My Dad's Racing Plan for Me

This is me (Mark Hall) in my Dads (Ray Hall) garage with the roadster probably around 1975. I spent many a night working on this car and actually spent some of my own gas station money on it even before I started driving it. That's how excited I was about it! I actually got to drive the car before it was retired. It was the most memorable run down the strip in my life. At the time I had a 56 Ford truck with a 390 3-duece set up and a 4 speed. This was during the time when I was working at Larry's gas station. Every time I went past the station on my days off I would burn rubber past the station to impress everyone. Well, one day I was streaking past the gas station and I was just about to grab 3rd gear when I looked over to see who I was impressing. To my dismay there was my Dad standing there talking to Larry Davis. So much for impressions as I thought I would be done for when I got home, but not a word from my Dad. I find out later he had a plan for me.  We had a race that weekend at Lodi and after the first qualifying run my Dad told me to strap in and take the car through a couple of gears down the return road. Is this how I am being punished for burning rubber in front of him?  Lodi is a big airstrip and the return road was huge. I thought my life was complete at that moment. After the next qualifying run he told me to try it again on the return road and this time take it in to third gear. Man, could my day of punishment get any better! Yes it could. He said lets go up and make one last qualifying run so we did. When we got to the starting line he said go ahead and strap in because you are going to take it down the strip this time. I could feel my heart leaving my body! I still hadn’t figured out his plan for me. Over the years I had watched as some of his friends had tried to drive the car. They would get scared and let off before the finish line as this was an open car, open headers, loud and it went through the lights at 8000 rpm! How would I be able to do any better than they had?  So as I was strapping in the car my dad told me if I got scared at the top end I could just let off the gas. I remember thinking there is no way I am letting off unless this thing is sideways! So when I pulled up to the starting line I was pretty scared but I had been down the drag strip in my 56 Ford truck. It had a 4-speed just like the roadster except the roadster was so small the shifter was between my legs. No problem, I can shift this thing. I pulled in and staged and everything got calm until the lights came down. When I let out the clutch and slammed down the throttle that thing took off like a rocket ship. Man there is a bunch more traction on the track then there was on the return road. It seemed twice as fast. I managed to get through all four gears like butter and held the pedal to the floor waiting for that top end charge. Now I am beginning to understand why my Dads friends would let off the throttle at the top end, this thing is FAST! The wind was blowing my helmet around, it was really loud, and the engine sounded like it was going to explode when I caught a glimpse of the tach at 8000 rpm. The finish line couldn’t come at a better time as I was thinking this thing is going to blow! I clutched in after the finish line and coasted to the turn off road like all the other big drivers. WOW! I have to do this for the rest of my life! What a feeling. I almost can’t describe it. Scared, excited, determined, accomplishment….those are just some of the words that come to mind. I think I puffed up a bit that day as some of my Dads friends that couldn’t drive the car were there and they seemed to be hanging their heads low as the teenager made it down the track. What did it run? I think it was 11.05 @125 mph. So do you remember about that plan I said my Dad had for me? Well the next time I went to burn rubber past the gas station I stepped on the throttle and it seemed like I was going backwards. That’s when the plan hit me. My dad could have yelled at me and taken my truck away when he caught me burning rubber but he was so much smarter than the average parent. He knew that if he let me drive his car I would never want to drive fast on the street again. He was right!