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View Full Version : Some things never change... car kids in the 70s vs. today


79CamaroDiva
06-18-2007, 12:36 PM
So today I was sitting here at work, paying some bills, eating lunch, (surfin teh interwebs) and answering the phone, usually to the typical "whats the schedule this weekend" kind of questions. Then I got one of those phone calls that completely makes my day, and reminds me why I'm still here, and makes any of the headaches that come with running a race track seem to disappear.

This guy called, and first he just asked for the weekly schedule, said he hasn't been here in 30 years but just moved back to Jersey and wants to come back and visit. He goes into how in the 70s he used to run, and he still has a winning time ticket from here along with pictures and all kinds of stuff that he's willing to send me.

At first I couldn't wait to get im off the phone cause he was one of those ramblers and I'm a busy person, but he started saying how when he was a kid, he couldn't wait to close up his dad's gas station on Sundays to rush over here to race. How it probably kept him from doing all kinds of stupid things as a teenager because all he wanted to do was save his money, tune his car, and go racing on weekends. I started thinking about how thats like so many of us, thats what we do, save our money to make our cars fast, and play on the weekends. The man called my grandfather a saint for opening the place that was his absolute favorite childhood memory.

I've had conversations like this before, but there can never be too many. Its things like that that make me happy to still be here working, and make me think I must be crazy to want to do anything else. Just wanted to share :D

Savage_Messiah
06-18-2007, 12:40 PM
:w00t:

Untamed
06-18-2007, 01:37 PM
Brought a tear to me eye.

Now if we could only get the other millions of teenagers off the street corners and onto the tracks....

BonzoHansen
06-18-2007, 01:47 PM
Cool. I'm telling you, Island gets a mention just about every issue of Hemmings Muscle Machines.

WayFast84
06-18-2007, 01:56 PM
its kinda true. I used to schmoke before i got the car. I was real young too...

BonzoHansen
06-18-2007, 02:04 PM
its kinda true. I used to schmoke before i got the car. I was real young too...Back in the old days? LOLOLOLOLOL

WayFast84
06-18-2007, 03:03 PM
Back in the old days? LOLOLOLOLOL

no, I smoked, then got the car, and stopped wasting money on smokes and put it into things for the car...

Savage_Messiah
06-18-2007, 04:14 PM
wtf?! you smoked at liek 10 years old?!?!

WildBillyT
06-18-2007, 04:32 PM
no, I smoked, then got the car, and stopped wasting money on smokes and put it into things for the car...

Bubble pipes don't count.

GP99GT
06-18-2007, 04:32 PM
wtf?! you smoked at liek 10 years old?!?!
:stupid:

BonzoHansen
06-18-2007, 05:26 PM
Bubble pipes don't count.

LOL

jims69camaro
06-18-2007, 09:15 PM
nice

79CamaroDiva
06-18-2007, 09:51 PM
ugh, enough of the hijack guys... this thread was supposed to be a happy one, not one about wayfasts smoking

Teds89IROC
06-18-2007, 10:30 PM
thats really nice melissa

Squirrel
06-18-2007, 11:01 PM
when i had the TA, thats how it was..but now i got the jeep...i spend a lot of money on...other stuff :)

chevyt454
06-19-2007, 01:45 PM
Muscle cars that could be bought for a few hundred dollars in the '70s are going for a few hundred thousand today.

bubba428
06-19-2007, 02:01 PM
so your saying that in 30-40 year my 94 V6 that i got for 800 will be worth 100,000 lol

BonzoHansen
06-19-2007, 02:07 PM
so your saying that in 30-40 year my 94 V6 that i got for 800 will be worth 100,000 lol

No. Only the nice ones will.

V
06-19-2007, 03:28 PM
my garage/attic will be worth 10's of thousands... :-D

enRo
06-19-2007, 03:40 PM
I was wondering how ur family aquired island in the first place... u said ur grandfather opened it up? My dad said he used to know the owner of island way back in his hayday, and I was wondering why the last name he gave me didnt match yous unless Im wrong lol. Great story tho.

Altho, this day and age, we need to work for GAS and not modding our cars lmfao

Knipps
06-19-2007, 05:33 PM
Altho, this day and age, we need to work for GAS and not modding our cars lmfao

QFT.

ar0ck
06-19-2007, 05:34 PM
Today I found out the older guy I work with used to race back @ Island during his days. I'd say hes in his mid 50's now. He was also telling me how he used to race on the turnpike/rt.80 when it was first being built, and he explained exactly how they used to do it and people still do it to this day. 3 cars block traffic 2 cars go at it.

jola
06-19-2007, 06:42 PM
A lot of times hearing stories about cars from the older generation gets me jealous:

Me: I can't wait till I can afford buying a nice 4th gen SS. I figure once I get a career down I can buy one and keep a Honda or something as a DD.
Old guy: Yea, I had to wait till I was 17 to buy my '69 Camaro off the showroom floor. I'd run against my friend's Road Runner and my bro's Challenger.

Fast92RS
06-19-2007, 07:28 PM
:rofl: :rofl: Bubble pipes don't count.

:rofl: :rofl: priceless

WildBillyT
06-19-2007, 07:38 PM
Today I found out the older guy I work with used to race back @ Island during his days. I'd say hes in his mid 50's now. He was also telling me how he used to race on the turnpike/rt.80 when it was first being built, and he explained exactly how they used to do it and people still do it to this day. 3 cars block traffic 2 cars go at it.

They used to race on 287 and Rt.95 where it crosses into Pennsy as well.

I've got a 1968 map that shows unfinished 95, back when it was going to cross through near Belle Mead and Hopewell.