That car? It's funny.
Posted by Patrick on Tuesday, September 13, 2005
On Sunday my dad and I took a field trip. We went to New England Dragway in New Hampshire to watch some cars go fast. This was a quality day, lots to see there at the track. First we watched some somewhat normal looking cars race down the quarter mile track. I thought they were pretty quick, running 10's and 11's.
Then we watched some "rail" style cars (here's what one looks like), and they went even faster, running the quarter mile in much less time, maybe seven or eight seconds. A very sense oriented sport, you hear the loudness of the cars, smell the not-87-octane fuel, and taste the roasted tires. Probably not a very healthy sport to work in, but fun for sure.
We saw a heavily modified Gremlin try to make its way down the track:
... but it had far too much power for its size. It spun its tires, bucked and shook around, and lost the race. My mom had a Gremlin way, way back in the day. Quite a ride, but it never had the power that this car at the track did.
The "funny cars" where the fastest I think, running the quarter mile in around five seconds, at way over 200 mph. Maybe 250? We got to walk around all parts of the track and see the the races from different perspectives. Sitting at the starting line was cool because you're really close, and get to feel the tension between the drivers, as they try to psyche each other out. Sitting near the end of the track lets you see the full span of the race to the finish.
We also got to tour the pits, and watch way-more-qualified-than-JiffyLube technicians tear a just-raced engine apart, and put it back together with new parts in less than an hour. Four and five guys worked in total unison, ripping out clutches and changing gigantic tires. I think it was my dad's favorite part, despite is claimed love for smell of nitro-methane fuel fresh from the track. 
The Jet-powered truck was also on scene, burning an insane amount of fuel, and vigorously shaking the stands. I tried to take a video, but the shockwave emitted by the truck's passing caused some substantial camera-shaking.
A fun day. I think I prefer watching this style race over an oval-shaped track race, simply because of the variety of the cars (dozens raced through the course of the day, in all shapes and sizes), and the absurdly high-speeds involved.
All the photos from Sunday are here.
And yes, we went on Sunday! Sunday!!! SUNDAY!!! .... And yes, they sold us the whole seat, and we only needed the edge. That crazy voice over guy in the commercials doesn't lie. A fun day had by all.
Labels: Automotive
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