What brought you in?

VaDirt

VaDirt

Dirt Track Fanatic
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So what brought you in the Nascar, or racing in general? Did you grow up in thesport, did someone drag you to a race, or did you just kind of drift that way?

For me, somewhere around 1974 or 5, after my mom died, a neighbor moved in, and had a street stock. Being only 11, I hung out and did whatever i could, which meant washing the car, holding a wrench, or whatever else. He was a single guy, and eventually moved on, selling his house to another couple that had a pair of race cars. He had a "modified hardtop", and she had a street stock and competed in powder puff. They pretty much became my family, as I spent more time with them than at home, and they took the the races each week, and even took me along with them when they went to watch races at other tracks (Altamont, San Jose, Roseville, West Cap, etc). Aso being big Nascar fans, and had a Pearson model and a Petty model displayed on their shelf, I was hooked.

Neither of them race anymore, and I live all the way across the country now, but after all these years, i'm still a fan. I drifted away from the local dirt racing for a while, but have always watched Nascar racing. And for the past few years, I've re-discovered my love for dirt track racing, going to as many as I can.

Oh, and I've still got my copy of the 1984 Stock Car Racing magazine with Petty's 200th win on the cover.:)
 
I have grown up around racing all my life, and even before I was born and in the womb. My uncle raced for a number of years that was a NASCAR sanctioned track. My dad helped him on the car until I came along. He took me to the races almost every week.

I saw my first NASCAR race in person at Atlanta in 1975. Richard Petty dominated that day. I had always heard of him, but wasn't too familiar with his car at the time. When leading the race, I asked my dad who was leading the race. He told me that was Richard Petty. He had the most decorated car of that time with the Petty blue and STP dayglo red. He kept leading or retaking the lead and won the race. I was a fan of his and the sport ever since.

When CBS broadcasted the 1979 Daytona 500, I was thrilled to have the whole thing on TV. Since I loved racing, I didn't understand why it wasn't on TV. That quickly changed thanks to cable TV.

I still love NASCAR racing even though it's not what it was. But what is? I wish they'd change some things. Since it peaked and people got onto the bandwagon, I turned to dirt late model racing. It reminds me a lot of early NASCAR racing. I like both for different reasons.
 
I dont really know what brought me into the sport...I really started watching it probably when i was 5 or so with my dad....and have been watching it ever since.

I've always pulled for an Earnhardt.
 
My earliest recallection would be about age 8 or 9, going to the South Dakota State Fair in Huron S.D.. Hearing the names of Remo Stott and Ernie Derr and hearing the sound of the big motors off the wood fence was the first calling to a wonderful life time of racing. That was some 50 yrs ago and I love dirt track racing still and have never taken a break from it. NASCAR came into the picture thru the Wide World of Sports when they showed about 20 minutes of selected races on occasion. My Dad never missed Wide World of Sports although he wasn't much of a racing fan. My first taste of NASCAR was the last five races at Riverside, skipped a year and then the next five at PIR, now I watch it on TV but don't give much thought about paying to go to one. I raced dirt track, I was a car owner for DLM and now a crew chief or pit monkey, either term will fit and go to as many races as I can even when were not racing in them. Duane
 
This is a good old thread, one that's been asked time and time again and will never get old. I think that each time we tell our story, we remember more, or for some of us, we forget more. :)

The first thing I remember about racing is in the early 50's. I lived in a very small town in northwestern Oklahoma and my father was a co-owner of an old Hudson Terreplane. I don't know all the details of this car, but it was one of the hottest cars racing in my hometown and one year, this driver, named Jimmy Mears, drove it to the championship. Though I never knew it at the time, years later I would be told that on race nights, I would run around with Rick Mears in the pits. Don't recall if Roger was there or not, but hell, I really don't even remember Rick, and I'm sure as hell sure that he wouldn't remember me. :) Anyway, at those times, my biggest thrill was watching the "Dare Devils" with Joey Chitwood. I can still remember asking dad when are the Dare Devils going to come back? A few years later, Dad bought me a radical designed gokart. The town began to have some kart racing and all of those karts in those days, were what you bought in the store. Dad bought something different for me and it was strictly a racing kart. Clinton E60 eigine with four separate springs and a bucket seat. The steering column was roller bearinged and well, it was a special kart. The engine was very cantankerous and other than doing lots of practice runs, I was never able to actually race in a race. :( But the money was running low and my father ended up selling the kart. Broke my heart, but as they say, eggs is eggs. Anyway, after that, I remember dad always listening to the Indy 500 on the radio and that became such a tradition that I continued it each and every year until the race was televised live on TV. In 1970, while serving in the AF in Grand Forks, North Dakot, my friends and I decided to head out to the local dirt track. It was back into my blood and when I left the AF, I continued to head to the track, living in the Quad Cities, along the Mississippi River. The year 1984 brought many NASCAR races to TV and though I had always loved to listen to the races on the radio, few of them were broadcast up in that area. In 1985, I watched Bill Elliott stink up fhe field and became a big fan of his. I moved down south to North Carolina in 1995 and have since attended many Cup races, but these days, primarily local racing featuring modified cars. I've not been to a dirt race since I've been here, other than back up in Iowa shortly after I moved here. I'm pure and simple a race fan and don't care if the cars are 800 hp modified, Cup cars, Busch cars, or even the straight lined, thousands of horse power giants. Hell, I'd love to see those swamp buggies race, remembering the old Sippi Hole.

As an old fuddy duddy, I hate to see where NASCAR's premier series is going, but I fully understand it all. I guess that if you like racing, you'll find what you like or end up watching something else.

Okay, I'm done... Next
 
I was 4. PBS had a Barney marathon on TV, and instead of watching that, my dad put on the race. All we had ever done together was watch Miami football or go to work with him on days. There was the number 4 car, Ernie Irvan.

I loved cars, so, naturally I loved NASCAR. I liked Irvan. I like Alan Kulwiki, and I liked Mark Martin.

After that, I became a huge fans. Everything I lived or breathed was NASCAR. I just had to watch the races on TNN. Hell, I loved country music because it was on the same channel as the races.

Every weekend it was a tradition, go to Fort myers and watch the boat races, or go to the local dirt track race.

Finally, in 1995, Homestead-Miami Speedway was built. :D

We went to the inagural NASCAR Busch Grand National Series race in Homestead. It was the most exciting thing ever, hearing the engines roar and seeing the cars race in real life. :D

NASCAR's the first love I ever had. Watching races at Bristol or Hickory on TNN, so cool. :)

Much of that experience isn't there anymore. Everytime I watch the races, I get mad because NASCAR threw 15 cautions for debris on the apron (where nobody ever runs) or because a last lap caution ruined a race to the finish. Do you know how maddening it is to be at the races and the white flag is waving, cars are side-by-side, and the effing caution flag waves? If NASCAR wants to have cautions right before pit stops every race, good for them. Just say it. A late race caution for debris will always ruin a good guessing game (who can make it, who can't) and changes the whole race into a predictable yawnfest.

I love first time winners. It's always awesome to see a drivers emotion when reacting to a NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory (yes, I said Winston). I love when somebody breaks a long winless drought (and not 10 races either). I love when my driver wins. I love to hate it when Jeff Gordon wins. But I do hate it when NASCAR gives Gordon a win to piss fans off and grab television attention.

I'm tired of the burnouts. Yeah, it's cool in person the first two times. But it's cooler when a driver catches the checkerd flag, turns the car around and waves to all the fans. That's real, eff this burnout garbage.

I love when drivers sign autographs. It's always cool to meet the man behind the machine, no matter who it is (Gordon, Harvick, Montoya, Ragan, etc, etc.). I love to see when drivers awknowledge the fans. An autograph is memorable. You have it because you remember you met the guy, and you remember every small teeny tiny little detail.

When Kevin Harvick says "I'm too busy to sign autohraphs," it PISSES US OFF. :mad:

When Jimmie Johnson tries to sign my car and his manager swats it onto the ground, it REALLY REALLY pisses us off. You see, when Jimmie Johnson got his first win, La Plata was being hammered by an F5 tornado. All of town was demolished. Schools were closed for two weeks. Everybody remembers it. I bought a replica Jimmie Johnson first win (California, April 28, 2002) rookie year diecast. I REMEMBER THAT like it was YESTERDAY. That was the biggest single thing to ever happen in this place. I remember that race, and Jimmie getting his first win. Love him or hate him, that memory burns in your heart. She had overheard that story when Jimmie was on NASCAR 24/7 LIVE. And she swatted my car, MY MEMORY, to the ground as if it was nothing. :mad:

You business people are on my nerve. Let the driver do his thing. If he wants to go drink with a bunch of fans, SO WHAT. Just get your greedy, money hungry asses out of the way. :mad: :mad:

I've heard IRL is all access. IHRA is all access. You can talk to the drivers on the grid for all they care. That's awesome. I remember NASCAR being that way. Now, all it is is a bunch of rich kids from Callifornia (and I don't mean Johnson or Gordon) paying their way into the sport. They don't seem to care about the fans. I guarantee you that story of Jimmie's first win and the La Plata tornado is something that HE would remember. That is significant to me, to a small town fan. That's grassroots America.

But, if I go to an IHRA race, drivers do talk to you. Men in collared shirts and stiff ties don't push you away because you crossed the yellow line and almost touched ESPN's cords. I like fan-friendly sports, and I love MIR!!!

I love MIR so much that I skipped NASCAR to go there, and will again next year when the IHRA comes to town in June. It's just so much cooler to hear the drivers' stories from them and not from Suzy Kolber or Bill Weber.

SPEED's the coolest thing at the races now. :eek: Brian France is ruining this sport that I love.

I love photofinishes. It's so cool when it's down to the wire. There again, IHRA and MIR.

I love grassroots America, and that's what NASCAR is founded on.

OK, there you go. :)
 
NHL strike a couple of years ago. Watched the bud shootout that year, the first NASCAR race that I ever watched start to finish, and was hooked ever since. I'm a huge fan now. Always been a casual indy car and F1 fan but not serious.
 
I live in Indy

My Dad used to drag us to the track when I was little. We went to the Indianapolis 500 everyear we sat out in the rain and all, I hated it. Then when I got older I realized that I missed it all and loved it afterall! I'm glad my Dad got us girls interested in racing. In fact my 14 year old daughter and my 11 year old son are in training :) I'm a big Foyt fan and he always had a show for us, always.
 
AndyMarquisLIVE said:
I was 4. PBS had a Barney marathon on TV, and instead of watching that, my dad put on the race. All we had ever done together was watch Miami football or go to work with him on days. There was the number 4 car, Ernie Irvan.

I loved cars, so, naturally I loved NASCAR. I liked Irvan. I like Alan Kulwiki, and I liked Mark Martin.

After that, I became a huge fans. Everything I lived or breathed was NASCAR. I just had to watch the races on TNN. Hell, I loved country music because it was on the same channel as the races.

Every weekend it was a tradition, go to Fort myers and watch the boat races, or go to the local dirt track race.

Finally, in 1995, Homestead-Miami Speedway was built. :D

We went to the inagural NASCAR Busch Grand National Series race in Homestead. It was the most exciting thing ever, hearing the engines roar and seeing the cars race in real life. :D

NASCAR's the first love I ever had. Watching races at Bristol or Hickory on TNN, so cool. :)

Much of that experience isn't there anymore. Everytime I watch the races, I get mad because NASCAR threw 15 cautions for debris on the apron (where nobody ever runs) or because a last lap caution ruined a race to the finish. Do you know how maddening it is to be at the races and the white flag is waving, cars are side-by-side, and the effing caution flag waves? If NASCAR wants to have cautions right before pit stops every race, good for them. Just say it. A late race caution for debris will always ruin a good guessing game (who can make it, who can't) and changes the whole race into a predictable yawnfest.

I love first time winners. It's always awesome to see a drivers emotion when reacting to a NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory (yes, I said Winston). I love when somebody breaks a long winless drought (and not 10 races either). I love when my driver wins. I love to hate it when Jeff Gordon wins. But I do hate it when NASCAR gives Gordon a win to piss fans off and grab television attention.

I'm tired of the burnouts. Yeah, it's cool in person the first two times. But it's cooler when a driver catches the checkerd flag, turns the car around and waves to all the fans. That's real, eff this burnout garbage.

I love when drivers sign autographs. It's always cool to meet the man behind the machine, no matter who it is (Gordon, Harvick, Montoya, Ragan, etc, etc.). I love to see when drivers awknowledge the fans. An autograph is memorable. You have it because you remember you met the guy, and you remember every small teeny tiny little detail.

When Kevin Harvick says "I'm too busy to sign autohraphs," it PISSES US OFF. :mad:

When Jimmie Johnson tries to sign my car and his manager swats it onto the ground, it REALLY REALLY pisses us off. You see, when Jimmie Johnson got his first win, La Plata was being hammered by an F5 tornado. All of town was demolished. Schools were closed for two weeks. Everybody remembers it. I bought a replica Jimmie Johnson first win (California, April 28, 2002) rookie year diecast. I REMEMBER THAT like it was YESTERDAY. That was the biggest single thing to ever happen in this place. I remember that race, and Jimmie getting his first win. Love him or hate him, that memory burns in your heart. She had overheard that story when Jimmie was on NASCAR 24/7 LIVE. And she swatted my car, MY MEMORY, to the ground as if it was nothing. :mad:

You business people are on my nerve. Let the driver do his thing. If he wants to go drink with a bunch of fans, SO WHAT. Just get your greedy, money hungry asses out of the way. :mad: :mad:

I've heard IRL is all access. IHRA is all access. You can talk to the drivers on the grid for all they care. That's awesome. I remember NASCAR being that way. Now, all it is is a bunch of rich kids from Callifornia (and I don't mean Johnson or Gordon) paying their way into the sport. They don't seem to care about the fans. I guarantee you that story of Jimmie's first win and the La Plata tornado is something that HE would remember. That is significant to me, to a small town fan. That's grassroots America.

But, if I go to an IHRA race, drivers do talk to you. Men in collared shirts and stiff ties don't push you away because you crossed the yellow line and almost touched ESPN's cords. I like fan-friendly sports, and I love MIR!!!

I love MIR so much that I skipped NASCAR to go there, and will again next year when the IHRA comes to town in June. It's just so much cooler to hear the drivers' stories from them and not from Suzy Kolber or Bill Weber.

SPEED's the coolest thing at the races now. :eek: Brian France is ruining this sport that I love.

I love photofinishes. It's so cool when it's down to the wire. There again, IHRA and MIR.

I love grassroots America, and that's what NASCAR is founded on.

OK, there you go. :)
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Nascar is different in regards to access to the drivers the IRL has alot of autograph sessions and such at the track. The 3 weeks in May at the Indy 500 they have days on end where you see your favorite driver it's nice to have that chance also. I think nascar is just so big they can't stretch the drivers much further. But I'd love for them to have more time at the Brickyard like they do for Indy 500 it'd be a much better and bigger show, so I agree with you on this.
 
I grew up in Upper Michigan 20 miles form two 1/4 mile dirt tracks in the mid 60's. My mothers cousin was track champion for years at one track. Needless to say we went to one on Friday night and the other on Saturday night. My buddy and I would scan the TV Guide to see if there was a NASCAR Race on Wide World of Sports on any given weekend. If there was we watched, I rooted for David Pearson and he was a Richard Petty fan. Well neither one of us ever outgrew it. I'm still a NASCAR fan( tho a bit disgruntled at the moment) and my Buddy drag races a 351 Cleveland Pinto.
 
simple, i have been around racin all my life my uncle built some of the fastest and best dirt cars there were in the 50's 60's and early 70's saw my first nascar race at BMS in 1967.

cryin shame that the nascar i once knew and loved died in 2003, the chase was the final nail in her coffin
 
When Jimmie Johnson tries to sign my car and his manager swats it onto the ground, it REALLY REALLY pisses us off.
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I was at a race in Rockingham some yeras back & JJ was sitting at a small table trying to hand out autographs. He actually asked me if I wanted one as my group of friends and I walked by, I declined. That I do remember.:D
 
I think my parents were taking me to the races before I could walk! I was lucky enough to be brought up in central NY, and there was like 10 race tracks within an 1 HR drive. We would usually go to a little 1/4 mile track (Brewerton Speedway) It was paved back then, Paved now!! then we started going to Oswego Speedway ( The home of the Supermodifieds)
I joined the Air Force and spent 20 years, Being stationed all over gave me the opportunity to visit many many tracks!!! Raced for a few years in Texas and did very well, Then Got stationed somewhere that pretty much prohibited me from continuing.
I guess my Nascar addiction started with the fight in the third turn of Daytona between Cale and the Allisons!! I followed before then but just not a lot. Don't think I have missed watching more than a handful of Cup races since then. But I still enjoy the Saturday night Short tracks the most.

Jim
 
been around the sport all my life......
Dad worked at a couple of local dirt tracks- Lancaster (sc) and Starlite (Monroe NC). He was a scorer, sold pit passes, etc, then in mid 70's he became track photographer for Lancaster and Chester Speedway.... he custom built models of the cars being raced and lettered the real cars,( that was back in the pre-computer driven vinyl graphic mess, when a car looked as good as a guys painting talents were, not how much they could spend on decals...lo)
As a result I started going to local stuff, ( Lancaster, Starlite, Chester, Metrolina, Gaffeney,Concord,etc) Got to see some of the best drivers ever on dirt- Larry Wallace, Bunk Moore, Harold Dunaway, Ervin Carpenter, and loads more ya'll probably never heard of... but anyway.. that lead me to NASCAR..... been all over the southeast, watching races for nearly 30 years now.
With all the "new-ness" and yuppy-izing of the sport though, I'm glad I never gace up on dirt..... I'm now the track photographer at Lancaster..... and I get to every once and a while venture out to other tracks.....
 
What brought you in?...

Heck, after talking to some of you I'm surprised you know enough to be brought in from the rain much less what brought you into the sport... :eek2: :angel2:
 
I have many memories of racing when i was young , but the one that hooked me was when i was 4 or 5 and went down to the local car dealership in town with my dad to see his buddy. Dads' friend raced a Modified locally here in Ma. and Conn. and kept his car at the garage where he worked. He was tuning the carb and fiddling with the mixture to get it where he wanted it. Then he turned to me asked me if i wanted to give it some gas while he adjusted the carb. He put me in the seat, i was all wide eyed and very excited to be helping this guy. I had been to a couple of races with my dad before this, but actually being in the car and giving it gas, hearing the engine roar, well i was hooked to say the least! My dad , his friends, and I went to many races at Stafford Motor Speedway,Thompson, Riverside, Seekonk, and a few others in the New England area the next 15 years or so. The first time i went to a "big" race was at Trenton back in the early 70's. The USAC Indy cars were running with the USAC stock cars, i was amazed how fast the Indy cars were. I did follow them when the 500 came around and watched them on Wid World of Sports on Saturday afternoons on our old black and white TV when they were on. Stock cars were my favorite though, when there was a tape of the Cup race on WWS i'd never miss it. David Pearson was my favorite, loved the way he was so sly. Anyway. those are just a few things that got me hooked. I still get that feeling in my gut when i go to the first race of the year at the local track. Nothing like the smell of racing fuel, rubber, and of course the rumble of all the horsepower. Like many of you i have become disinchanted with Cup level racing, i still like it , but there is nothing like going to the local track on a Friday or Saturday night.:beerbang:
 
Well, I started enjoying racing with indy cars obviously. I remember growing up and listening to the Indy 500 every year with my dad. They didnt televise it back then, still dont on Indianapolis channels (Im an hour from the track just to let you know). I was hooked.
When I got older I went to a few indy 500's and I started throwing a big Indy 500 race party and its become a tradition now with my family and friends.

And then the big great year of 2005 when Danica Patrick joined up in the IRL, I was instantly hooked by this driver. Now I dont think I could ever stop watching racing. I follow her career and meet her every chance I get. Im addicted..:o

I have started watching NASCAR the last few years. I love it too, not as well as IndyCar but its fun to watch.
 
CypressTrout said:
I was at a race in Rockingham some yeras back & JJ was sitting at a small table trying to hand out autographs. He actually asked me if I wanted one as my group of friends and I walked by, I declined. That I do remember.:D
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Jimmie was a nice guy. I'll tell you what I wanted to do with that car though. :eek:

If I didn't have to ick it up off the ground, I would've shoved it up her ...... nevermind.

That was wrong, on every level.
 
went with my dad to the local dirt track every saturday night when i was a kid. late 60's/early 70's. family friend had a race car. those weekly drivers were my heroes.

nascar on tv: does anyone remember watching highlites of nascar races on ABC's Wide World of Sports (the thrill of victory...the agony of defeat...)? or did i just dream that up?

been going to/watching races of many types ever since.
 
klemmabyna said:
went with my dad to the local dirt track every nascar on tv: does anyone remember watching highlites of nascar races on ABC's Wide World of Sports (the thrill of victory...the agony of defeat...)? or did i just dream that up?
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No, that did happen. They would show those a week and sometimes two weeks later. The only exception was the Daytona 500 when they would show highlights throughout WWS that day and show the last 50 miles live.
 
:) The first race I attended was at Sorrento Speedway in Morristown, NJ. The year was 1948 and I was twelve years old.
All later interest and involvement grew from that race.:)
 
Whizzer said:
:) The first race I attended was at Sorrento Speedway in Morristown, NJ. The year was 1948 and I was twelve years old.
All later interest and involvement grew from that race.:)
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Somehow I just don't see it. Not long ago someone, and I forget who, posted a pic of you in your car...

112354.jpg
 
I understand that Rubble spun him out without touching him. Of course, the crowd was going wild, throwing rocks as Rubbles car, but as usual, the mustachioed hot head only smiled and said, "I just wanted to rattle his rope". Whiz went on to have a maginificent carreer, but was never able to equal Rubble's success. Whiz, I will always be one of your biggest fans. :bounce:
 
My dad and brother both race/raced dirt tracks. Been going since I was a baby. My first Bristol race was age 3 or 4. Dirt track racing is my favorite and always will be. :)
 
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