When & How Did You Get Started In All This Vintage Automotive Madness?

   The short answer is, many moons ago. If I had to nail down a year, I'd definitely say it was 1968. I
was going on six years of age when I received my first batch of Hot Wheels toy cars which made their debut that same year. I had collected a few Matchbox cars prior to that, but they didn't roll very well and half the time I had to ask either my dad or grandfather exactly what the model was as most of them were based on foreign vehicles. When I first laid eyes on those cool Hot Wheels with their spectra-flame colors and hot rod attitude, that's all I wanted. I've been collecting them ever since. Of course, the success Mattel experienced from those initial 16 toy cars sparked a revolution and spawned more advertising on Saturday morning cartoons than you could shake a stick at. That led me to purchase more Hot Wheels and the associated track and accessories. By 1971, I had a LOT of Hot Wheels stuff; everything from a lunch box to miles of orange track to the almost 3 foot tall Tune-Up Tower. If anyone in my family asked my mom what I wanted for Christmas, my birthday, for Easter - the answer was Hot Wheels. The above picture is my older sister and I back in 1970. My mom had a cardinal rule of sorts, where I was only allowed to bring down so much Hot Wheels stuff from my room to play with at one time. She knew that everything I owned could take over the entire study / TV room in our house, as evidenced by the fact my bedroom was loaded with it. 

  

As time went on, those Hot Wheels branched out to other things. The only sport I was into was drag racing. I used to fall asleep watching the football or baseball games my dad or grandfather used to watch. Basketball was a little better, but my mom wouldn't let me watch hockey - too violent. I also thought NASCAR racing was kinda cool, but it took too long. A drag race was the only sport where you had one shot to win. No innings, quarters, periods, halves, rounds, sets, frames, or what have you. If you lost the race, you went home. Before we moved from northern New Jersey to live in the middle of nowhere in New Hampshire in 1974, my neighbor, who was an avid drag racer, took me a few times to Englishtown Raceway which was a racing mecca in its day. He was gracious enough to snap some pictures of some of the race cars, and I still have those faded color photos today. That mostly cemented my love for 60's and early 70's muscle cars. By 1972, I started collecting AHRA drag racing trading cars made by the Canadian company Fleer. I still have those today and still collect those as well. 

   Fast forward a few more years when performance took a real hit, but there were still a few diehards in my family who had the same bug I did. My older cousin, who lived near Chicago, owned a 70 Roadrunner with lots of power and attitude. And yeah - lots of cars had that serious rake; totally inspired by drag racing. When I was 16, I purchased my first car, a Mustang, from a neighbor. The vehicle never saw a New England winter as they went to Florida every October. The saving grace was the fact it had a 302 cubic inch engine, even if it was graced by Ford with only a 2-barrel carburetor. My dad was a little miffed that I didn't get something foreign or front wheel drive, but he knew it was still a good car. With the help of a fellow speed freak at a local garage, the engine soon had a performance intake manifold, 4-barrel carb, a set of headers with dual exhaust and a pretty healthy camshaft tackling the valvetrain. I never drove it winter, which still worked out okay, as I had a very good friend who had a 4-wheel drive pickup. The arrangement we had was we would drive my car from the beginning of May until about the first on November, then drive his rig all winter. Having this modified Mustang led me to start collecting Hot Rod, Car Craft, and Popular Hot Rodding magazines from the mid 50's through the early 70's. Each was loaded with performance tech articles regarding my era Mustang, never mind the coolness factor from a by-gone era.

  

I took a hiatus from performance cars when I went off to college. Girls were now a major concern as was my love for music and radio broadcasting, which was my major in college. My dad wouldn't allow me to take the Mustang to college as he felt it would get stolen. He said he would store the car for me like I did for several years. Unfortunately, for one reason or another, his game plan didn't work out. He thought he would have a friend or neighbor store it somewhere for free as he didn't want to pay anything for storage like I had done. So the Mustang sat - outdoors - totally unprotected. One winter while I was away at college was especially cold and brutal. When I came back home in mid-May, the car had taken a real beating. All the tires were flat, I had to replace the battery, along with the distributor cap, rotor, as well as the spark plugs and wires. My gear-head friend from the local garage helped me get it started. It took us over 2 hours to get it running. Needless to say, with my 19-year old attitude, I was pissed. While I drove the car all summer, I just couldn't bring myself to let it sit like that for another winter, despite family promises. I sold the car to my gear-head buddy. 

 

   It wasn't until I was married in the mid-80's, that muscle cars started making a comeback. The restoration parts aftermarket definitely helped that along. At that same time, I had a little bambino on the way, and my mom informed me that she had saved all of my Hot Wheels stuff, my Fleer trading cards, as well as all my magazines. Maybe I could share my passion with our child. To my benefit, my parents owned and ran a large antique shop. My mom saw that all these things I collected were escalating in value, so in her fore-thinking wisdom, (and unbeknownst to my dad), she collected more of these things. My wife was a little surprised with all this "stuff" that had now taken up residence in our study and TV room, just like when I was a kid. 

   I still have most of these things - I made a mistake once and vowed to never do it again. Money was tight during the recession going into the early 90's and I put all my Hot Wheels track and accessories out in a huge box as part of our annual yard sale. A guy and his wife approached me and asked how much I wanted for the entire box. Being a tad hesitant to sell, I shot out, what I thought was a high figure of $250 dollars. He didn't even bat an eyelash and agreed to it. He pulled out his wallet and handed me the money. My wife was stunned at the amount. He asked if I had any Hot Wheels cars for sale and my wife, thinking we could really rake in some cash told him, "Oh yeah, he has tons of them inside! He has all kinds of old drag racing stuff too!!" I told him that the box was all I was selling and that I already had sellers remorse. Yes, I'm still married to that same woman today but she tolerates my hobbies MUCH better... and doesn't offer to sell my stuff for me.

Until next time, remember; don't collect for the value. Value what you collect. 

Peace out.

You Want How Much For It?

    I was reading two articles the other day from one of my older Hot Rod magazines. One article was
titled, "100 Ways To be Inflation" - tips on car repair and maintenance that ranged from exhaust to carburetor jets to installing trunk mounted batteries. The other article contained a photo caption that read, "Swap meet prices are out of control. We need to bring them back down to earth. Some clowns are trying to get rich by buying and selling old hot rod parts." Sound familiar? So when do you think these articles and such were written? Believe it or not, all those words were written back in 1972... 52 years ago. 

   I don't know who said it, but it still rings true - some things never change. While inflation seems to rear its ugly head now and again to varying degrees, it seems the prices of old cars, their associated parts, as well as vintage automotive memorabilia which includes various collectibles ranging from toys to literature has rarely taken a break. And lately, it seems to have been injected with a heavy dose of steroids. I can remember when, and I'm taking about six or seven years ago, when someone could purchase an older vehicle, say pre-1980, for less than 2 grand, if it was a 4-door with a small V-8 engine between the fenders. And while it needed work, it usually ran, drove and stopped. Nowadays it seems, that same vehicle is at least $5000 or more depending on make. 

   eBay seems to be ripe with this inflation price attitude. Facebook marketplace also seems to falling into this unfortunate trend. I belong to several Facebook groups that range from hot rods to Hot Wheels. I've read way too many posts from members that are criticizing some of the prices for certain items on eBay. In my humble opinion, it's your stuff - you can sell it for whatever you want. But these people do have a point; there seems to be an almost out-of-control pricing problem that is being inflamed by unknowledgeable sellers or price gougers trying to make some serious cash. One Hot Wheels FB group I belong to had a member post a brand new 1971 Chevy El Camino Hot Wheel that was also a super treasure hunt. His first mistake in his for sale post was he found the toy at Dollar Tree - which means he paid $1.25 plus tax for it. He was now selling the toy online for $40 plus shipping and handling. Shipping is more than a-ok, but an additional handling charge? Needs to say he was absolutely lambasted by the group and the post was removed, most likely by him. 

  

Again, it's your stuff - you can ask whatever you want for it - be it reasonable or stupid crazy. I'm seeing a number of eBay listings ranging from vintage automotive stuff to Hot Wheels that just get renewed month after month or week after week, because the item or items did not sell. The auction will usually see a price drop after a few renewals because the seller just may be realizing that the price is too high. Others don't get it - they hold out for some newbie collector who doesn't know any better. The best thing we can all do, is to educate ourselves as best as possible about a potential purchase, and pay reasonable prices. If they're too high, don't pay them. This theory holds true whether it's on eBay, or at an old car swap meet. Another bottom line is, it's your money - do whatever you want with it. But don't be the fool who's money is easily departed. Don't get into a hobby because of the value of what it contains or strictly for resale purposes; that isn't a hobby. Value what you collect or get out of your hobby. You'll be much happier.

   I'm done with the old cliches - I'll catch you next time. Peace out.

Like Technology? Thank a Drag Racer

    Technology is everywhere, regardless of industry. Whether the field is medicine, automotive, computers, or even housing and construction, we can no longer ignore it nor not use it. Technology is helpful and in most cases, a very good thing. I'm currently going through cancer treatment and had what's called a port inserted into the upper right side of my chest. This thing is smaller than a quarter, took all of 15 minutes to install after the prep work was done, and now the cancer center at the hospital where I'm receiving my treatments, as well as any other doctor, can utilize this port for any number of things. While this technology has been around for a while, it's still amazing what can be done. 

  

In regards to automobiles, we take for granted things like computer systems, fuel injection, flex-fuels, supercharging, direct drive transmissions, aerodynamics, transverse mounted engines and more. Ever wonder where these ideas ever cam from? Drag racing. Things like fuel injection and flex-fuels have been used in drag racing since the late 40's. Advanced supercharging and direct drive transmissions have been a staple in top fuel dragsters since the 50's. Aerodynamics and transverse mounted engines have been played with for over 60 years. This was all in the name of going fast, first and foremost, and eventually safety when that came into vogue in the early 70's after too many close calls and bad accidents. Take a good look the photo to the left - this is circa mid-50's and one can see the supercharger on top of the main engine. Those tubes above the supercharger, going into the air scoop is a fuel injection system. Lastly, that cool front mounted fuel tank would hold a mix of gasoline and nitro-methane. 

   More technology - I recently acquired a 2x3 foot reproduction banner that is identical to the ones that were at Shell stations back in the late 60's. I purchased it from a guy who makes these new banners with his computer and a professional printer. The quality is first rate. This is yet another warm fuzzy from my past for multiple reasons. One, because I was in love with Hot Wheels toy cars, and two, because I was in love with muscle cars and hot rods. There was a very cool Shell station that also did full-on mechanical work and I always begged my dad to go there to get the gas for our vehicle. Not only did 3 gallons of petrol get me either a free Hot Wheels, or at most would cost us 49 cents, but there were always cool muscle cars and street rods parked there in the warmer months that were owned by the station employees. Looking back, my dad was always pretty cool about these jaunts into my hot rod fantasies. He always got more than 3 gallons of gas, would pony up the two bits for the toy car if necessary, and would allow me time to drool over the awesome vehicles. Some of the mechanics were even good enough to take a few moments from their busy schedule to talk to me. That's become non-existent these days. 

   Call me an alarmist, but I see all these stories and headlines about AI. Everything from where it's going to be much harder to tell the difference between actual and fake photographs, ditto with videos, and who knows what else. Hopefully, other technology will develop along with this so we will be able to decipher what is real and what isn't. The "good 'ol days may not have always been so good, but at least we knew that shit was real. 

Until next time, peace out.

Aren't You A Little Old For That?

   

   This has to be one of the more somewhat annoying questions an adult gets asked - "Aren't you a little old for that?" The question can be applied to any number of things, hobbies, or topics. To me, it's right up there with another age old question, "Why would you spend so much time and money working on an old car?"  I've been asked both questions far too many times over the years, but it appears to me that the frequency of them being asked is lessening. Maybe it's because people are finally giving up or perhaps I've entered geezer territory now that I'm over 60 years of age. The old car question usually goes either unanswered or has my stand-by answer; "If you have to ask, you won't understand." The kicker is, these questions have been around for generations. People have been working on, hot rodding, and modifying old cars for years in addition to collecting toys. So I guess we haven't answered the masses sufficiently enough. Maybe we never will.

   However, the too old for something, in least in my case, can be applied to my toy car collection as
well as my affection for old Warner Brothers / Looney Tunes cartoons; especially when watching classics that have Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner. One thing that I've always found amusing, especially as of late, is the endless supply of items the Acme company can and will sell to the consumer. Everything from massive industrial magnets, to jet powered sneakers, to rockets you can ride on that had handle bars. I was watching one episode yesterday morning, while taking a short break from my writing, that showed the coyote in a junkyard, and he managed to build a dragster from all that "junk". Looking closely at the dragster, it showed the definitive valve covers that belonged either on a 392 or 426 Chrysler Hemi engine, as well as a GMC 8-71 blower with all the trimmings. Man, I want a junk yard like that in my neck of the woods! I had to laugh as the dragster would only do constant wheelies (so how does one steer the thing) and as he chased the roadrunner through the desert, it handled like a slot car at top speed. 

  

In regards to my toy car collection, it would take multiple pictures to include it all. It occupies every exterior wall of my office with shelves and racks, and the cars also take up space on my desk, window sills, and some larger ones are on the floor. I've been collecting them for over 50 years and don't plan on stopping. My oldest grandson once asked me, "So what's going to happen when you run out of room?" That won't happen - there's always room for more with moving things around or coming up with more efficient shelf space. When I finally reach the point in life where I pass on and my stuff doesn't, I'm hoping that either one of my kids or grandchildren will take on my collection. If my wife outlives me, she has openly admitted that she would have no idea what to do with it all and would probably leave it my gear-head daughter to sort it all out. Do you keep it all, or some of it, or sell it all? The monetary factor can be very strong and all this stuff is inflation proof.  

   A few people would just shrug things off and say, "Boys and their toys". They may even think if you were a doctor, lawyer, or a CEO of some large corporation, then things would be different. I totally beg to differ. If gasoline runs through your veins, it does so regardless of what you do for a living. Case in point, the Chrysler Corporation and the Ram-Chargers of the 1960's. Lynn Townsend was appointed president of the Chrysler group around 1960. He also had two teenage sons who regularly paced Woodward Avenue in Detroit - one of the hottest street racing spots in the country. His sons said that Chrysler Corporation cars had no street cred. Mr. Townsend aimed to fix that - and that he did... in spades. With the help of a good many people who were also hot rod enthusiasts, that decade saw engines like the 426 street Hemi as well as the 440 six-pack engines, the Roadrunner, the Barracuda, and more speed with good looks than you could shake a stick at. The Ram-Chargers were a very loose corporation racing group that stood the drag racing world on its ear. And those guys were engineers and even a corporation lawyer. One has to remember, that all these people were young at one point, but never lost their young at heart as well as their passion.

   When I start my chemo treatments in jut over a week, it's been suggested to me that I do the things I love. And if that includes watching cartoons, or playing with toys, or watching funny movies, or doing whatever that I truly dig so I don't get "chemo-brain", then I'm all for it. 

Until next time, peace out.

Good Friends & Memories Can Sometimes Be Hard To Come By These Days

    I can remember being a kid in northern suburban New Jersey in the late 60's. I had a good friend and neighbor named Kevin, who, like me, was also really into fast cars. That's what we called them anyways, as the term "muscle car" wasn't very common. Magazines mostly called them super cars. Ford used the term "muscle" occasionally in their advertising, but at the tender age of eight, we were just starting to read magazines like Car Craft, Popular Hot Rodding, and Hot Rod. The magazine of choice usually contained the coolest pictures or the prettiest women. Hey - what do you expect? We were eight!

   Anyways, we used to sit on a stone wall at the end of our street and watch cars go by. We thought it was a cool way to pass the time, especially when one of our Moms told us to go and outside burn off some energy. Back then, you could easily tell the difference between a domestic vehicle and an import without even batting an eyelash. Our families were living proof of that. Kevin's family had a 1968 Ford Torino GT complete with a 390 engine. My dad was Mr. Counter Culture and drove a VW Beetle. My other neighbor, to his credit, had a 1967 Camaro SS with a transplanted 396 big block in addition to a 1966 Plymouth drag car. Even when it solely came to identifying domestic models, one could tell the difference between a GM, Chrysler Corporation, or Ford-Lincoln-Mercury model. Even the differences between the model years gave you obvious clues, at least until the early 70's. By the mid 90's, every vehicle was so homogenized, you couldn't tell what was what. At least today, some auto manufacturers are attempting to put distinctive body lines back into the design mix. 

   If Kevin and I partook in this car watching ritual, which was always more common in the summer, we usually had a bottle of 7-up in our hands that were in those funky green bottles. And those bottles were glass, not plastic - with metal twist off caps that sometimes turned your hands red from trying to remove them with a piece of cork on the underside. Unfortunately, I lost track of Keven after we moved away in 1974. I don't know if he's even still alive. I hope so. I do know that his Mom & Dad traded in that "gas guzzling" Torino in late 1973 for a new Mustang II with a 4-banger under the hood. In less than 4 months, they had buyers remorse. Who knows if the Torino is still in existence. 

   Kevin was a great guy, even if our relationship fizzled. We always had a blast watching the cars go by. A good number of people waved without even being prompted and no creepers trying to kidnap us ever bothered us or came into the picture. More than a few hot rodders would nail the gas for us as they went by so we could groove on the sound of the often modified engines. As kids, I don't think problems even entered our minds - ditto with the worlds circumstances. The Vietnam war was ranging and it was on the tube a lot and not just on the evening news. My way older cousins had friends who were drafted right out of high school and a few didn't come back. My neighbors with the Camaro and Plymouth were in their late 40's and they lost their son to that unwinnable conflict. They both sort of adopted me as I used to drool over their vehicles. She made the best chocolate chip cookies and he was the first to teach me about cars. I owe so much to both of them, even though they have both passed on.

  

Fast forward to junior high school and my freshman year of high school. I had another good friend named Carl who had this sign that used to sit on one of his stereo speakers that said "Think". I lost track of him as well after 9th grade, but caught up with him in my early 20's in Massachusetts as he worked at an automotive garage where I just happened to take my vehicle for some exhaust repair. He just finished building a 1968 Dodge Dart drag car with a viscous 440 cubic inch engine. He fired it up for me and it sounded savage with the open headers. I found it a tad ironic, but maybe not, that he had a plaque on the dash of that Dart that said "Think". Both the engine idling as well as the plaque were pleasant reminders of younger days. I kept in touch with Carl over the years, but he's drifted away a bit, especially now that he's no longer on Facebook. Hasn't been on it for about 8 years. He said he just got sick of all the bullshit - especially the politics. I can remember when the exhaust work on my car was finished and the bill was paid, that I tanked him for starting up the Dart. It made my day. I hope my appreciation of that rig, despite it's lower budget build, made his day too. 

   Jumping to 2024 when I purchased my latest street rod. After paying the former owner and affixing the transit plate on the back, I drove the Plymouth home - over 100 miles. It was an absolute trouble free ride and a blast to drive. On the way home, I passed numerous vintage vehicles and we both waved as we passed - similar to motorcyclists do. It's like a fraternity of sorts, even though you don't know the brothers. But then again, aren't we all brothers and sisters under the skin?

Until next time, peace out

5 Years, 7 Months, and 3 Weeks... Well, Almost

    It's been that long since the last Full Throttle blog post. I could fill this entry with cliche's like, "Where has the time gone?" or I could put down a litany of excuses as to why I haven't been writing, but here goes a feeble attempt anyways. I know where the time went - it passed me by like it always does. It didn't speed up like we think it does as we get older and I didn't experience any sand slipping through my fingers. 

   What has happened, however, since October 2018, was my wife and I purchased a house, which needed a little renovation. The automotive garage where I worked got busier and work consumed more of my available hours. Shortly after purchasing the house, my then son-in-law unexpectedly passed away. Moving forward after that, came Covid, which of course turned everything upside down, I had a substantial heart attack in the fall of 2020, and even more working hours at the garage going into 2021. Last but not least, was dealing with the passing of both my parents within an 18-month period, and then wrapping things up with being diagnosed with cancer this spring.

   Despite all this, the vintage automotive aspects of my life have not all been forgotten or lost. A few years back, I had the chance to purchase a 1953 Olds 88 street rod that went down as one of most dependable vehicles I've ever owned - regardless of age or how it looked with its beautiful surface rust and patina. However, a very cool fellow street rodder who was vacationing in our neck of the woods here in Maine saw it and offered me a price I couldn't refuse. He wanted the car to be a grandfather / grandson project and really take things to a higher level. Easy come, easy go. 

   Just recently, before my cancer diagnosis, I purchased a 1939 Plymouth Road King street rod. While there's a great deal of Chevy throughout the ride, (ranging from the drive-train, dash layout, and even the paint color), one has to remember, that it is indeed a street rod. It's going to be a melting pot of aspects regardless of our opinions. The way I see things, I dig it. I really do. If this was your ride, I would still dig it. And in the end, that's all that matters. It was restored / modified by a professional street rod builder that has been doing this type of work for over 40 years. While it's not perfect, or even what I would call true show quality, it's extremely presentable and an incredible driver. And I purchased it that way - even more opinions be damned. I've gotten to the age, at least in my noggin, that I no longer have the time nor the wherewithal to do massive amounts of paint, body work, or rebuild yet another engine even with the huge 2-bay garage that's part of the house we purchased. Been there, done that. This time around, I wanted a turn key hot rod. And even with the cancer diagnosis and upcoming chemotherapy treatments, I have zero plans to sell it and still drive it as often as possible. 

   While I've numerous people tell me I ought to sell my street rod as well as my fairly large collection of vintage drag racing and automotive memorabilia, because it would bring in a shit-ton of money, I will admit there is something, at minimum, very therapeutic, and at times, quite healing about driving my street rod and engaging in said vintage stuff. Some people may call these things impractical or dust collectors. But are they? Are they truly impractical if you receive some type of connection and joy from engaging with them? In my opinion, after all these decades and different hot rods and muscle cars, I find one of the most soothing things for my soul is the rumble of a high performance exhaust, the roar of the engine when the camshaft and related engine components are reaching their sweet spot at 5,000 rpm, or just taking in the scenery on a warm evening with the windows rolled down cruising at 50 mph. I also get a warm fuzzy when browsing, yet again, through my NHRA souvenir programs, or through an issue from the 60's of Car Craft, Popular Hot Rodding, Speed and Supercar or Super Stock & Drag Illustrated. The same thing happens when I look over, for the umpteenth time, my Hot Wheels collection that I've amassed since I was five starting back in 1967. Okay, we can't take our stuff with us, but money is not everything. 

 
   One thing I'm going to make a valid attempt at over the next 6 months, if not longer, is to sit down and do more writing and photography. With my chemo treatments starting in less than 2 weeks, I'm taking a bit of a vacation. I've taken a leave of absence from my full time job as I was coming home exhausted after only 8 hours. On numerous occasions, I would take an hour nap after work just to recharge my batteries a little bit. As of this juncture, my job will be there for me when I return; and that's if I return. Nothing is guaranteed, my friends. I've had one or two people kinda freak out me that I'm not working currently, and I know they're intentions are good, but again, work is far from everything and not my life's worth. I'm finding that I'm more drawn to writing, photographing, and dealing with vintage cars as well as vintage car people than ever. Y'all are a very cool breed - always have been. 

Until next time, peace out.

  

Why Is 1,320 Feet So Fascinating

I was updating the Vintage V8 Photography website on Friday where I stated that the car show / drag racing season here in northern New England is drawing to a close. Columbus Day weekend is always a busy time, vintage vehicle wise, here in my neck of the woods. It's almost like the last weekend before Christmas and you gotta get all this stuff done before it's too late. I took Friday off from my regular job to take all this go-fast goodness in stride. So far, it's been three car shows as well as an end-of-the-season drag racing bash. The weather has been absolutely spectacular, and just a tad cool, which was a huge plus especially when it comes to quarter (or eighth) mile action. As I look back over the past 50 years, what is it about drag racing that still holds so much appeal? Even if it's just for myself? How 'bout you? You feel the same way?

I can vividly remember watching NHRA and AHRA sanctioned action on TV back in the late 60's. I preferred the AHRA coverage, even though it was less commonly covered on the tube, because the AHRA was a more flexible and liberal organization especially when it came to A/FX, Gassers, and other crazy shit that was coming down the pike. At that time, it was the closest I could get to the track and it would remain that way until I was in high school when I attended my first event at New England Dragway in Epping New Hampshire in the late 70's. Fortunately, there was still a mix of old and new back then. However, through the years, the nostalgia aspect was never really thought about until two events happened; 1). Older racers located in the mid-western United States started racing their vintage vehicles again and 2). 1960's muscle cars reached their first wave zenith in popularity (and price) the very late 80's. Even with this resurgence, vintage quarter mile cars were divided into two groups - the group that raced their cars, dollar value be damned, or the group that owned rare vintage race cars, but rarely exercised them due to their monetary value. It was only occasionally at national events, that these trailer queen vintage super stock, Gasser, A/FX, and funny cars would, for a brief moment, fill everyone's collective memories with the smell of nitro, racing fuel, and burnt rubber, along with the beautiful sound of open headers.

It wasn't until the turn of the century when the old car hobby was truly diversifying, with genre's like rat rods, radical street cars, and barn finds, that nostalgia racing finally came back into it's own. Don't get me wrong - I'm not knocking the current NHRA racing, although I must admit it has to get it's act in gear if it's going to survive. Television coverage is down, as is event attendance,. but that's another kettle of fish I'm not going to cook. However, events like The Race Of Gentlemen, Goodguys, and other local and regional events too numerous to mention, have attracted a great deal of ink due to their uncomplicated racing template, rules, as well as making the entire event family friendly.

Whatever the event, big or small, for me, it's still the memories burned into my brain from when I was young. The sights, sounds, and action; it still hasn't changed a bit. Did you also realize that drag racing is the only sport where you have just one shot at winning, usually within just a couple of seconds? There are no halves, periods, quarters, innings, rounds, frames, sets, or multiple laps. It's just two vehicles; one will win, the other will not and thus gets eliminated. The winner gets to race again. No mulligans, no do-overs, no restarts, no relief drivers. You'd better be on your A-game or you're done. Intense, but oh so cool.

Until next time, long live nostalgia.
Dave