Beaver Springs Dragway – Having owned a Chevelle or two myself, my senses perked up a bit when a gorgeous example of a ‘70 Chevelle pulled into the staging lanes. And then when it left the line, the tires hooked and the car stood up like a hungry dog begging for a bone, I just had to find out more. And there was a story to be told. When I tracked down the driver, Vinny Laurita, Sr. in the pits, he told me all about it. “This is my son, Vinny Jr’s’ car. I’ve Been racing quite a few years, got my son into racing years ago. This Chevelle is actually my son’s car. My son won the NHRA 10.0 index championship with this car in 2014. My car is broken, so we decided to come out and represent the club, NETO (North East Timing Organization), this weekend, expecting a little better air, I kind of brought a water pistol to a gun fight, but we threw every trick we had at it. Driving this car is kind of like riding on an amusement park ride, so regardless win or lose, I had a great time wheeling it. I want to thank Mike McCracken for being probably the best host of a race track of any of the tracks we race at. We greatly appreciate him.”

Of course, the car itself had its’ own impressive particulars. As mentioned earlier, it’s a 1970 Chevelle, very beautifully built, that boasts a 572 cubic inch engine beneath the hood. Backing up the engine is a turbo 400 transmission that sends the power to a 12-bolt Chevrolet rear end. Transferring all that power to the ground are 29×10.5 tires.

And as Paul Harvey used to say, now it’s time for the rest of the story. Vinny continued, “I’ve owned this car since 1988. I bought this car the year my son was born. I always told him as he was growing up that when he was 16, it was going to be his. Well, 16 came fast, but I kept my word, and handed it over. [Then I] Built a 69 Camaro for myself that I run in the NETO comp club. The NETO comp is a great nostalgia club . We’re looking to expand a bit into Pennsylvania also at our normal Pennsylvania tracks, so we’re doing a little membership drive get some Pennsylvania drivers interested in running with a great group of guys. This is not a bunch of tomato cans, these are good cars, good drivers, and we’re looking for more guys to jump in.”

And they all lived happily ever after. At least that’s how all good bedtime stories end. This story doesn’t quite end that way, though. Although the day didn’t have a happy ending, it was a much better ending than it could’ve been. Vinny once again ferociously launched the Chevelle off the line, and the gasket blew out of the oil filter. We all know that oil and a race track don’t mix, especially when a lot of horsepower is involved. Vinny’s years of experience paid off, and due to his driving skills, kept the car reasonably under control and damage to a minimum. Nothing was seriously hurt, including Vinny, and the car will live to race once more. Maybe Vinny Jr. will even let his dad drive the car again. (Just a joke, people.) Vinny assured me he’ll make sure everything will be put back right, maybe even better than before, and the racing will continue. See? There was a happy ending after all! If you get a chance, check out the NETO gang when they’re in your area. You’ll find a bunch of great people like Vinny and a bunch of great cars like this red Chevelle.