Rod Dahlgren's Page

 At age 16 I had already been building mini-bikes, go carts and working on cars for 6 years. I rode an AJS 500cc and a Triumph Tiger Cub to school at age 14.

 The hometown Judge new me very well. The Judge had suspended my license twice before I was 15.

 The local race track, Vallejo Speedway had a great Stock Car program in full swing but the rules stated drivers had to be 18 to drive or enter the pits.

 However, at age 16 I could race motorcycles with AMA. So I did that for one couple seasons while building my first Stock Car to race at Vallejo.

 The stock cars rules seemed to dictate pretty much a true – “stock” car so I needed to remove all the permissible items and weld up a roll cage in the 56 Olds that became my first Stock Car. That thing was a DOG and I wanted to build a REAL Race Car as soon as possible.

 I picked up a 55 Ford sedan that someone had started to build. It had a cage in it and only needed and engine and trans and some other details.. My buddy at the local Speed Shop told me he would help but only if I built a Chevy..

 I headed for the local Junk Yards to see what I could find. As I pulled up to one of the yards, I saw up on top of his car hauler headed for the steel mill a 55 Chevy 2-door hardtop that had a ROLL CAGE in it…..  WOW!... I talked him into unloading that Chevy in trade for the Ford……

 The Chevy was a great car. I ran it for a couple seasons and did OK, for a High School kid racing on my lunch money. I was almost always in the main event. Even made the trophy dash a couple times. But when you run on free parts and lunch money, things break. So even though I won some heat races, I can not claim any main event wins.

 I watched how some cars handled and it seemed that the Ford products were the most consistent in the way they handled. The Chevys had more power but were inconsonant in the handling area. So I decided to build a 56 Mercury. The Mercs could run a 312 while the fords had to run a 292 and chevys were stuck with a 265.

 The Merc was done the right way, as far as I knew at age 19. Nice all tube 1 ½ inch cage, good springs and shocks and a decent 312 engine with a Holly carb with center pivot floats. The car handled as expected. I raced the car at Vallejo and Placerville. But the engine was not reliable and it was expensive to keep it together. So it was time to go back to Chevy. After all, My buddy at the speedshop had warned me once before!

 So I went back to a fresh 1957 Chevy in 1972. I was READY for Qualifying… Hit the track and got the green, went into turn one and the right front lower ball joint broke….. I went up and over turn one fence….. My day was done. By then I was married and had bought my first home.. The race car was bent and I was broke. That was to be my last race for the next five years.

 I picked up an old Kurtis Midget in 1975. It had a 4 cylinder Chevy II in it. I pulled the car apart to rebuild it so it was ready for the 1976 Season. I ran that car for a couple years again on my lunch money! Dang! It is not easy to go racing on empty pockets! One thing for sure was this old car was in no way ever going to be competitive. It was one of the earliest Kurtis cars. Still had rear-only drum brakes, spring front and torsion rear, but I did get rid of the Alky converted Stromberg 97’s and put a set of Algon Injection on it!   

 Since the stock cars and midget days I have been back in race cars at least every 10 years and done very well. I can say that so far----- I have raced competitively every decade of my life.. Started at age 4 ½ in quarter midgets and done it all.. Motorcycles, Go Carts, Stock Cars, Midgets and Sprints, Stock Cars, Dwarf Cars. Road Racing, Dirt and asphalt ovals, drag racing….

 A few years ago I did the Richard Petty Driving Experience at Las Vegas…. Was not impressed. Kind of like a few pace laps.

 Sure would like to do some good laps in a Watson Roadster some day!

   Fun Fun Fun!!!