Bud Burkey's little shop near Johnson City, TN in 1975. He fired up the car in a small 24x30 shop with the doors closed.
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Founder/Creator - RacersReunion®
Bud Burkey's little shop near Johnson City, TN in 1975. He fired up the car in a small 24x30 shop with the doors closed.
Budd's Creek, summer of 1969.. Loved it, so Ibought it !
Hooked on Drag Racing, early 70's at Englishtown. The hook? Top Fuel push starts at night. Flames,the smell, the roar, the smoke, the speed but mostly THE SHOW.
Though I'm sure it was earlier the first time I can absolutelyremember was 1966 Aquasco Md...Don Gay's Nitro burning doorslammer Pontiac powered 4sp GTO racing Dyno's Comet flopper.Rosin,nitro and smack talk filled the air...those starting line interviews were great!
July, 1962 at Houston International Raceway in Dickinson, Texas. 2 out of 3 match race between Bobby Langley and Vance Hunt with J.L. Payne driving. Both dragsters had cast-iron 392 hemis with 6-71 blowers, Hilborn injector stacks, weed-burner headers and open chassis in front of the engine. Slingshot Rails. First race, Langley had problems and Payne won easily. Second round, both cars launched and laid down a solid quarter-mile of twin towers of white smoke. NOTHING screams like a pair of blown cast-iron hemis on nitro. The harmonics were the purest rock n' roll I've ever heard...I'd seen pictures of dragsters racing but I wasn't prepared for what I saw and heard that day. But when the scent of nitro hit my nostrils, I was instantly transformed into a lifelong nitro junkie. With a flag start, they both ran 8-flat and the race was declared a dead heat. It was a day that changed my life. I told Vance Hunt that when he was on the show last year. Great thread, Wally! Thanks! Cheers, JB
Amazing, I just mentioned Bud Burkey on this thread and he just found me on facebook. Here is a pic outside Bud's old shop. He had just scared the crap out of me in this car a few minutes before this photo was taken. In this shot is the right rear quarter panel of my 1968 Z28. I wish I had the rest of it. Hell, I wish I had the car. Trying to get Bud to join here.
Check out his Hot Rods n Honeys page on fb http://www.facebook.com/pages/HotRods-AndHoneys/272513599471335
And his personal page here http://www.facebook.com/bud.burkey
Have some good memories of hangin around his shop and all his hot rods.
Thanks Robbie....
Mid 60's - York - Garlit's vs. Nasty.
First time was at Blaney sometime in the 60's
In 1956 I would ride my bicycle up and over Ganesha Blvd in Pomona Ca and help the people at the L.A. County Fairgrounds open the gates and sneak in to watch the races nearly every Sunday. I remember watching Conie Kalitta, Tom McEwen (McEwen & Adams) , Tommy Ivo and the group from the Pomona Timing Assoc. with their car (Starlite Dragster). Later starting helping Paul Althouse from Pauls Automotive in San Dimas and was fortunate to work with Bill Jenkins in 1964 thru 67.
Atco Dragway 1967, Al Zerniac's (sp) Gold Finger AA/FD..... I got to smell a lot more as my Dad crew chief-ed Paul Smith's first Nitro funny car, the Climax Baracuda..! Great memories!
I loved it. Especially since he took it from starter sounds through to the race.
Folks,
First time was at Madison Twp. Raceway Park in Englishtown NJ. We were on the spectator's side (now the pit side), I don't know who was racing at the time but I remember that the smell was somewhat sweet.
I don't think it's quite the same concoction now as the smell is different or was it my youth that made it seem so ????
1973 - AHRA Grand Nationals at Dragway 42 - First car fired that day was the Mickey Thompson Vega
Camp Wheeler Drag strip in Macon Ga Don Garlets blistered the pinetrees for a half a mile with the flames coming outta that little ole motor on a rail. Who he raced against is immaterial because Don waxed him on the line. Everything else was just watching the laundry at the other end--------------------------memories
San Gabe 1963. I was all of 5 and dont recall who was there, but Idid know what gasoline smelt like and what was emanating from the headersof some of the dragsters wasnt "Ethyl."
At the US Nationals @ INDY 1964
First time I smelled nitro was August of 1954during the NHRA Safety Safari event at a yet-to-be-opened entrance drive to a new GM plant on Eckles Road in Livonia, MI. Ain't been the same since!
CH3NO2! Probably at my very first drag race, the grand opening of the Houston Drag Raceway (midway between Houston and Galveston), in June of 1957. I was sixteen, and spending the summer with my father that year. While I can't say for sure if I actually smelled nitro at that event (not having a clue what it might be, if, indeed, I did smell it), I know there were a good number of nitro-fueled cars at that race. I do know, without a doubt, that I got a good whiff of it at York, in August of '60, when Garlits first warmed his motor prior to a series of three exhibition singles he made that evening.
Bruce, Houston Drag Raceway was where I attended my first event with my Dad as well! As I posted earlier, it was a match race between Vance Hunt and Bobby Langley, and I got doused with nitro. It made me crazy for the rest of my life...I was 12 in '62 and I'll never forget that day. It's gone now, civilization took over and it's a strip-mall (at least "strip" applies). Gay Pontiac is still there on the freeway in Dickinson, but it's now Gay Buick GMC. Wish Shane would keep the family tradition going! JB
It was the early 60's, don' t remember the year, but it was the first year being legal in NHRA, at Lions Drag Strip in Long Beach CA.
Summer of '69. Fremont Ca. Match race between Danny Ongias and Gas Ronda. M/T flew his plane up from LA with his GF Trudy and I got to help (dump the oil, wipe the pan etc.) Crew chief was DonRatican (of the Sour Sisters T/F car).
I was almost 14 and lovin' every minute of it.Could not wait to get out of HS and move to LA to get in the middle of it. The rest as they say.........
Late 50s, Great Lakes Dragoway Wisconsin. Chris ''The Golden Greek'' Karamesines.
