Speaking of age, I am working on being 72 and have been drag racing since around 1963, thus, around 55 years. So I am a walking history book of North East Texas drag racing. Many experiences, many lessons, many great memories.

Some things of note; I have learned many things that improve performance and about as many things that do not make much difference, and some that do not work.

Some of you may have had this same experience, I learn, I improve, I win, then for whatever reason I get lost and must relearn. Just go figger

When they legalized delay boxes in NHRA Div. 1, the first year they ran a variance in the top bulb. Jim Harrington won the Bracket Finals in Tom Dauber's dragster, blocking the top two bulbs with his left hand and leaving off the bottom with his right hand, then grabbing the steering wheel as he left!

Jimmy did use his free hand to block the tree a lot back then.

I used the same technique to block my opponents side of the tree and to block them from coming into my line of sight if they left first. That was my best way of footbrake racing. I close one eye and that works for me better than anything else.

I tried blocking the top 2 bulbs with my free hand but did not feel comfortable doing that.

I think that free hand tree blocking technique became well known after Don Young from down south used it successfully and got some press coverage.

quote:

Originally posted by Larry Woodfin:
Speaking of age, I am working on being 72 and have been drag racing since around 1963, thus, around 55 years

Rookie! I started in 1956 in So. Cal.

quote:

Originally posted by ferndaleflyer:
Woodfin is correct. It was Pappy Parker at Lions that first came up with the idea. SCDIV1 you are a little late. The first NHRA Div 1 Bracket finals was held at York I think it was 1976. Anyway that year the winners were
Pro John DiBartolomeo
RU Jim Rainey
Heavy Mike Minno
RU Ronnie Martlock
Street Bruce Bowman
RU Joe Kienapple

The idea for the finals came from the United Bracket RAcers

I raced at the first one at York !

I was in the tower----I swear the only vivid memory I have is of the 69 or so Mopar burning to the ground at the end of the track. SS427 you sound like a youngster But maybe not as I think I started in 1957. SCDiv1 that Fiat belonged to Burnie Pyles. Sinke drove it and built the motors---he also rented a house from Burnie.

quote:

Originally posted by ferndaleflyer:
I was in the tower----I swear the only vivid memory I have is of the 69 or so Mopar burning to the ground at the end of the track. SS427 you sound like a youngster But maybe not as I think I started in 1957. SCDiv1 that Fiat belonged to Burnie Pyles. Sinke drove it and built the motors---he also rented a house from Burnie.

Do you remember George Nye ?

the answer is C.J. "Pappy" Hart AND Mickey Thompson.....while they were the managers of Lions Drag Strip!

Yup, that's what I thought. I started drag racing in 1965 so maybe Pappy started bracket racing before that. Those were some fond memories. Obtw, Bob I'm a kid next to you......

I know that Carl bullock was one of the 'early pioneers' of bracket racing, here on the east coast. I ran at 75-80 back in the mid-70's .. when they used letters (AA, A, BB, B, c, d, etc.) to classify your e.t.'s. You'd win your class, then run-off with the other class winners for Top Dog (handicapped by your "class" (letter).

I also ran at the 1st bracket finals at York U.S.30 Dragway in 1976. I don't remember if they had Qualifying Stickers at the 1st one ..... but, I have one from the next year's (1977) ..... for some nostalgia .......

Dave

quote:

Originally posted by Dave Raser:
I know that Carl bullock was one of the 'early pioneers' of bracket racing, here on the east coast. I ran at 75-80 back in the mid-70's .. when they used letters (AA, A, BB, B, c, d, etc.) to classify your e.t.'s. You'd win your class, then run-off with the other class winners for Top Dog (handicapped by your "class" (letter).

I also ran at the 1st bracket finals at York U.S.30 Dragway in 1976. I don't remember if they had Qualifying Stickers at the 1st one ..... but, I have one from the next year's (1977) ..... for some nostalgia .......

Dave

I have some 1978 Division 1 Bracket Finals participant stickers on my car. I had been letting them rot on one of my toolboxes. Then I finally decided to do something with them. I sent one to Michael Beard and he did a fantastic job of restoring and replicating them. Take care. Tom Worthington

I was mostly out of racing from 1971 to 1980

Started going back to events to spectate with my girlfriend on weekends....

Went to York, Maple Grove, Island, New England and ETown and was hot to get back in and really just bracket race.

I was at York around 1976 and went to Maple the next day.....Saw all the "hitters" of the day and some very cool cars.


I was infected bad by then and absolutely had to get back racing on my own...

I was back racing by 1980.....and got talked into running SS/JA for 2 years. A totally home built car.


Worked in an engine shop.....10+ years...

Couldn't cut it in Super Stock on my budget and was bracket racing and S/ST racing by 1982.


71 years old next week and I am not quitting unless I'm in a box....

Savoy and Larry Scarth I posted that a few days back. Lots of history here and as I read these posts on DRR a lot of miss information. I know the Rasers could write a history book on Div 1. Carl Bullock founded the United Bracket Racers Assoc in 65 maybe. I was the Maryland Rep. He pitched the idea of a NHRA bracket finals to Darwin Doll, Div director at the time, and then we helped to get it done. Has now lasted 43 years. Carl used to race an Opel and gave up UBRA to Pete Holcomb when he got sick. I know he got well and got back into racing but not sure where. Fern will be 78 shortly and raced first time in 1957 at the Air Force base in Tucson Arizona.

Speaking of delay boxes. I liked when no one had a crossover delay box so you used a calculator to add the difference in your dial ins to the delay box in the staging lanes. That worked out well until the guy using the calculator had too many beers and mis-punched the numbers

NHRA tracks were not doing very well locally by the early 1970's....

Class racing was dying for various reasons.

Bracket racing steadily increased and to me is what kept many tracks going.

NHRA saw this and was smart enough at the time to make some Bracket programs and eventually the Super categories.

The vast majority of Super class racers at the beginning were bracket racers. Raced both and car counts were huge...

California gets the credit for the first bracket racing and the first Pro Tree racing.....Pro Gas.....

They had the weather, the tracks and the racers with cars wanting to race....

All I can say is I was pissed when class racing stopped. Swore I would never bracket race.

Of course I eventually changed my mind when none of the tracks held any class racing events.
Lot of heavy hitters racing at Bluegrass Dragway, KY back in the early 70's. Unfortunately I wasn't one of them. I was funding disadvantaged like SCDIV1..lol

Dave

We had Bret Kepner on a few months ago to discuss this very subject.

http://sportsmandragracingpodc...acket-racing-history

The Richardson Boys!!

IIRC, the first time I saw a delay box in use was about 85(?). I used one in 88, for the first time, and thought that was THE longest 1 second I had ever experienced !

quote:

Originally posted by racerdude2054:
Speaking of delay boxes. I liked when no one had a crossover delay box so you used a calculator to add the difference in your dial ins to the delay box in the staging lanes. That worked out well until the guy using the calculator had too many beers and mis-punched the numbers

Ha, yeah, keeping fresh batteries, that and trying to borrow a calculator !! I started hating delay boxes then.

quote:

Originally posted by Sportsman Drag Racing Podcast:
We had Bret Kepner on a few months ago to discuss this very subject.

http://sportsmandragracingpodc...acket-racing-history

Oh man! That was great stuff. I highly recommend everybody give that one a listen. Take care. Tom Worthington