Worst day of drag racing ever.

[Ghoste]

Well, I just had mine yesterday.  It was only a test and tune but I had a bunch of stuff that I needed to tune so I was looking forward to it.  The weather was great and the strip was fairly empty so getting runs in didn't look like it would be a problem.  The track had moderate bite.  I figured I was good to go.  Now I've had slow days and I've had days where I broke stuff but this was the first time I had poor times and poor luck mechanically.
Nothing went my way all day.  I got a late start leaving for the track.  I had to wait in line for 5 minutes for a coffee (I HATE waiting for coffee!).  I had to wait to get in the track.  Unpacked my stuff and I forgot to pack a whole box of carb parts.  Incidentally, carb tuning was what I set out to do.  Made a pass to establish a baseline and then the heartaches began.  Each run, I tried to make an adjustment to better the carb and each run brought some new mecahnical issue.  I flipped two belts off the alternator before sorting that out.  My overflow for the rad started puking (luckily in the pits).  Then I had a loud clicking noise under the hood which I never did find (almost sounded like a stick in the fan blade?)  Then, all my friends start laying down great passes while I was still a second off what the car normally runs.  Finally, a starter relay quit while I was in the staging lanes.  After we pushed the car out of the staging lanes and found a screwdriver to jump the relay, I called it a day.  I was getting frustrated, tired, and just plain pissed off and couldn't see making any real progress.  It's one thing to break stuff, but to keep having wear and tear breakdowns just sucked the wind out of my sails somehow.  I'm usually a lot more competetive and a lot more determined at the strip, but not yesterday.  The car beat me this time.
I honestly feel like it was the worst day I ever had at the track.  Now I just know some of you guys have had worse days than this so let's hear them.

[Chryco Psycho]

well I towed to the track one day with a tow bar , the tow bar broke causing the Duster to ram the back of my truck & broke the fiberglass nose on the duster & caved in the tailgate on my Ramcharger .. now try driving 2 vehicles  I parked my truck & went racing & broke a a tooth off both the ring gear & pinion , drove the car 2 hrs home then had to drive 1.5 hrs back to the truck & drive 1.5 hrs home agian

['CUDA360]

Got to the track, started the 'CUDA on the trailer and backed up like I have done a thousand times.
The collector "on the exhaust header" wacked a crossmember on the trailer stopping the car with a thump

No problem I said. put the floor jack under the header and jacked it up slightly to bend it out of the way.

The car started again, went though tech, pulled up on the line, made the pass and someone at the time ticket booth tells me I am leaking oil couldn't be..

pull the car halfway back up the trailer and I crawled all around the bottom of the car looking for any sign of oil and I notice a little drop on the end of the same collector that hit the trailer. Then I noticed the gouge in the driveline from the driveline loop. Then I noticed the bent solid motor mounts and the whole transmission moved over inch and a half to the side.
Took it home and found out the header has cracked the head and oil runs out when you start it...

[Ghoste]

Yep, those are both worse than my day.  I'm ready for a fresh start though now.  Had to get through that feel sorry for myself phase.

[6pkrtse]

Taking mine out to T&T this Wednesday night just for something to do. I am not expecting to break any records. Its all stock 440 sixpack R/T S.E. loaded with every avail. option except a sunroof. So it weights 4490 without me in it & only with a 1/4 tank of fuel. It has gone a best of 13.68 before way back in 92 or 93 & about 30,000 miles ago. I haven't raced it much since I always had something else to race. Well its now the only thing I own & still have the racing bug. So, hopefully my night turns out to be alot better than what some of you guys experienced. Sorry, to hear about you misfortunes.

[charger_72_318]

Those are really bad days, if u allow me to tell you about one day i went to race to a small track in the next state from my home, well , this story is was as good as yours, it was dady's car, i've never   raced it, and didn't know the way to the track, so then i go driving in the middle of the night, after one hour of driving, i arrive to a strange place and didn't know wich direction, there were nowone to ask, so i saw a copple of cars in convoy so i tryed to follow the'm, i make a u turn and CRAAK!!!, there was a huge hole wich divided the lanes, around 40 inch height, and there i was, bouncing into the car front and back, SHITZE!!!!, i get down off the car and see how could i take it down, NO! it wasn't moving anyway, i put a rock under the tire (hopping to get some traction) but nothing was happening only burning tire, so i turn back and cross the highway to pay for a towing truck but there were no one, when i hear cars behind me and a lot of drunk guys talking about my car, then they helped me to pull it into the road, when suddenly a mustang with a copple inside, do the same thing i did!!!, they got scared when we aproach to the car and tryed to help them too, as soon as we put the mustang in to the road they ran as hell,jajajja, so i gave the guys some money to buy more beer and the thanks, then they showed me the way to the track, i get into the car again and go to the place, but i was going too fast (and not furious jajaj) and there were no lights at sight, when i suddenly see construction signs ahead and a goddamned lot of sand in the highway, i pushed the brakes as hard as i could, and CRASHHHH!!! into the sand and muddle, well, after that i called a night!!!, tryed to clean the car and see nothing was broken THANKGOD!!! so next day i just laugh about it when i so the red nissan, in a beautiful dark   dirty brown...
as there are bad days, are really funny days. 

[Runner]

my worst day of acually racing was the first time i went.  i had a great time until i got my first time slip...  there is no way i could have been driving a 17.20s car all those years!!!

[charger_72_318]

Here where i live, that time it's like super fast   i beat a friend who did that time, with my 98 Stratus , and my 83 beetle is an intermedium racer, i think it should be around 18's high...
amazing isn't it  !!!!!! hehehee
A stock 318 run 17's in the track right?, mine has never gone to the track

[morepower]

Yeah my worst day at thetrack was my first time...440 open headers sounding mean as all hell...first pass 16.50 or something...SHIT...whats wrog with the car...ended up leaving with a 15.1....no freaken good! not fora440 with 3.91's posi pumped up.....oh the car burnt a few wires on he drive up there..never took it tht far...

next time at track, 13.8....ok i feel better....best et asof now 13.71...and guess what i had the ebrake on!
worst night everwith the car? one word. DITCH.

OUCH.

[charger_72_318]

Yeah my worst day at thetrack was my first time...440 open headers sounding mean as all hell...first pass 16.50 or something...SHIT...whats wrog with the car...ended up leaving with a 15.1....no freaken good! not fora440 with 3.91's posi pumped up.....oh the car burnt a few wires on he drive up there..never took it tht far...

next time at track, 13.8....ok i feel better....best et asof now 13.71...and guess what i had the ebrake on!
worst night everwith the car? one word. DITCH.

OUCH.

shit happens, cheers   !!!

[69bananabeast]

Here where i live, that time it's like super fast  i beat a friend who did that time, with my 98 Stratus , and my 83 beetle is an intermedium racer, i think it should be around 18's high...
amazing isn't it !!!!!! hehehee
A stock 318 run 17's in the track right?, mine has never gone to the track

im not quite sure about 17's  my in my 69 I had a '72 318 and ran a best of 18.12  withsome bolt ons and 3 passes  .  had 2.76's  and an M1 intakefor a 360,  360 heads, Cam was about 480 lift . I didnt get much test and tune out of the passes and didnt know my shift  points that well but all in all it wasnt a stock 318 . Could have gotten into 17's with more practice and tune, but I thikn i'd prolly see a stock one in high 18 low 19's .   Motor had 290HP

[charger_72_318]

Here where i live, that time it's like super fast i beat a friend who did that time, with my 98 Stratus , and my 83 beetle is an intermedium racer, i think it should be around 18's high...
amazing isn't it !!!!!! hehehee
A stock 318 run 17's in the track right?, mine has never gone to the track

im not quite sure about 17's my in my 69 I had a '72 318 and ran a best of 18.12 withsome bolt ons and 3 passes . had 2.76's and an M1 intakefor a 360, 360 heads, Cam was about 480 lift . I didnt get much test and tune out of the passes and didnt know my shift points that well but all in all it wasnt a stock 318 . Could have gotten into 17's with more practice and tune, but I thikn i'd prolly see a stock one in high 18 low 19's . Motor had 290HP

please don't tell me that!
I tryed to find 1/4 ET times, and the most likely i found to a charger was a 72 challenger with a stock 318 doing 17's, i hope u were out of practice, cause if my car is gonna be that slow, i'm gonna kill myself  

[69bananabeast]

you'd probably do as good or better than that since I had no further experience . It was the first time at track and only made 3 passes. There's lots of diff. variables.

[Runner]

my 17 second slip came in salt lake city (4400 feet) with my roadrunner, 170k miles on a bone stock car,   it ran what it ran. its slightly faster now though, im hoping it will brake into the 16s!! 

[charger_72_318]

my 17 second slip came in salt lake city (4400 feet) with my roadrunner, 170k miles on a bone stock car, it ran what it ran. its slightly faster now though, im hoping it will brake into the 16s!!

Yeah!, way to go man, soon you'll be running the 14's, leaving some turbos behind.

[471_Magnum]

At least you made it to the track.

I'm still sorting through my electrical troubles that caused me to abort my trip to IRP three weeks ago.

[RallyeMike]

I had a starter relay go bad in the middle of nowhere NV - the parts store couldnt get one for several days, so I pried it apart and filled the contacts down. It's still in the car working great. Just like you forgetting the carbs parts, starter relay was the ONE part I forgot. The bad days just make the good days seem even better.

My worst day....

[Steve P.]

I spun the center out of a Cragar S/S at Suffolk Raceway back in 81'. It was the first time I would have taken home the money. The guy I was racing was no problem at all untillllll,,,,.... Then I had to barrow a tire/wheel to get me back to the base. I went to steelies on the back after that.

[Steve P.]

Well I don't know what your buddy did to his wheels, but there was NO driving on my tore out Cragar ever again..

[73Charger]

just reading through this thread since I've had my share of bad days at the track - including the worst was when I pushed the juice and timing too much to try to squeeze my stock engine into the 11s, - always ran 12 flats. pushed it too much on one run - seemed to lose a little at the end, turned to corner and the time slip booth guy goes "You know your car is smoking?"  I said - "no - but thanks"  pulled over, popped the hood, and smoke came billowing out - ended up it was a blown #8 piston and the pressure blew off an oil fitting in the valve cover shooting oil all over the engine compartment. I turned it off. wiped it all down, and drove it home on 7 cylinders with the smoke just coming from tail pipes now - not nearly as bad a night as some sounds like... but the cost later on was basically a total rebuild and $7G (This wasn't the charger)

It was also nice to finally hear someone talk about a 318 charger 1/4 mile times slower than mine  I always thought there was something wrong with mine - like it wasn't hitting full throttle or something but I guess 16.8s aint so bad with a stock engine and the couple bolt on upgrades I have.  misery loves company.

[deputycrawford]

Dad's 69, You can go to an IHRA track if theres one near you and run with no cage until you hit 11.49.  IHRA is 11.50 no cage, 11.49 cage. That's kind of a big difference. No money to go back again. I wish I had a car so fast that the drag track wouldn't let me in. 

[73chgrSE]

  I wasn't racing when it happened but this was my worst day ever. 8/14/88 . No one was seriously hurt, try that in a japanese car.

[Blue Pentastar]

Last weekend my buddy and I loaded up his 70 Cuda and headed off to IRP in Indy. We live in Jefferson city, Mo. Long drive. First run out of the box 10:34 with a 2 foot wheelstand. Were smiling what can I say. Very next pass not two hours later sticks a rod thru the side of the block and oil pan. Can you say new motor time. That block only lasted 20 years of drag racing. You would think they would last longer than that. Here is the kicker it had only been freshened 4 times in that 20 years and yes it was raced every year. It was just a great dependable package. I hope we can duplicate it again.

Mike

[Ghoste]

I'd have to say that with 20 seasons of racing on it plus 15 years of street use, that block gets a pass.  Breaking always sucks but your buddy can't say it owed him anything.  I hope the next one works as well too.

[Blue Pentastar]

Yeah well it wasn't anything to cry to loud about but he said it was kinda like losing a friend.
Oh yeah I forgot that on the way home about 90 miles out we lost a wheel bearing on his trailer. We had pumped the buddy bearing with several squirts of grease before we left. B ut it just disentigrated. Weird but we limped home on three tires and I fixed that the next day.

Mike

[dodge freak]

I wasn't racing when it happened but this was my worst day ever. 8/14/88 . No one was seriously hurt, try that in a japanese car.

Not sure if any new car would come out as good today. Nobody seriously hurt,ha ,now of days people get killed hitting a post at 20 mph when the air bag goes off, oh yeah kids aren't to be in the front seats anymore, what a joke. Funny I wreak my car on 8/24/87 and was seriously hurt but am fine now just took 9 months to feel better not bad I think since I was going about 70 mph when I hit that jeep.