[L78_Nova]

Funny how the cars that never ran at the track were often 10 second cars... that couldn't beat 12 second cars on the street. But you still knew the real Killers.

I recall my first trips to the track were very disappointing but managed to to get my Nova into the low 12's on street tires back then. It always hooked WAY better on the street than at the track. Street tires would just blow through first gear at the track. Got into the 11's once I bought slicks.

Beat a few guys with big mouths and expensive engines mostly by working on the leaf springs and shocks getting it to hook and having it tuned right. I never raced at the cruise night hot spots, just way too dangerous with the cops and crowds but I did have a few select "meet ups" mostly set up by my loud mouth friends bragging up my car. Once out on a marked backroad where the guy showed up in his 70 454 Nova with slicks and open headers no less. He got a door on me at the launch but I went by pretty easy.

Another time against a Dynoed 500+ hp 396 68 Camaro. Met at his place on a heavily trafficked divided highway. He had a crowd of friends lined up alongside the road. We waited for a good break in traffic and had a starter. It was a full on mid-day side show... I was very nervous on that one. He even did a full burnout before the race. His brother called it best... Weiner (his nick name), you took off like a rocket then this Blue Nova hood just shot out past you. It was close but I had him by a car length at the top end. We ended up racing three times then got the hell out of there. I was prepped for that one, I had steel shim gaskets in and some race fuel.

We are still great friends and bench race about those days often.

Gary