Southwest SuperChargers

In February 1980 we made plans to attend the AHRA Winternationals in Tucson. Our friends all encouraged her...up to a point. "Have a good time! Live, eat, breathe, and dream drag racing, but don't expect to qualify your first year." And we left town satisfied that would be a great time. After all, all of the aforementioned friends had gone in previous years and had not qualified to race on Sunday. In Top Comp, a Quick 32 dial-in Bracket, Sue started as the #22 Qualifier on Elimination Day. In February 1981, out of 82 dragsters (and assorted altereds and others), Sue qualified 10th! In 1981 between El Paso Dragway and Holloman's Drag Club, she finished 3rd or better at 6 races in a row, earning the respect of her male peers.

Around 1994 Sue sold her car to our elder son, Ray. But after his success in the brackets and later in the original Supercharged Gambler, she again felt the "need for speed". Upon acquiring Buck Woolens former John Shoemaker TAD, Sue was back in a blown big block back motored dragster. Sues first 7-second pass came in testing at Dolaca Motorplex. After improving every year and ascending the SWSC points chart, Sues goals remain the same...Be better than you were yesterday, and enjoy, enjoy.enjoy, enjoy.

On me, whether I like it or not

I've wanted to drag race since I saw my first drag race at the old Deming track about 1965. Two blown cars were match racing, a Mustang and an Austin Healy with a 327. Of course the track was absolutely primitive (1000 ft track, first guy to the stripe got the only time slip, somebody at the finish line jumped out onto the track with a flag into the winning lane). But it was fast and loud and I

was hooked.

After a brief but exciting stint in the Army (1968-1971) as a short-time helicopter door gunner/crew chief and long-time hospital patient (2 years) I bought a factory new 1970 396/375 SS Nova. I had definitely gone to drag racing heaven!

Now I never owned my own business but I've had the opportunity to be a parts store counterman, dealership service writer, automotive machinist, contributing author (Vietnam, Our Story: One on One), mechanic, letter carrier, and part time announcer. While the SWSC is my latest opportunity to expose myself (so to speak) I've announced drag races in Roswell, El Paso, Holloman AFB, done local TV cable commercial voice-overs, was play by play commentator for the local TV station for Alamogordo High football, even

announced two national events for the All-Harley Drag Racing Association (Roswell and Woodburn Ore). And a couple years at the local circle track. But I've enjoyed announcing and working with the SWSC most of all.

Along the way I also got to do a little driving. A half-dozen Novas, a SWSC dragster I managed to qualify once or twice with my partner Robert Poindexter, even a Super Gas, 27 Roadster (also very primitive but I was very proud of that car).

Now after 38 years of marriage and into my second retirement, I feel like I've done everything, seen everything, and been everywhere. Always remember this from Theodore Roosevelt:

"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in the grey twilight that knows not victory nor defeat"

Floyd Stringer

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