The Front Row with Jerry Hitchcock July 26, 2011

There's always that moment. The hair stands up on the back of your neck, when anticipation meets zero hour.

It can be a thundering herd of race cars stomping the gas at the drop of the green flag, a dragster with four times the horsepower of your personal whip gaining traction and launching off the starting line, the cloud of dust that arises at the start of the Supercross event, or in one case, even a parade lap.

Whatever the occasion, it can take your breath away when rubber meets the road and driving skill beyond belief makes the act surreal.

Below you'll find my top 10 personal motorsports moments - those times when I get caught up in the moment and fight to keep my jaw from dropping in awe.

Many of the events on the list I have personally attended. Others are cool whether you are there in person on at home on the couch gazing at the tube.

No. 10 - A hillclimb event seen in person: If you have never witnessed the actual steepness of the hills in these events, television won't do it justice. You can't walk up most of these slopes, but skilled riders traverse the trails to the top on specially-modified motorcycles.

No. 9 - The parade lap of any World Of Outlaws event: Yes, for those of you who haven't been, the four-abreast parade lap before the start of the main event is a sight to see. Aluminum wings perched high atop, cars in formation saluting the fans, engines straining for a little more gas, yearning to get to full song and slide sideways on a dirt track. I had the privilege of attending a WOO main event back in the '80s at the now-closed Ascot Park in Gardena, Calif. Sadly, the speedway shut its gates in 1989.

No. 8 - 4-by-4 drag racing: A revival of sorts happened at the NHRA Carolina Nationals in 2009, when two drag strips were erected side by side, allowing four cars to compete at a time. Four-abreast races were the norm during the birth of the sport in the 50s, on dry lake beds in southern California.

No. 7 - Short-track action: We have plenty of types to choose from on our own Stateline Speedway, but I have seen some fabulous action at tracks across the country. Whether it be a train race at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., a claimer race in central Montana, a three-quarter midget heat race in the southwest, or sprints or modifieds back east clawing for real estate at the front of the pack, a seat at the short track is never dull.

No. 6 - Any professional final round race at the Winternationals or World Finals: Both are hosted at the Los Angeles Fairgrounds facility in Pomona, Calif. The grandstands on either side teeming with nitro-heads, the combined bark of exhaust at takeoff and the trail of brake dust arising after the cars hit the shutoff area, the echo as both cars shut down and the roar from the crowd when a winner is decided, with the scent of spent racing fuel in the air, is about as good as it gets.

No. 5 - A high speed run at Bonneville: Another one of those events I expect you need to see in person to fully experience its grandeur. A bullet-shaped racer groaning through the measured part of the track at anywhere from 200 and 400 miles per hour on the salt flats of western Utah. Someday soon I'll make the trek, sleep in my vehicle, cruise the pits, and watch the action while avoiding a sunburn and giving my neck a real workout.

No. 4 - Any lap during the evening portion of a Daytona 24 hours, Sebring or LeMans event: Headlights darting left and right, weary racers trying to gain ground and keep their cars from sustaining any damage with limited visibility makes for some fabulous action, especially if you own night-vision goggles.

No. 3 - Any lap at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway: Doesn't matter if it's Sprint Cup or RoadRunners, the high-banked short track always thrills, as the constant spread of grandstands outward and upward (with sellouts the norm) would suggest.

No. 2 - Cars going through the esses at any start or restart of a (then) Winston Cup event at Riverside (Calif.) International Raceway: Cars, two-by-two, fighting for position while trying to stay on the narrow one-groove track in turns 2-6 was an amazing spectacle. A seat high atop the large grandstand at the outside of turn 7 gave you the best seat in the house, as you could see the entire track.

I was fortunate enough to witness the last three stock car events at RIR, which also closed in 1989. My brother, who raced Formula Fords at the track, to this day refuses to spend a dime in Riverside after the track was torn down to make way for a shopping mall.

No. 1 - Start of the Indy 500: 33 cars, three abreast, coming down the long front straight, screaming off into the impossible-seeming 90-degree turn 1. I always wonder: How do those with tickets near the outside of the turn 1 wall keep from flinching at that point with the monsters bearing down, then (hopefully) all making it through the curve and negotiating the short chute into turn 2 Gotta be some enormous goosebumps.

Jerry Hitchcock is a copy editor for The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2017, or via email at [email protected]