Now THIS is getting it! BangShifter Jason Marshall sent us the link to this video and he just so happens to be the man hammering the gas and the gears during this drag strip pass at the Austin area drag plant formerly known as Temple Academy Dragway and now known as Little River Dragway. To say that he was keyed up and ready for this nine second, 140mph pull down the course would be an understatement and to say that the car was tuned up would be selling it short as well. The only thing quicker than Marshall’s ability to make his appointed shifts is the car’s ability to leap out of the hole and sound like some sort of a buzz saw from hell.
The track is a rustic little joint and you’d likely recognize it better in the day time because we have run photos from the place for years showing off events like the Day of the Drags and others. It is the kind of run whatcha brung strip that outnumber the big mega-plex style tracks by a factor of 10 (or more). No, the lighting isn’t the best. No, the place doesn’t have space aged equipment preparing it to the teeth between every run but as this car and driver can attest to, it gets the job done and does so with a personality and a feel all of its own. Sanctioned by the IHRA the place is as vibrant and busy a little track as you’ll find anywhere and we’d love to spend a day or weekend there ourselves. Not that nine second laps aren’t fast, but they run some pretty heavy iron at this little place.
Back to Marshall’s prowess with the T-5 transmission that has been upgraded with G-Force internals. You’ll notice that he does not clip the rev limiter once and it seems as though he’s in-tune enough with the car to actually anticipate the shifts just before they come. That shift light that’s as bright as a welding arc doesn’t stay lit for long, that is for sure. Nice work Jason!
Thought that the track looked familiar. The track was originally an old highway and the shutdown curves to the left. With the unknown status of San Antonio Raceway it is the only strip on the area., short of Prairie Hill Dragway in Mart. I would not run much faster than the video showed due to the curved shutdown and have seen cars in the guard rail over the years.
I agree with Matt’s comment above – “Little River” as we locals call it, is about 30 minutes from my house. This track was originally 1/4 mile – its tough on brakes when you run it out the back door. At one time, when the entrance was routed to the track differently, you could end up back on the highway if you weren’t careful! 1/8 mile run there is a bit safer. I watched Reep and Findley’s “Blown Glass” run there for the first time, I will never forget the high pitched whine. Been hooked on blower motors ever since…
I was visiting with an old gasser guy at an event and he told me of when the Little River track first opened. Just an abandoned section of highway, they wanted more than just the two pieces of guardrail at the starting line that had come from the bridge they tore out, so they offered free entrance if you brought in a guardrail! People stole them from everywhere and they just added them on as they came in, lapping them the wrong way. Eventually, they fixed the lapping situation, but you can still tell that the rails are a mishmash of different ones. I thought this was one of the greatest drag strip stories ever!