Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

I worked for NSSN the first year drag racing came to Charlotte. 

I remember going into the men's room while everyone was watching the top fuel.  Loud as hell.  I was the only one in this massive bathroom with a million urinals. 

Force literally walks up in his uniform and takes a piss right beside me.  Looks over and ask how Economacki is doing.  I nervously said he's doing ok.  He smiles and said does he still talk loud as hell?  He's pretty deaf nowadays.  I jokingly said he's almost as loud as you. He smiles, slaps me on the back, and said good to hear. And walks off.  

I look around the bathroom and there isn't a soul.  I literally have no one that can prove this story is true.  But it is.

The biggest thrill I've had in my lifetime with big fast machines was hooking F4's up to the catapult.  They used a wire rope called a bridle with two hooks that connected under the aircraft.  When hooking up the pilot would turn it up to full power and we'd stand under it holding the bridle until it was secure.  When it was hooked up and under tension the two doing hookup would run out from underneath.  If we took a wrong step and came out at the wrong angle we could have been sucked up an intake.  Taking Sprint Car photos can be pretty intense as well.  A person is closer than anyone in the stands and when 24 take the green it can get your attention.

I have watched drag racing on TV and have always wanted to go up to Brainerd and watch top fuel and funny cars.  Actually could have done that on a media pass years ago but it conflicted with USA Nationals.  Today I'm not into traveling alone so those opportunities to add tracks and try different things aren't as frequent.  It's still on my wish list as even with Sprints I'm a mechanical type person who enjoys that aspect of Sprint Car Racing.  I feel like drag racing has a connection to 50's car culture and hot rodding and I have always been a fan of cool machines.

Very rarely have I watched from the pits Stan. I think Osky at the Front Row inside turn 2 is the only time but you are correct, it is pretty damn cool.  The straight liners, All I can say is the sheer violent burst of horsepower is insane! Especially if your not prepared for it. We were in the pits at Route 66 just after John Force crew did a rebuild and when they burped that throttle open!!! OM Friggen God was it insense!! Cordova Ill has a World Series race every fall and it is a lot of fun, They have a handfull for Nitro Funnys & T/F cars... I used to go all the time when I was younger but unfortunately Knoxville usually has their season closer that same weekend so its been a few years since I have been to it. 

I'm sitting here watching the world of outlaws race on dirt vision and they mentioned Tony Stewart's transition to drag racing. I've been a long time oval racing fan mostly sprint cars and super modified but I just have never liked drag racing. I've been to a few events, but it's never appealed to me, in fact, I think it's a pretty stupid lower form of motor sport, just above monster trucks. I know NHRA has a huge following and a lot of money is invested in the sport so I'm probably in the minority, but I just don't get it? I was thinking about the reasons I don't like it, but if I were a fan of drag racing, I could make a good argument against all the reasons I don't like it. Driver skill, strategy, too much reliance on the car, etc., etc. So, since I was bored, I thought I'd post a question here. What do you think Sprint Car people, are you a fan of drag racing?

I worked for NSSN the first year drag racing came to Charlotte. 

I remember going into the men's room while everyone was watching the top fuel.  Loud as hell.  I was the only one in this massive bathroom with a million urinals. 

Force literally walks up in his uniform and takes a piss right beside me.  Looks over and ask how Economacki is doing.  I nervously said he's doing ok.  He smiles and said does he still talk loud as hell?  He's pretty deaf nowadays.  I jokingly said he's almost as loud as you. He smiles, slaps me on the back, and said good to hear. And walks off.  

I look around the bathroom and there isn't a soul.  I literally have no one that can prove this story is true.  But it is.

I have to be honest. When I clicked on the thread, I wasn't really thinking, "I hope someone posts a story about John Force taking a piss." LOL

I must admit, though, John Force taking a piss is more interesting than a WoO/High Limit debate.

I have to be honest. When I clicked on the thread, I wasn't really thinking, "I hope someone posts a story about John Force taking a piss." LOL

I must admit, though, John Force taking a piss is more interesting than a WoO/High Limit debate.

I have to be honest. When I clicked on the thread, I wasn't really thinking, "I hope someone posts a story about John Force taking a piss." LOL

I must admit, though, John Force taking a piss is more interesting than a WoO/High Limit debate.

That was my favorite part, but it really wasn't the best part.

That Friday, I got to be inside the pit crew area to take a few pics of the action and ask a couple questions with various people.  

He was signing autos the entire time, and his PR guy came by and said something in his ear.  He went into his trailer and did an interview or two because they named the grandstands after him.  Once he was done, there were a million fans around the trailers.

He looked around and spotted the next fan who was in line previously.  Apologized for making him wait, chatted for a few minutes, and went on signing. 

I was like...how the hell did he remember who was next in line with the millions of fans he meets every weekend.   He scanned the crowd, and was like, oh yeah, your next.  Sorry for waiting.   

Your fan experience was still better. Autographs are a dime a dozen. The autograph line should probably be replaced with a fan experience of "Get slapped on the back by John Force after he handles his ****." LOL

I have to be honest. When I clicked on the thread, I wasn't really thinking, "I hope someone posts a story about John Force taking a piss." LOL

I must admit, though, John Force taking a piss is more interesting than a WoO/High Limit debate.

The biggest thrill I've had in my lifetime with big fast machines was hooking F4's up to the catapult.  They used a wire rope called a bridle with two hooks that connected under the aircraft.  When hooking up the pilot would turn it up to full power and we'd stand under it holding the bridle until it was secure.  When it was hooked up and under tension the two doing hookup would run out from underneath.  If we took a wrong step and came out at the wrong angle we could have been sucked up an intake.  Taking Sprint Car photos can be pretty intense as well.  A person is closer than anyone in the stands and when 24 take the green it can get your attention.

I have watched drag racing on TV and have always wanted to go up to Brainerd and watch top fuel and funny cars.  Actually could have done that on a media pass years ago but it conflicted with USA Nationals.  Today I'm not into traveling alone so those opportunities to add tracks and try different things aren't as frequent.  It's still on my wish list as even with Sprints I'm a mechanical type person who enjoys that aspect of Sprint Car Racing.  I feel like drag racing has a connection to 50's car culture and hot rodding and I have always been a fan of cool machines.

"  I feel like drag racing has a connection to 50's car culture and hot rodding".... It used to. Now they're all high tech rocket sleds. NHRA stands for "No Hot Rods Allowed"

8,000HP??? They don't even have dynos that can measure the engines any more

I read that that spark plugs melt almost instantly & engines are dieseling most of the race (Not even 1/4 mile anymore, 1,000 ft. so they have room to slow down)

I would definitely go to see NHRA if it was closer by, just for the experience of all that HP & speed

But what I would really like to see are the Vintage drags!

"  I feel like drag racing has a connection to 50's car culture and hot rodding".... It used to. Now they're all high tech rocket sleds. NHRA stands for "No Hot Rods Allowed"

8,000HP??? They don't even have dynos that can measure the engines any more

I read that that spark plugs melt almost instantly & engines are dieseling most of the race (Not even 1/4 mile anymore, 1,000 ft. so they have room to slow down)

I would definitely go to see NHRA if it was closer by, just for the experience of all that HP & speed

But what I would really like to see are the Vintage drags!

Started going to the drags as a high school kid in the '50s and it was a bigger deal than the circle track stuff.  Was  fun to bring your street jalopy and see what it would do.  There was a class for every type of car. Went to Florida on vacation with my folks around 1956 or '57 an ran into Don Garlits, crew and car at a diner.  Had never heard of him and they told me he'd just broken the Top fuel Dragster record of 169 mph in the original Swamp Rat with a 176 mph pass.  Couldn't wait to get home and tell my buddies. They didn't believe me for a couple of months until they saw it in Hot Rod or Rod & Custom magazines. I drag raced in the lower stock type classes till the mid '60s and actually held a record in F stock in the old American Hot Rod Association for a while with a 318 powered Dodge Dart . Ran car for 2 seasons from California to the midwest and only lost one time at a Narionals meet in Ohio in 1965. Got into racing the oval stuff the next year and never looked back. The drags were great when a broke kid could race and learn a lot. It's too high dollar anymore and too much emphasis on the Fuelers and Funnies. At least I wasn't pounding out a body every weeke in the straight line stuff but I did, and still do, love my dirt Super Stocks. Never grow up.  Never grow old.

Started going to the drags as a high school kid in the '50s and it was a bigger deal than the circle track stuff.  Was  fun to bring your street jalopy and see what it would do.  There was a class for every type of car. Went to Florida on vacation with my folks around 1956 or '57 an ran into Don Garlits, crew and car at a diner.  Had never heard of him and they told me he'd just broken the Top fuel Dragster record of 169 mph in the original Swamp Rat with a 176 mph pass.  Couldn't wait to get home and tell my buddies. They didn't believe me for a couple of months until they saw it in Hot Rod or Rod & Custom magazines. I drag raced in the lower stock type classes till the mid '60s and actually held a record in F stock in the old American Hot Rod Association for a while with a 318 powered Dodge Dart . Ran car for 2 seasons from California to the midwest and only lost one time at a Narionals meet in Ohio in 1965. Got into racing the oval stuff the next year and never looked back. The drags were great when a broke kid could race and learn a lot. It's too high dollar anymore and too much emphasis on the Fuelers and Funnies. At least I wasn't pounding out a body every weeke in the straight line stuff but I did, and still do, love my dirt Super Stocks. Never grow up.  Never grow old.