Do you remember your first race?

[Edm]

Ronabney, I love old stories like that man, keep em comin.

[racin movie man]

Now your Talkin......typing!

I was knee high to a grass hopper when my father took a P/T job on Saturdays @ Islip Speedway (RIP) in Long Island. He worked every saturday and i could not wait until sunday morning to hear the news of who, what, where and when. He would occasionally bring me home some little plastic racecar coupes that varied in colors. I'll get back to those though.
At least once a month we would go to the speedway. It seemed like forever to get there but the anticipation was worth it.(30 minute drive felt like 3 hours) I knew them all (Jarzombek, Hendrickson, Himes, Kempster, Tappen, DeAngelo, Wagner, Winters, Park, Tyler, etc) Those were my heroes The cardboard pizza, the smell of exhaust, the squealing of tires and the hard pounding noise of an open header modified. Man, i was in heaven on earth.
Although only 2 classes for many years (Mods and F-8's), the place had a mystique to it. The traveling shows were fun too. ARDC midgets were a blast. As i grew older the fire continued to burn. My dad took me to numerous shows throughout the NE (Spring Sizzler, Langhorne(still have my t-shirt...doesn't fit though) Trenton, Thompson, Oswego) and then we ventured into dirt (Nazerath, Flemington, Middletown, Lebanon Valley, Devils Bowl, The grove, etc). Now i had a whole new world of heroes to appreciate.
Moving to FL. in mid 1979 i now found dirt LM racing and southern stockcar racing. What a world of difference. We travelled all over florida, Georgia, alabama and even into the carolinas checking out big an little shows. If there was a show................we were there.
To this day i still get as excited as much as i did when i was 6 years old. I recently had that feeling while standing outside the pit gate at Citrus awaiting a friend. Watching trucks with cars in tow. If you can picture the seen at the end of the movie, "Field of Dreams" when all the cars are driving up the road to the ball park Costner built. That is what it is like for me.
I will probably never be able to fufill my dream but i will always hold this sport dear to my heart. Outside of my family (and lately my job), this is my love in life. I don't care what track, where at or when. If i could be there i would. I just love racing.

Back to those plastic cars............does anyone know what i am talking about? They were 2pc molded cars with white plastic wheels. They had a pre-molded number on them but a little paint could cover that up. My mom would use my dad's race pix and paint them up with her liquid embroidery kit. They weren't perfect but heck, i was a kid. I didn't care. Funny thing is........I still have all of them. 35 years and many moves later.....i still have all my childhood racing memories. Lost a few girlfriends, luggage, posters, 8 trax, albums, clothes......you know the list. But sure as hell.......i still have all my racing stuff

To end my message, i will give myself a prop and say

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME........44 on the 19th.

[flvideo]

Happy Birthday Racingmovie man! Bob......

[SeminoleWind]

Great stories! Keep them coming!
It does seem that most of the posts are from people in their forties. Anyone in their teens or twenties? Are today's tracks not afflicting young folks with the racing disease? One interesting observation, most of us were taken to our first race by an adult, when we were a child. (track operators take note!)

[roundtracker]

First Race?

I am guessing it was around 1965. Golden Gate speedway, Tampa Florida. I was so enthralled by the whole thing that I couldn't get enough! I begged my dad to take me every Sat. night. There was nothing and I mean nothing more dissapointing than going down there and getting rained out! As a six or seven year old kid you think you will never get to see another one!
There was Gordon Solie announcing. There were the Reutimanns, and many more but to me only the Reutimanns mattered! There seemed like a fight at least once a night.
As a side note there were two different bathrooms. One for whites and one for "coloreds". Times sure have changed over the years. The bathroom situation changed for the better. But not having The Gate still hurts!
And by the way this is a cool thread, Good Idea!

[kas111]

My first race was at Sunshine Speedway ... I don't remember the exact year but it was somewhere around 1960. They were running modifieds at the time. I remember the entire front end of the Palmer's Garage car falling out during warmups ... that car used to sit out in front of Palmer's service station on Bay Drive in 'downtown' Largo back then.

In the feature, Larry Brazil and Dave Scarborough tangled coming off turn 2 and both cars went out of the ballpark, landing in the swamp off the back stretch.

[Jimmy McKinley]

Can't remember my first race, but according to Dad, we were on our way to Ft. Lauderdale to temporarily live with my Grandma (God rest her soul...). We stopped in at Palm Beach Fairgrounds on the way down the Turnpike, and been hooked ever since. I was all of six months old in August of 1970.

The first race I can really remember was the '77 Florida 200 at the Gate, probably because of all the big names that were there - Trickle, Eddy, Howe, Glotzbach, Anderson, Balough, Mincey, Simmons, McGinnis, McCreary, Rogero, Rogers, Pletcher, Tissot, Gregory...maybe it was because I'd read about these guys all year long in National Speed Sport News, and here they were, at OUR track. I was seven years old, and I believe it was the first season we'd run on the west coast (Tampa and St. Pete), and we had Scarborough in our car.

[Jim Fenton]

Great stories! Keep them coming!
It does seem that most of the posts are from people in their forties.

HA! What I wouldn't give to be in my forties again!!

My first race was in 1967 in my Brother-in-Law's (Kenny Faircloth's) Late Model. Up to this point I had been crewing on his cars for a few years and was itching for some seat time but neither he or anyone else would give me a chance. Then one Friday night we pulled into Golden Gate for a regular event and Al Stagburg hit Kenny up to drive his Plymouth for the night. Kenny turned to me and said; "well Fenton, here's your chance, but remember one thing, you tear it up, you fix it!" I remember I just couldn't believe it!

The problem was though I was just in my teens and had never turned a lap in anything at all let alone a Late Model with a big block in it. However, I was bound and determined to make a good showing no matter what. HaHa, so much for good intentions.

I don't remember why we lined up in the first heat like we did, whether we pulled pills or what, but the point is, I was lined up on the pole for the first time ever in a race with Kevin Crooks in the 81 car on the outside.

I remember being pretty excited about starting in the front but at the same time I was so nervous I couldn't have sh$$ in a 55-gal drum. My right foot was bouncing up & down so bad on the pace lap I felt like it was keeping time to some fast music that I couldn't hear.

Kevin was always a good racer and a hard-charger so I made up my mind he would be a good barometer to drive beside for experience so I was going to hold it on the floorboard and not lift into the first corner until he did. Now here's where my memory really fails me. I can't remember whether I drove into the side of him and sent him off the track in turn one or in turn three, but suffice to say I never made a complete lap and unfortunately, neither did Kevin thanks to my hard-headedness.

Now for a little 'funny' that ocurred a short time later in the pits soon after Kevin wreckered his car back out of the toolies and back into his pit stall for repairs.

I was laying under the '4' car replacing the right front tie-rod and drag link with my legs sticking out of the front when Kevin arrived to discuss the weather, world events and other matters. You see, up until this moment, he thought Kenny was driving the car in the heat race as normal.

He kicked me hard in the foot and said; "What the hell's-a-matter with you Faircloth??" Then when I started to push out from under the car someone said;"that wasn't Faircloth, that was Fenton, his Brother-in-Law". He turned and walked away muttering several epithets not repeatable here. I think it was something about my mother if I'm not mistaken.

Happy to report that we were able to joke about it not too long afterward and I still count Kevin as a friend to this day.

Here is a picture of that car the same year, albeit with my brother-in-law Kenny, at the wheel.



My second time out however had a better ending. Right about the time Kenny let me drive his LM I was already preparing my own Tornado car (4Jr). I purchased a piece of junk from another racer and was in the process of trying to breathe some fire back into it when I decided to debut the car, unfinished, at a 50-Lapper later that same year at the Gate.

I ended up winning that race, my first time out in my own ride. Below is a pic of the car that night in the winner's circle (yes, with the left front fender missing and the number 4Jr scotch-taped on the door) with flagman Johnny Hicks and the then Sheriff of Hillsborough County, Malcolm Beard.

[nodos03]

WOW..this brings back some good memories....my first race was at EAUGALLIE SPEEDWAY...and it was in 1970...my uncle mike dicandio was a car owner and ron mccreay drove for him as well as dave mcabe( i think i mispelled his name)...but those days were the best...back then women werent aloud in the pits until after the races were over...but i was right there when the last flag was thrown....it was sad to see that place close its doors..but that didnt stop me from finding another place to go watch racing...im like jerry i would rather have a whooping than having to give up going to the track...orlando speedworld became my home track as well as nss...then i met my hubby and i told him if you dont like racing then you might as well leave now...but during our 20 years of marriage we have owned super stocks and raced at orlando and nss....we have now sold everything and moved to GA...and it stinks cause im away from the racing family that i have....thanks linda

[centralflarich]

Do YOU REmember Your First Race

My first race was back in 1966 at the Heidelberg Raceway in Pittsburgh Pa. It had a 1/4 mile track in the midddle & a 1/2 mile going round the outside. At the time I did not know I was meeting what would become a very good friend & mentor when he rented a garage in an alley where I lived to work on his race car. From that time till about 1983 I crewed on his cars. We used to race Pontiac's back then when very little was known about them,running at Lernerville,both Motordrome Speedway's,Jennerstown, the old Schumker's Speeedway in Latrobe,Pa which sits idle now,but known as Latrobe Speedway. We used to race starting on Thursday night at North Hills Raceway, go to Lernerville on Friday to Jennerstown or Latrobe on Saturday & end at Motordrome on Sunday. Then every so often there would be a Wednesday Special race sometimes

[Todd McCreary]

1st race spectating? way too young to remember. would have been Vero Beach or Eau Gallie.

back then women werent aloud in the pits until after the races

children either.



1st race competing was 1993 at Orlando Speedworld. ran one of Ron's cars in Bombers (?) and stank up the joint. i was running 5th with 2 laps to go and i thought to myself "self, you could get a trophy tonight!" i promptly screwed up the next corner and let a guy get under me which put me back to 6th, one spot out of trophy contention.

New Smyrna the next night was tons easier. i can't even imagine how bad my first race would have been if it had been at a 1/4 or 1/5 mile track.

[Winger]

My first race was at the Fonda speedway in NY. The year was 1955 and Junior Johnson won it. I was 3 weeks old and don't remember a thing about it. I grew up around racing and I guess my earliest memories are from the old Midstate Speedway in NY which was a 1/2 mile dust track. They use to race Sunday afternoons and it would get dusty. I also have a lot of early memories from 5 Mile Point in NY. It was (and is) a 1/4 mile bullring. As a kid, my father was my obvious favorite and hero, but Dave Kneisel was my secret hero. Midstate Speedway went out of the racing business in the 70's but they still hold an occasional antique car race there. 5 Mile Point is still going.

[mobilecardoctor]

My dad drug me (very happily I might add) to Old Dominion speedway in Manasis, Virginia in the late 70's to see the home town boys Bobby ballintine, Jack Bland, Reds Kagel take on the likes of Morgan shepard, Darrell Waltrip, Harry Gant. We also went to Dosey Speedway (RIP) and Beltsville (RIP). As I grew up and entered the Navy, I seen races all over California and Texas before racing in my first race at Auburndale last year and of course it got rained out!!!

[loveracin']

Well the first track I remember going to as a child was Golden Gate Speedway, and my favorite driver was Milton Burysek he had a "Pink Panther" painted on his pink #25 late model and he was the coolest!! We went there until they closed it down.
My first race in a racecar was in 1990 in a powder puff race at the Lakeland International Speedway, I drove Roland Cook's pinto stationwagon mini-stock and drove it right over one of those HUGE tractor tires coming out of turn 2, and still have the video to bring back the cool memories.

[Egoracing]

Wilmot Speedway, Kenosha County Wisconsin. I was about 4-5 (1975-6) and you could ride in the cars during the pack in session. I got to ride in one and still have the pictures of it!