Real American street racing in the 21st century is heavily constrained by many factors. Not the least of which are over-crowded roads and an often overwhelming law enforcement presence.
But it didn't used to be this way.
In the nineteen-seventies the U.S. interstate highway system was so fresh and new some parts still remained under construction. And there weren't nearly as many people or cars to crowd the byways.
There also weren't nearly so many police officers and patrol cars.
To top all this off, suddenly there were fast cars in the hands of just about anyone who wanted them.
So you might say that was the golden age of American street racing.
Me and my friends personally saw even more excitement and adventure than all the above implies, due to us growing up in a wild, sometimes nearly lawless region of the USA during this time (even our cops were frequently outlaws themselves).
Of course, it wasn't wise for racers to advertise their kills too widely, even in that time and place. After all, laws of one sort or another were often broken, and people hurt too, along the way.
Now-- around thirty years later-- it should be safer to tell the tales.
I may be one of the last survivors of the very wildest treks from those days. I drove a heavily modified black 1969 Mustang. We did far more than just racing (CLICK HERE to see everything). But for those interested only in the races, the best of our own are available below. I hope you enjoy them!
PS: Many readers may be shocked to see automotive feats here they'd never dare try with their own modern sports cars, despite being equipped with technologies 30 years advanced over those described in the accounts. In some ways the older hardware was simply more robust, and more easily improved upon. It was definitely easier and cheaper repaired. I guess I should also add that young men typically underestimate the risks involved in almost any undertaking they might consider. I know I sure did!
Above is my 2005 artistic rendition of Shadowfast in his 1970s prime.
CLICK HERE to see RARE PHOTOS.
- Slip, sliding away; My car had come perilously close to being consigned to the scrap-heap before I bought him. Here, a bunch of junkers tried to take him back into the fold by force. Sheesh! We also managed to race a scarily-skilled GTO driver, and make good a lights-out-nighttime getaway from a local scum-bag.
- The Daytona 1200; You may find it hilarious how I unwittingly stumbled into a race to Florida and back with a winged, 426 Hemi-equipped 1969 Dodge Daytona. But it seemed an awfully serious thing at the time. It all started when I beat my best friend's 1970 Mustang at the drag strip...
- Kissing the wall; This was one of the fastest street kills ever for me. Of course, luck played a huge role.
- When push came to shove; This may be one way a highway state trooper (or other guy with a really fast car) could kill you, that has never occurred to you before.
- Heartbreaker; Sometimes races are what happen when you've made completely different plans. Here Shadow and I race a 1970 Ford Torino GT 429 Cobra Jet, and later Shadow (piloted by a woman-- not me!) races a Chevrolet Impala to the bitter, grinding end.
- Over the edge; Technically this one only started on the streets; most of the contest was literally off-road. However, it's surely rare for a two wheel drive street car to give motorcycles and four wheel drives such a close run for their money through pure wilderness...and this one surely rates as a 'kill' tale, if any of these do. Hence, its inclusion.
- Daytona 2.0: Between a Ferrari and a hard place; Wouldn't you know it? It turns out Ferrari made a Daytona model too (unofficially). And damn if I didn't have to race that one as well...
- What goes around...; Here I must pit my car against a Camaro Z-28 and Firebird Trans Am 455 Super Duty. Plus a Dodge Charger. And others.
- Nowhere to go but up; Armed motorcycles, trucks, and cars; an ambush in broad daylight; road war carnage spread over miles of interstate; survivors of a professionally hit V.I.P. convoy boxed-in like rats; there literally was nowhere to go but up!
Notes from the actual owner/driver of the Shadowfast super car; Here I offer more details on the real world people, vehicles, places, and events which helped spawn these kill stories.
The street racing kill stories above were cherry-picked from a larger saga involving this particular machine: so if you want to see what's missing from this page, check out The Shadowfast supercar driver logs. Have fun!
Copyright © 2006-2009 by J.R. Mooneyham. All rights reserved.
