Over the years my friends and I raced and collected and built hundreds of raceways and dragstrips. We'd lay down two thin strips of Vaseline at the starting line and watch as they "burned out". We used to cut the chrome track joiners in half and glue them on the back of the chassis, one on each side. We had convinced ourselves that it added just the right amount of weight to keep the rear end from sliding too much. In actuality though, we liked the way they looked like a big pair of dual exhausts.

As I grew older, real cars took over my interests. But I still missed those old T-jets. My wife thought I was having a mid-life crisis, when I bought a new Tyco race set, but it just wasn't the same as those old T-jets. I've owned a few real hot rods, but had no place to store them or the finances to support them. One day, a few years ago, while shopping with my wife, I wandered into a hobby shop and came upon a '67 Chevelle, in a "Model Motoring" package. Could it be, I wondered? I turned it upside down and was amazed to see an old T-jet chassis under it. I pulled the old Tyco set out of the attic, set it up and ran that little Chevelle for hours.

Space for a layout is somewhat limited. I'm in the process now of building a layout along the wall of a 9'x12' second bedroom. I get together to race with friends occasionally, but I love taking that old Chevelle, or a GTO or that '55 Chevy out for a spin. I get lost in the whine of the motor and that unique smell that a hot T-jet chassis has and suddenly all the cares and problems of everyday life seem to fade away and I'm transported back almost 40 years ago when my biggest concern was burning out the pickup shoes on my old 'vibe T-jets.