Things I miss about racing

[TerryM]

All of the above,, and so many more.

As a kid around age 11 or 12-ish, I loved to pencil draw pics of our local dirt guys. Our local guys were legends — Floyd Gilbert, Pat Patrick, Butterball Woolridge, Billy Teegarden, Fats Coffey … I could go on and on. But the funny thing was, my drawings were always from the front. The nose, the grill screen, the tires, the windshield screen. Screen meaning “rabbit guard” in today’s world lol. But my drawings were always front view. Couldn’t even see a number or sponsor. Not sure why I chose that angle, but I loved it and my drawings were awesome, IMO lol.

[Raceready]

Hand lettered race cars. I spent a many of hours as a kid sitting on a milk crate watching a man free hand the letters and numbers on dads cars over the years. Sure seemed to be a lot more pride in peoples work back then. The car shows before the first test and tune of the year seemed to be more fun back then too. I miss the late model guys packing also. Spoiled racers of today go to a dirt track but don't want their car to get dirty.That is how i got to drive my first late model as a young kid was packing the track. I can remember when it was still ok for kids to be hanging out of every window of a bomber car when they packed.

I recall at a big race circa 1989 , that they was a making sport of Chub Franks Charley Swartz car because it was the only one there that still had the numbers and sponsors that were still hand brushed on along with the fact that he still ran an open trailer .

[Finnfan25]

The old flatbed car haulers, flatbed trailers with the tire rack or the cadillac of them all back in the day.....the converted school bus. Before all the toter homes and RV's, the drivers were much more accessible and could usually be found having a beer around the car. Many times BEFORE a race.

[Raceready]

The old flatbed car haulers, flatbed trailers with the tire rack or the cadillac of them all back in the day.....the converted school bus. Before all the toter homes and RV's, the drivers were much more accessible and could usually be found having a beer around the car. Many times BEFORE a race.

Hows about them old 2 1/2 ton farm trucks with the stake body side Some tracks had a big old dirt pile that they could back up to unload the car . 1 old boy used a log truck and used the grabble to unload it.

[84wedge]

The Victory Lap

[Thedoctor]

Mudslinger calendars . Hero cards ( yes I know a few drivers still have them but when I was young everyone, even the top drivers did )

[Mopar DLM]

Push bars on the front of late models and window openings and (not a nice word)(not a nice word)(not a nice word)(not a nice word)pits big enough to actually Bo Duke into or be able to see the driver inside doing work.

[doyle hargraves]

Bob memmer

[doyle hargraves]

B main on a weekly show. I was lookin at some old pics of farmer city and all the cars were sitting in the infield after qualifying and I could count 36 cars. The thing about it is about 15 or 20 of them were capable of winning the feature!

[Dirt Clod]

I'm with the others who mentioned open wheel trailers. In my early teens I used to ride my bike to check out the open wheel trailers that had Jack Tyne and Tom Rients cars on them. Also, as others say, you had no idea who'd be racing at the tracks till you watched them roll in on open wheel trailers. Grundy County Speedway was good for watching from the grandstand, as the trailers would come in off Highway 47 and parade down the back stretch to the pit area.

[ride height]

That’s how I got into this sport. I was a sign painter, and I got hired to do a car….I was invited to go along to the track and that was it…I ended up doing ALOT of cars, and spent darn near every weekend at the races, watching my work go round and round. Then sign computers took over and that was that

[Highside Hustler25]

Pit crew names on the cars and drivers packing the track with no helmet.
That really brings back memories.

[dirtcrazy4u]

Miss the old school buses that some teams made into car haulers. The 1 car I never saw in an old school bus hauler, a sprint car. I miss the days you could walk into a garage and see someone building a motor. I miss the smell of burnt oil. I miss seeing a camaro, chevelle, chevy II, there was a few ford mustangs and a rare sighting of the Mopar body.

[LM1M]

National Dirt Digest - especially the one in the spring with the full page UMP Summernationals schedule ad

[lokwaidid]

there were so many cars. there were race cars in almost every neighborhood. garages, body shops, and radiators shops almost all had some kind of race car.. lot of cars. regular show with 35-45 late models. inverted starts after qualifing. i miss these and everything else that was mentioned.