First time you ever drove a race car?

[lurker]

What was the first time you ever drove a race car?

I’ll start.

Caney Valley Speedway, 1982, got to pack the track in a street stock. Scared as he!!, and they ran in the track the opposite way. Slick gumbo clay ¼ mile. Sliding down the banking while trying to figure everything out was not fun. Thought I was going to crash packing the track.

The only other time was 2019, at Baer Field on the 3/8’s for the 24 hour Grocery Getter Classic. I and three others did the entire 24 hours finishing 17th out of 58 purely stock street cars. Used up 27 right front tires, 38 total tires for the whole race. It was definitely a bucket list deal. One of the, if not, the, most fun I’ve ever had at the race track. Asphalt aside.

What was the first time you ever drove a race car?

[TheJet-09]

Spring of 1988, a 1975 Monte Carlo street stock I bought used, that had no business being on a race track. The roll cage was made out of galvanized pipe. But anyway, I remember the driver's door opening on the first lap of the heat race, and somewhere around lap 4 I got a flat (and not one spare with me).

I was young, dumb, and all that other stuff...but I was hooked. I knew absolutely nothing about cars, let alone racecars. I filled all four tires up to 32 p.s.i. and away I went. When I found out tires came in different sizes, I was blown away.

And 2020 marks my 22nd year in racing!

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

I was 13 years old and I ran about 100 laps on Sunday morning in my dad's sportsman car. The track was just as it had finished the night on Saturday.

[Rayburn Swartz Jr.]

1998, Ponderosa

Had a buddy that I raced go-carts with make the jump to Mods the year prior. After a ton of early success, local chassis builder convinced him to drive his house car. A week before the race he let me practice his old mod. He was considering renting the old car for extra money. Wanted feedback from someone who had never raced one and trusted me. He had supplied me with go cart setups for years and I ran his old stuff all the time since I couldn’t afford new. After spinning out the first 2 laps, I finally figured out how to drive. He said that was the slowest he ever saw that mod go!😂 After some coaxing, I finally let’er tip and didn’t do too bad. He convinced me to race it the following Saturday and I didn’t need coaxing at that point. Went out and qualified next to last and started last in my heat. I didn’t gain any spots and only got lapped by the leader. Right before the B, the oil pressure dropped and I pulled out of staging and shut it down. Come to find out it was electrical and nothing serious. I raced a few times after that in his mod and my own hobby stock but never really took off with it. Not enough money nor time but it was pretty cool to do.I keep saying when I retire, I’m going to try crate racing. Who knows??🤷🏼(not a nice word)♂️ Right now, I’m paying for 1 kid in college and the other in trade school. We’ll see...

[dirtcrazy4u]

Open wheel sprint car. The first time out on the track I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest. That engine fired and everything went away. What a rush, loved every d*m minute of it. We won our share of heat races and had consistent top 10 finishes some nights and some nights we looked like garbage. Went under the white flag leading quite a few times but I guess I just went stupid. LOL, all the key board jockeys think it's so d*m easy. But anyhow, I'll be curious to see how many more chime in.

[billetbirdcage]

all the key board jockeys think it's so d*m easy. But anyhow, I'll be curious to see how many more chime in.

On the thinks it's so easy: A guy that been racing LM's for 35+ years, gets to drive a 2 seater and takes his wife for a ride in it. After wards she says "I will never say another word about why didn't you do this or go there on that lap". The perspective from the stands is quite different then the drivers seat, lol.

My first time in a car was a LM in a mechanics race at Salina Kansas in 1992. Never drove any type of car on a dirt track, owner thought I had driven the street stock they had at hot laps or another mechanics race. So while sitting in line up (I'm 6' 7") he walks over and ask me if I did drive the street stock and I say no, never drove anything. So he says well if you roll duck cause your head is above the roll cage. That sure made me feel better, lol.

Anyway I was timid at first but finally got to second and leader was a straight a head so I drove it into 1 and closed up about half the distance and thought I might be able to catch him. So I drove that thing as hard as I could into 3 and 4 and ended up about a half a car short at the line.

I got a used car in the off season between 92 and 93 and ran my first race in 93 and actually crossed the finish line BACKWARDS as I spun off turn 4 on the last lap and crossed the line backwards. I ran 7th or 8th

[Jking24]

Don't know the exact year but somwhere around 2007-2008. North Georgia speedway at the Dale McDowell/ Ray Cook school. Funny thing was they had a flagman at a opening on the backstretch and he pretty much stood just out of the opening on the track all day. Their had been maybe five or six drivers go at that point. Well i start making laps and he would tuck in behind the wall every time i came off 2 . I like to think i was just using more of the racetrack then the others and not the more accurate scenario witch i was probably a little out of control lol

[ZERO25]

My first was in a llm with about 550hp. Even though I had grown up around racing and done my fair share of street racing an driving fast on back country dirt roads, what surprised me the most was the instant throttle response. When you couple that much hp with a 5.64 gear its an awakening.

My next experience was driving an asphalt modified with 500hp. Ill just say, it was a whole lot easier than the dirt car! I was up to speed pretty quick!

[LIS20]

I was a 43 year old rockie in a super late model - i am now -- the driver i puechased the car from was 6'7" and i put everything back the way he had it -- the problem i had the first night was when i thought i had the throtle wide open it was really at half throtle -- my legs were not as long as his -- a piece of 2x4 taped to the peddle solved the problem - this was a great way to unwind after a week of teaching.

[mcarter815]

I did the Rusty Wallace Experience in an old cup car at Iowa Speedway in 2015. Then I did the open wheel road course experience at Iowa Speedway the next year. I bought a sport mod and started racing on dirt in 2017.

[grt74]

20yrs ago, man cars have changed (to a point), still in it but supers now

[BloomerWon]

It was 1980 when I and two other guys snuck out onto Freeprort Speedway with our cars. Just street machines but on a dirt track none the less, so I guess that was as close to dirt racing as I got. I finished way behind in second to a 74 Z28 in my 76 trans am. The dude behind me was in a ta also, a 78 that looked like the Bandit car
He blew a right rear Mickey Thompson, imagine that lol! So cool... 😎

[Krooser]

Hales Corners Speedway 1970.

'59 Chrysler owned by a local racer chaser. She needed the carb rebuilt...I got the ride in return for rebuilding the carb. Women were not allowed in the pits back then.

It was a Thursday night all sportsman show. Likely had 150-200 cars in the pits. I qualified way back..maybe dead last.

Six lap heat race... Had the pole ( full inverts back then).

Won the heat with a much faster Chevelle pushing me trying to spin me but they guy couldn't move that 5000# tank.

Also got in a non- Ford Chevy race that night. Led 5 3/4 laps then my carb sputtered and my buddy beat me with his '60 Dodge.

[EvelB7]

1984, mechanics race at Tipton, Ia in my dad's late model (good old TCB car). Ran second to a 'mechanic' who drove his brothers car off and on over the years. Started running full time in 1986 and still going (although a limited schedule these days). I remember being disappointed the first time, thought it would feel way faster than it did.

[hardracer32]

1995, North Georgia Speedway. I remember pulling out on the track for the very first time for Hot Laps. It was completely different than I imagined it, but yet somehow, everything I was hoping for. Made about 3/4 of a lap in the feature when a dude spun right in front of me. I had no where to go and ran right into him. Busted a brand new radiator and fan. Raced 5 years in A-Hobby/Modified Hobby. Then moved to supers with a SPEC engine, then open motor, then dropped back to Limited Late model. 15 years total. Miss it every...single....day.