So, who REALLY street raced?

[bb70duster]

Re: So, who REALLY street raced?

Compton looks like it was fun... howd the Nova do? ;)

[whiplash]

Re: So, who REALLY street raced?

Compton looks like it was fun... howd the Nova do? ;)

SAME HERE, how did you do?

[Duner]

Re: So, who REALLY street raced?

...one of the fastest trucks on Central.

Back in the mid-70s to early 80's I used to cruise Central. Racing was something I did all the time. I'd go to the track whenever it was open and also street raced at all of the "normal" street racing spots. Carefree Hiway, North 32nd street, North 7th street out by Pinnacle Peak Rd, McDowell Rd out in Mesa, Baseline Rd south of Phoenix, - and of course an occasional run down to Tucson to cruise Speedway and find races down there. I raced either the Vega wagon, the '62 Chevy II, or the '69 Camaro.... depending upon which year you're talking about.

Both the Vega wagon and the Chevy II made it into Car Craft. The story in Car Craft about the street racing scene in the Phoenix area got me into quite a bit of hot-water. They gave a very detailed account of a night's worth of street racing out on Carefree Hiway, with very accurate descriptions of the cars that were racing. I happened to really clean up that particular night and beat everybody that was out there with the Chevy II. When the magazine hit the stands I was famous! hahaha I thought it was pretty cool that all these really fast guys were looking for me because they wanted to race the yellow Chevy! It turns out that the local law enforcement personnel read Car Craft also! I went from being famous to be notorious and hounded by the man! They knew exactly where I lived - and gave me a Police escort right to my door on more than one occasion. ;)

[RacerRick]

Re: So, who REALLY street raced?

What issue of carcraft? I am always collecting magazines with accounts of street racing in them.

[ethelkilledfred]

Re: So, who REALLY street raced?

Compton looks like it was fun... howd the Nova do? ;)

http://www.youtube.com/v/aBgT8zrSVwc&rel=1

Shoebox put it on the bumper hard and broke the radiator support and engine plate on it's battle with gravity. Said it would be fix and he would be back.

[ethelkilledfred]

Re: So, who REALLY street raced?

Here is what happen;

6am people started showing up.
By 7am they started racing.
By 8am cops came by and said Merry Xmas, don't have any accidents, anyone get killed, hurt or any problems and they won't be back till dawn.
By 9 am too many people showed up and it was getting dangerous. Some said there must be over a thousand people. The street was full of cars and 6 deep of people for the full 1/4 mile. Then some dumbchit in an import decides on doing a doughnut in front of two imports racing causing one to take out a city light pole. Cops arrived and they are pissed cause now they have to do a police report on city property damage and a hit and run accident. The cops escorted a lot of the imports directly on to the freeway and sent them on their way. Talked to the cop that arrived and he said he was going after every and any import that stayed behind and would take as many to jail as he could. He would call in other cities to help out. Then he said looking at this guy he had handcuffed, " This dumbchit decided to test me, and now him and his import are both going to jail." The import crowd ruined it for themselves and true to his word everywhere you looked an import was getting pulled over and at the very least getting a ticket. One guy said he was parked and got an exhibition of speed ticket of 10 miles an hour. We were all park in red zones, cops told us to leave, but block in the imports and gave them tickets for parking in the red zones. Where we were parked there would be one or two cops parked there and would be cool with us and talk to us about our cars, knowing if we had a track we would not be here. But the imports were a crosses the freeway and there were no less than 1/2 a dozen cops plus three Highway Patrols units sitting on the freeway, and everytime an import left the parking lot they got pulled over.

Cops were relentless and kept everyone from racing and cruising every 20 min to make sure we could not get any racing done, even up to midnight. Two 10 second imports came off their trailers were nailed and taken to jail yet a domestic made a pass and was caught, and told to load it up and go home. 4 nights of racing and no incidents, and one jackoff ruins it for everyone on Xmas. Here are some pic's.

The pole in question:


1/4 the crowd from early in the day.







Cops, Cops, and more Cops












This Nitro burning mini bike punked out a Harley, offering 3 bike to the Harley, and head up to any full dress bike.


Kev's Camaro



DOG hiching a ride with Kev






Big Dogs came out to play

[Duner]

Re: So, who REALLY street raced?

What issue of carcraft? I am always collecting magazines with accounts of street racing in them.

I'll have to "find" it.
I put that issue in a "safe" place, and now I can't remember where it is. (of course)
It was one of the "Streat Freaks" special editions. I think it was June of '79?

[bb70duster]

Re: So, who REALLY street raced?

Compton looks like it was fun... howd the Nova do? ;)

http://www.youtube.com/v/aBgT8zrSVwc&rel=1

Shoebox put it on the bumper hard and broke the radiator support and engine plate on it's battle with gravity. Said it would be fix and he would be back.

I was curious if that was the one I thought it was... From the video I believe so, he's friends of friends... seen it a few times at the track as well...

[BigBlockMopar]

Re: So, who REALLY street raced?

Years ago here in The Netherlands we used to go streetracing in an industrial area near Amsterdam about every month.
We switched locations now and then but the 'event' grew more and more drivers and spectators... And also A$$holes who can't act normal and screw-up on the way to the event, doing donuts and such, waking up the cops about what's happening.

Here are some pics of me and my fullsize heaps playing along nicely... 8)




Me and my 413ci '62 Chrysler wagon kicking some Chevy-pickup butt ;)
The guy had a pretty fast nitrous fed 350 in there, but when the bottle is empty, you're back to basics... ;D




'nother Chevy bit the dust here, complaining his engine wasn't tuned right.
2nd try netted same results... ;)




Going uphill with the Throttle on 'Full'...

[BigBlockMopar]

Re: So, who REALLY street raced?

Sort burnout-videoclip of the 2nd picture in above post of time...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynGPxuH_O8g

[Monk]

Re: So, who REALLY street raced?

Like some here on the forum, I was brought up in the mid '60's in a small mid western town........American Graffiti would've been a documentary of my junior and senior year in high school.
Vietnam was going on and when you graduated you did one of three things.....join the service, go to college or go to St. Louis and work in the auto plants and wait for the draft.
We drag raced every weekend......we had a couple of long straight stretches on county blacktop with a quarter mile marked off. The starter was usually someone with a flashlight or use a t shirt for a flag start.
I can't remember of anyone ever getting hurt or even crashed......we all met up back at the Dairy Castle afterwards.
Here's a pic of my '55 Chevy from back then.....had a 348 tri power engine with a 3 speed manual tranny.
Seems I was always going up against the modern muscle back then and got my a** whiped a good many times.
Ah.......the good old days.

[ethelkilledfred]

Re: So, who REALLY street raced?

BTW the guy who caused the wreak was driving a newer BMW import with cheezy graphics.

There are idiots in V8's too, but there are more imports and so there are more idiots by volume. We had to tell some jackass in a Mustang doing doughnuts to knock it off or leave. With the imports it seems like your telling one fool to knock it off and another fool is doing it while your yelling a the first fool, and then a third fool acts up before your even finished with your sentence.

Even though not a lot of racing happened, everyone seem to have a good time, a chance to see others you have not seen since last year or have not seen in years or or even seen in decades.

Pic's don't do it justice, there were so many people. Cool thing was most of the racing happen the prior days leading up to Xmas.


More pic's from X's camera-





The wreck the ruin Xmas



early mornig crowd




previous nights of racing









Imports that race are welcomed



If you look close to the right you will see the "LIST"

[Groucho]

Re: So, who REALLY street raced?

DAMN! That blue 64 Vette's the coolest thing I've seen in years.

[Scott Liggett]

Re: So, who REALLY street raced?

Looks like a great way to spend the day. I wish I could've come. Had family engagements that day in NorCal.

[whiplash]

Re: So, who REALLY street raced?

LMAO, Ethelkilledfred, I am so glad to hear the cops went hard and heavy after the imports.....that is to dam funny, I can just read it now, COPS DISCRIMINATE AGAINST IMPORTS.......hehehehehehehe