I can get really boring and go back to 1967 and talk about how I went to my first drag race at New York National Speedway in Center Moriches, New York. But don't worry, I won't. I'll fast forward to 1997. That year, I turned forty and decided to give myself a birthday present. I attended the Roy Hill Drag Racing School at Rockingham Dragway and got my NHRA Super Comp license in a dragster. I figured, if I didn't like going fast, I would save alot of money by buying a 12 second car or taking up stamp collecting. After a string of 8.70 passes at 150 MPH+, I was hooked. A 12 second ride sounded boring because I was 'in the eights'.
Every day on my way to work, I passed a service station that had a black 1975 Super Gas Monza with "For Sale" written on the windows with shoe polish. Since I thought I was Bob Glidden, after three or four weeks of seeing the car, I said "why not?". I called the station and spoke to a guy named Mike (Ghiraldi of the North East Pro Mod Association). I asked about the car and he said it had no motor or tranny and needed a "little" work. Of course, since I was licensed by NHRA to drive, I felt I was licensed to brag about it. I told him I was looking to go fast and was interested in the car because I had a Super Comp license. His response? "Oh, yeah, I got one of those along with a Pro Stock license - my Pro Mod runs 7.0's at 197". My response? None, I just shut up! God likes to keep us humble.
I went to look at the car and liked it but told him I didn't have alot of money to spend because I needed other things besides the car (like motor, tranny, truck, trailer and garage). Regardless of this, I ended up buying the car. I remember thinking to myself "a small block Chevy crate motor from Goodwrench and a Powerglide from B&M and I'm racing!". Famous last words!
Another thing, my competition license was for a dragster and a Chevy Monza has doors. So, I had to go back to Roy Hill's and cross-grade to a door car license. This time I only had to go to Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, PA, outside Reading, PA.
So my education and adventure in drag racing and racecar re-construction began........
The Car