Year of the Door Slammer

It has finally happened, door slammers are the kings of Drag racing. We have finally come full circle and returned to the roots of drag racing, back to how it started way back when drag racing first became a reality. Everybody is talking about racecars that are, well, cars! Funny cars, dragsters, top fuel, sure that stuff is cool and all. But when it comes to the real drag racing, everybody is talking cars, real cars. The Nitro coupes, pro mods, and really, really fast tube chassis cars that all share two things in common with the car you own. They have doors, one on each side of the body, and they really look like a car.

People really relate to a car, and they should because they drive them every day. Many folks have fond memories of that first car they drove to high school, or the car they owned when they got married. I fondly remember the car that I drove my children home from the hospital in when they were born.

And what’s better than seeing a car just like the car you still love, with huge tires, a giant motor and wheelie bars, doing a burnout on a racetrack. How can you not root for the car you love, even if that particular car doesn’t belong to you? There is an emotional attachment that can add to the fun of watching two cars battle it out on the drag strip.

The professional classes have gotten more sophisticated, and more high tech every year. They don’t even look like cars anymore. Not even the funny cars that compete at the top professional level look like the car they are patterned after. Sometimes they have to write the type of car on it so you know that’s supposed to be a Mustang or a Monte Carlo. To me, they left the emotional attachment behind and are no longer interesting or fun. What I love are the many types of cars that I see at every Super Chevy Show competing for the money and prestige of winning the event. 

Back in the dark ages when drag racing first started, racers had cars that they souped up and made faster so that they could win races. They drove these cars on the street, went out on dates in them, lived life, and then raced them. That is where the magic started and nowadays I see that same spirit of racing when I roll into the pits of a Super Chevy Show. I see the pride of ownership, the meticulous care given to each car, and I see how important these cars are to the owners. There is a real attachment to these cars by the owners, and by the fans watching them race.

This is the real heart and soul of Drag racing.  I’m glad to be part of this group with my Currie rearends sponsored 1966 Nova SS. I might not be as fast as the pro’s, but somehow my car seems more special to me.

Maybe I’m wrong, maybe the Door slammer has always been the king of drag racing. Long live the King!

Scott “Lucky” Hudson is a Drag racer and host of Speed Scene Live TV. Watch a free Drag Racing TV show on your own computer anytime just by going to www.speedsceneracing.com.