Dasmopar

They didn't have anymore fun than they are right now. They just remember it being more fun is all. Kinda like the older we get the faster we use to be. Back then they had to show up and set up the track, spray the track, make a chalk outline on the track to mark the infeild, set up the scoring table, then set up the pit table made of mostly cardboard with a yellow steel frame work. Now they are ready for some practice. Walk up to the frequency board and see if their freq. pin is available. (We'll assume it was) Walk to the support vehicle with car in hand. Get the bump starter hooked up to the battery of the car. Start trying to hit the flywheel while its not on a compression stroke. The engine won't start now because it won't prime its self. Now you'd need to get the attention of someone to put their finger over the stinger on the muffler while they once again bump start their car since you had to hold the car with one hand and the starter with the other. At last the car is fired up and running. Now they can run and get some practice in to learn the fresh new layout for this week. Plus you needed to run in your tires you stayed up late glueing up on a set of wheels. You still have the rubbery glue on your fingers to prove it too. You know if you run them a good amount in practice they should be good for the main. Heavin forbid you chunk one!

Practice is over.

Now we are ready for the fun part. You run your car and put in the run of your life but some how your scored as being three laps off the pace because Lon brought his kid to the races and he doesn't pay much attention when scoring someone elses car. Never mind that for now because you have to go marshal now.

While walking out to marshal you notice some airplane tires cut in half are out of place so you now have to move those back into place. With your area in good order you are ready! You marshaled much the same as we do today except you didn't get to use a chair. You have to be on the ready at all times! I also seem to recall people being in a much bigger hurry for the marshals to get their car back on track and in the race than they do these days. I think it was because if the car flamed out getting it refired was a pain. Now that you have stood in the 100º f heat and marshaled while being yelled at by driver's you get to go sit at the scoring table.

You sit down and figure out which car you are scoring. Once the race starts you have to click this little clicker and write down the number on the clicker for each lap. However the race can't start because the race director who might be you this week over looked two guys are on the same freq. in the same heat. So now someone needs to change crystals in their transmiter and receiver and off course re start his car with a bump starter.

So now you have run your three rounds of qaulifing and run your mains which might have been 30 minutes in 100º F heat.and you are ready to go home. WRONG!!! Now you have to tear down the track and stack it all perfectly into the trailer. If the bottom few boards are wrong then you have to unpack the whole thing again and start from scratch. Also remember no one had a EZ up or anything like it. Even the scoring table offered you zero protection from the beaming sun.

Thats how I recall the good ole days. Thank god for 2.4 radios, personal transponders, starter boxes, EZ ups, permanent canopies, pre-mounted tires, hudy tire truers, and most of all a Permanent track!! (Oh and SHOCKS!!!) lol