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My friend and I went to New England Dragway in Epping, New Hampshire this past weekend, for the 3rd annual New England Hot Rod Reunion.
We were debuting his 1955 Chevy Gasser he built, a vehicle I painted and helped him build.
It's a "street car", that term used very loosely,..lol,...(but built with a 60s style gasser as a model) ...registered and insured, and we've put it through it's paces on the street, but this was it's first track appearance. It was well received, always had a crowd around it all weekend, and gathered many compliments, which made us both proud...(and it passed it's first tech inspection which we were also happy about).
But, on it's first run, Saturday morning, the 9 inch modular steel, (with a spool), rear end, grenaded at the staring line, so it couldn't make a run.
I suggested we just park it on the field next to the staging lanes, where the show and shine car show was being held, instead of towing it back to our spot in the pits, since we were way down in the shut down area of the track, in the woods, (yeah, the place was packed).
We did that, and went back to the stands to watch the races, and make some calls back home, trying to get a center section brought up to us, but we later saw that the driveshaft bent and we didn't have another, so we understood racing was over before it really began for us.
At 2 oclock there was a break in the action for an awards ceremony under a big tent in the vendor area, to honor some old time drag racers from yesteryear, who were presented actual Wallys for their acheivements, but we were held up at the car, answering questions from onlookers. My other friend called me on my phone to say, the 55 just won an award. So we went to the tent.
The Grand Marshall of the 3 day event was Al Segrini, 5 time top fuel funny car event champion. He picked the 55 to receive the Grand Marshall Award. That probably wouldn't have happened if the car was at the pits between rounds, and not in the field where he was looking at the hundreds of cars in attendance. Needless to say, we were very pleased.
Then, on Sunday morning the track photographer found us, and asked us to move the car in a better location for photos, because not only was the car going in the New England Dragway News, but he also shoots and writes for Gasser Magazine, and wants to feature it in that national mag, and perhaps it might even get a cover.
So, even after breaking,.......we can actually say, it was an awesome weekend. And if it hadn't broken, it wouldn't have ended up being where it got noticed, and acknowledged, by all who eventually saw it so,....sometimes things seem to happen for a reason.
And we're going back later this month for Old Fashion Sunday to get some runs in, so all is good.
We were debuting his 1955 Chevy Gasser he built, a vehicle I painted and helped him build.
It's a "street car", that term used very loosely,..lol,...(but built with a 60s style gasser as a model) ...registered and insured, and we've put it through it's paces on the street, but this was it's first track appearance. It was well received, always had a crowd around it all weekend, and gathered many compliments, which made us both proud...(and it passed it's first tech inspection which we were also happy about).
But, on it's first run, Saturday morning, the 9 inch modular steel, (with a spool), rear end, grenaded at the staring line, so it couldn't make a run.
I suggested we just park it on the field next to the staging lanes, where the show and shine car show was being held, instead of towing it back to our spot in the pits, since we were way down in the shut down area of the track, in the woods, (yeah, the place was packed).
We did that, and went back to the stands to watch the races, and make some calls back home, trying to get a center section brought up to us, but we later saw that the driveshaft bent and we didn't have another, so we understood racing was over before it really began for us.
At 2 oclock there was a break in the action for an awards ceremony under a big tent in the vendor area, to honor some old time drag racers from yesteryear, who were presented actual Wallys for their acheivements, but we were held up at the car, answering questions from onlookers. My other friend called me on my phone to say, the 55 just won an award. So we went to the tent.
The Grand Marshall of the 3 day event was Al Segrini, 5 time top fuel funny car event champion. He picked the 55 to receive the Grand Marshall Award. That probably wouldn't have happened if the car was at the pits between rounds, and not in the field where he was looking at the hundreds of cars in attendance. Needless to say, we were very pleased.
Then, on Sunday morning the track photographer found us, and asked us to move the car in a better location for photos, because not only was the car going in the New England Dragway News, but he also shoots and writes for Gasser Magazine, and wants to feature it in that national mag, and perhaps it might even get a cover.
So, even after breaking,.......we can actually say, it was an awesome weekend. And if it hadn't broken, it wouldn't have ended up being where it got noticed, and acknowledged, by all who eventually saw it so,....sometimes things seem to happen for a reason.
And we're going back later this month for Old Fashion Sunday to get some runs in, so all is good.
