, which was a separate entity unto itself. Every type of vintage automobile was welcome. There were cars, trucks, even campers. The engine between the fenders didn't natter either. A blown big-block Ford was parked next to an unrestored 100% stock 409 in a 1961 Impala, that was parked next to a Dodge Dart and 1st generation Charger - one with a rusty stock slant six, the other with a twin-turbo 426 Hemi.

Of course, when you completely immerse yourself in an event like this, the hours seem to fly by. When you finally leave, and even if you're behind the wheel of your modern front-drive vehicle, you still expect to see things like you did when you were a kid. Vintage automobiles, old fashioned service stations, auto parts stores where the employees actually knew what the heck they were talking about, and tie-dye everything. But, as I left Winterport late Saturday afternoon, and slowly came back to reality, I realized I can't always be jonesing for the way things were. The good 'ol days had some good times, but not everything was always good. I certainly can't live or spend all my time thinking about the future, being afraid or concerned that events like this will someday cease to exist or if we'll be able to preserve our vintage automobiles. I need to be here... now. Engage and truly appreciate what is here... now. To live any other way is completely self-defeating.

Sorry for all the Chevy pics. It just worked out that way. I dig all types of makes and models... really. Until next time, peace out.
Dave