- Apr 17, 2002
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It's been close to ten years since I've been trackside for an NHRA event. I had allowed myself to forget what I was missing out on... until Friday, May 21st. The smells of Pro Mod nitric and tire smoke, the vibration of every organ and bone in my body as the Funny Cars blast off the line, the deafening sounds of Top Fuel, walking the pits in search of my favorite drivers... the list is never-ending.
My first experience at Route 66 was a time I will never forget. The questionable weather kept the crowds away for most of the day which allowed Rich and me to wander the pits with ease. An unscheduled autograph signing, courtesy of Tony Pedregon, gave me the opportunity to score one kick-ass picture and wish him good-luck for the weekend (like he needs it.) After settling down in seats that could only be rivaled by those in the tower we proceeded to take in hours and hours of great racing that you can't watch on ESPN. I am proud to say that I have officially witnessed my first 'Cacklefest'... old front engine dragsters pulling onto the strip to strut their stuff. What a cool sound to listen to! :aj: Shortly after the second round of Funny Car qualifying started, so did the weather. All of a sudden the air temp dropped and the wind picked up (mind you Route 66 is in tornado territory). Instantly the stands were alive with fans rushing to get out. No one had announced any warnings so we just sat and waited.... and waited... and waited for the winds to die down. Finally the announcer came on to inform us that the remaining Funny Car drivers were heading back to the pits to wait out the dangerous winds at the end of the track. Again we waited and again the announcer comes on tell us 'it might be a good idea to wait in our vehicles'. We took this as a sign that the races were over for the night and decided to take our memories and head home. Just as we were pulling out of our parking spot I heard a car start up on the tree. 5 seconds later that car was at the end of the track which could mean only one thing... the races were back on! Instantly we reparked and hiked back to our seats. When we reached the stands they were announcing that Gary Scelzi had just become the first Funny Car driver to reach 330 mph ever! :yeehaw: It was a shame we had missed the race, however, we were in time to see Tony Pedregon pulling up to the line for what was to be the last qualifying run of the evening. Under the lights, in the cool night air, Rich and I witnessed yet another entry into the history books... Tony Pedregon runs a 331mph quarter mile, stomping Gary Scelzi to second fastest. :worship: Soon after that run the rains moved in and ended our day of fun, but what a day it was! It was great re-uniting with an old 'acquaintance'. :cool:
My first experience at Route 66 was a time I will never forget. The questionable weather kept the crowds away for most of the day which allowed Rich and me to wander the pits with ease. An unscheduled autograph signing, courtesy of Tony Pedregon, gave me the opportunity to score one kick-ass picture and wish him good-luck for the weekend (like he needs it.) After settling down in seats that could only be rivaled by those in the tower we proceeded to take in hours and hours of great racing that you can't watch on ESPN. I am proud to say that I have officially witnessed my first 'Cacklefest'... old front engine dragsters pulling onto the strip to strut their stuff. What a cool sound to listen to! :aj: Shortly after the second round of Funny Car qualifying started, so did the weather. All of a sudden the air temp dropped and the wind picked up (mind you Route 66 is in tornado territory). Instantly the stands were alive with fans rushing to get out. No one had announced any warnings so we just sat and waited.... and waited... and waited for the winds to die down. Finally the announcer came on to inform us that the remaining Funny Car drivers were heading back to the pits to wait out the dangerous winds at the end of the track. Again we waited and again the announcer comes on tell us 'it might be a good idea to wait in our vehicles'. We took this as a sign that the races were over for the night and decided to take our memories and head home. Just as we were pulling out of our parking spot I heard a car start up on the tree. 5 seconds later that car was at the end of the track which could mean only one thing... the races were back on! Instantly we reparked and hiked back to our seats. When we reached the stands they were announcing that Gary Scelzi had just become the first Funny Car driver to reach 330 mph ever! :yeehaw: It was a shame we had missed the race, however, we were in time to see Tony Pedregon pulling up to the line for what was to be the last qualifying run of the evening. Under the lights, in the cool night air, Rich and I witnessed yet another entry into the history books... Tony Pedregon runs a 331mph quarter mile, stomping Gary Scelzi to second fastest. :worship: Soon after that run the rains moved in and ended our day of fun, but what a day it was! It was great re-uniting with an old 'acquaintance'. :cool:
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