personalities of hot rodding

In 1982, we were racing at Winston points meet in Brainerd MN ( My dad and Uncle used to run a '69 Z-28 302 running in F/STOCK. I remember we beat the National record holder at the time, but we blew the clutch or some such thing ( I was just a wee lad at the time so I just remember alot of swearing and cursing in our pit area after that! LOL! ) Anyways, Tom " ShowTime " Hover and Don " The Snake " Prudhomme were match racing there. The Snake is my ultimate drag race hero and my Pops said I should go get his autograph. I wanted to, but I such a shy kid by the time we got to his pit area my legs were like Jello. I just stood there staring as the crew worked on the car, so my Pops gave me a lil' nudge and I kinda shuffled over just as " The Snake " hopped out the back of the trailor and I RAN RIGHT INTO HIM! LOL!! I remember lookin' up at 'em and in this squeeky lil' mouse of a voice I said " Can I get your OTTERgraph?! and he says " Just one minute son. " He was about to test fire the car. So I stood there shaking until they shut the car down and wouldn't ya know he got outta the car and the first thing he did was come right back to the lil' sun-burned kid with the " Snake " shirt on hanging to his knees ( they didnt always have the same selection of sizes back then! lol ) and h signed my program! I think I was about to collapse! I carried that grogram to every race we ever went to after that ( all I have left is the cover with his sig on it now ), but yeah thats one of my drag racing celeb stories!