Ghost Tracks....

[Rajunz]

Lance, that Return road looked like a scenic Tour!

No kidding. Unfortunately when I moved to Austin in '85 it was already shut down, so unfortunately I never attended. I can see where it would have been cool to have the pits in the infield of that road course.

Pictures here, the Oil Derreck Tower was pretty famous back then.

Austin Raceway Pictures:

 

[MaC]

Lance and all,

Hate to keep butting in but you are stirring the memories pot with almost every post.

Been years since I have even thought about Austin...but I did a bunch of announcing there in the mid to late '60s.

I was so busy...with a full time job in television, either News Director or Program Director, depends on the year...I decided to get a pilots license so I could fly to the races. I was flying almost every day so I was quickly eligible for my first solo cross country flight.

The route was Shreveport, LA to Austin, TX on Friday afternoon...announced an oval track race Friday night...the drag race on Saturday and left at dawn for Opelousas, LA for a race there on Sunday.

Not long after leaving Shreveport, the generator (early plane!!!) on the Cessna 172 quit working...but the weather was good enroute so I decided to dead reckon into Austin. Did great till I had to avoid some late afternoon thunderstorms and when I flew over the same airport twice, I decided to land, get fuel and figure out exactly where I was!

Plotted a NEW course to Austin...made it with no problem...the A & E set about fixing the generator...all was well with the world. Until about a half hour after leaving Austin at first light Sunday, you guessed it, the generator shot craps again. This time...as I was flying across to So. Louisiana...I ran into a line of thunderstorms I could NOT get around, over or under...so I opted for the Beaumont, TX airport...with no radio or nav devices since the gen went out...got the green light to land just ahead of the storm front.

Sat out one hell of a storm...watching from the tower looking at the radar. Called W. H. David, track operator at Opelousas and told him I was stuck...and was heading home whenever the weather cleared.

Rest of the flight uneventful...but got a kick out of all the old timers when they found out I had no radios and no nav for the bulk of the trip. They couldn't believe I had done it and said they had been flying for years and they would not have even thought about it.

Guess I was just too stupid to know any better. Learned more on that three legged cross country solo than I did during most of the course. I got my license in a very short time and continued to fly till moving to CA in '71. The price of a C150 rental went from $7 an hour wet...to $26 an hour. Got out of my price range, but will always cherish the experience.

BTW...the Austin track was managed at that time by my good friend Jim Tibbetts...went on to precede me at Dallas International and was the founder and operator of the U.S. Drag Racing Caravan.

But that's a whole nother story for a nother time.

Sorry about the length but hard to tell in short form.

Thanks for listening.

MaC

(Edited twice for the sake of having it right!!!)

 

[Kati]

You could write stories all day...Dave...and we would all be glad to read them!! Thanks for sharing!!!!! You will always be one of my favorite voices of drag racing!!!



On another note...thanks guys for posting the picks of Beeline. That was my husband's first taste of drag racing when he was out there (in the Air Force). He'll be tickled to see them.

Anyplace to find some of the old Ohio tracks that are gone? Van Wert(Wayne Trails)...Shelby...Kettlersville? That's where I grew up. Never got to race any of them since they all went bye-bye before I was old enough to drive (no Jr's back in my day )...but I did a LOT of crewing!!

 

[Super Mod]

Pittsburgh Raceway Park predecessor Pittsburgh International Dragway P.I.D. (Pittsburgh International Dragway), nostalgia dragracing closed 1976. Possibly a more accessible location for out of staters.

 

[Wes]

How much has Lewisville and Carrollton changed? The house in which I grew up is still located on Deerfield Drive in Carrollton. The garage of that house holds so many early memories for me and formed my lifelong addiction to this vice called drag racing. My dad built countless numbers of aluminum dragster bodies (and other items like funny car tin and door car interiors) there for fledgling legends of the sport that witnessed me running around in diapers, eating June Bugs, and attempting to knock out all of my teeth on the edge of a Halibrand mag wheel (long story).

The rest of my very early years were spent at DIMS, Green Valley, Houston International, La Place, Tulsa, Penwell, Stars and Stripes, Amarillo, Wall Dragway, and other South Central drag strips. Of those listed, only Tulsa, and to lesser degrees-Penwell, Amarillo, and Wall-remain. I feel as if part of my childhood has been lost and reduced to nothing but stories and aerial photos...but I wouldn't trade the memories (even if I can't actually recall most of them) of growing up at these fabeled tracks.

Mom and Dad won class in their D/GD (inline 6-banger Ford in a Bennie Osborn chassis with a push-button Clutch-Flite trans) at the 1970 Springnationals at DIMS. Mom was WAYYYY preggo with me at the time...made for a cute winner's circle photo. She said I kicked all weekend...but only when Top Fuel cars were running. Funny...one of the Top Fuel cars at that race was driven by my future step-dad. One week in early summer that year, Bennie Osborn came to the house to have a few panels replaced on his dragster. Once the work was done he "convinced" my folks to go with him out to DIMS (which was only 5 minutes away from the casa) and help him make a few test squirts. Once again the sound of the nitro Hemi woke me up in the womb. Mom says I never moved around unless there was nitro involved.

At the '71 version of the national event at DIMS my grandmother came down to take care of me while the folks ran the dragster in now C/GD (replaced the I-6 with an honest to Betsy Boss 302 Ford) where they made it to the semi's before Dad got a little anxious. I've got some great photos of me in a stylish pair of train engineer overalls stuffed with a pair of Huggies.

I can remember riding from Carrollton to Denton with my mom when she was completing her degree at Texas Woman's University. We'd pass DIMS and I would always ask her when they are going to open it back up. DIMS was always the landmark that told me we were home after a trip away to visit family in Oklahoma or if we'd been racing north of the area. When we moved away in 1978 (to Kansas City) The track was still nearly 100% there...tower standing, grandstands decaying, bridge over the shutdown area, entry roads, even some signage. The next time I set foot in Texas was 1991 when I came down from Ohio to make my first trip to Texas Motorplex. Tower was gone by then...but you could tell where the track should have been.

That house on Deerfield Drive still stands. The soccer fields across the street now replaced by The President George Bush Turnpike. Where we used to park trailers in the grass now stands a sound abatement wall. But the memories are mine.

 

[Kati]

Don't know if anyone posted this yet....this guy has some cool old pics!


Myspace.com - Abandoned Dragstrips Photo Albums

 

[Z28LT1]

Lance and all,

Hate to keep butting in but you are stirring the memories pot with almost every post.

Been years since I have even thought about Austin...but I did a bunch of announcing there in the mid to late '60s.

I was so busy...with a full time job in television, either News Director or Program Director, depends on the year...I decided to get a pilots license so I could fly to the races. I was flying almost every day so I was quickly eligible for my first solo cross country flight.

The route was Shreveport, LA to Austin, TX on Friday afternoon...announced an oval track race Friday night...the drag race on Saturday and left at dawn for Opelousas, LA for a race there on Sunday.

Not long after leaving Shreveport, the generator (early plane!!!) on the Cessna 172 quit working...but the weather was good enroute so I decided to dead reckon into Austin. Did great till I had to avoid some late afternoon thunderstorms and when I flew over the same airport twice, I decided to land, get fuel and figure out exactly where I was!

Plotted a NEW course to Austin...made it with no problem...the A & E set about fixing the generator...all was well with the world. Until about a half hour after leaving Austin at first light Sunday, you guessed it, the generator shot craps again. This time...as I was flying across to So. Louisiana...I ran into a line of thunderstorms I could NOT get around, over or under...so I opted for the Beaumont, TX airport...with no radio or nav devices since the gen went out...got the green light to land just ahead of the storm front.

Sat out one hell of a storm...watching from the tower looking at the radar. Called W. H. David, track operator at Opelousas and told him I was stuck...and was heading home whenever the weather cleared.

Rest of the flight uneventful...but got a kick out of all the old timers when they found out I had no radios and no nav for the bulk of the trip. They couldn't believe I had done it and said they had been flying for years and they would not have even thought about it.

Guess I was just too stupid to know any better. Learned more on that three legged cross country solo than I did during most of the course. I got my license in a very short time and continued to fly till moving to CA in '71. The price of a C150 rental went from $7 an hour wet...to $26 an hour. Got out of my price range, but will always cherish the experience.

BTW...the Austin track was managed at that time by my good friend Jim Tibbetts...went on to precede me at Dallas International and was the founder and operator of the U.S. Drag Racing Caravan.

But that's a whole nother story for a nother time.

Sorry about the length but hard to tell in short form.

Thanks for listening.

MaC

(Edited twice for the sake of having it right!!!)

Dave, Dave, Dave...

Being a ledged in this sport means never having to say your sorry!

Have you ever thought about writing a book about all of your experiences over your career? I know I'd buy 2 for sure. My dad would need his own as I don't think I'd let him borrow mine.

I just think about all of the history that was lost with the passing of Steve Evans, it's to bad he never got his experiences recorded (than I'm aware of) for all of us to look back on.

Great posts Dave, we all love it!

 

[Rajunz]

I really do love these threads. We had one years ago before the Mater changed over that was full of pictures from these tracks.

Dave Mac, I agree on all acounts, PLEASE by all means, tell us more, your stories really should be documented for generations to come. To you that story of your flight just popped into your head, to me I'll think about your flight from this day forward every time I drive home through Beaumont!

Wes, that's a really great post, I can remember driving past that tower in the early 80's and thinking of all of the magazine's I had seen it in.

Great stuff guys.

 

[Toejam]

I'd love some pics of OCIR, Ontario, Lions and Irwindale after they closed. And before they were developed over!

 

[The Counterfeiter]

I'm surprised (unless I missed it) that no one has mentioned Lakeland Raceway in Memphis. It opened on July 4, 1960 (yes, I was there) and a lot of big names raced there over the years. Joe Lunati, Herb McCandless, Ray Godman (Tennessee Bo Weevil), Gilbert Bugg (founder of the NSRA), Ivar Schmeltnik (Racing Head Service) and many others counted it as their home track.
Raced there for a couple of years in the mid 60's before heading off to UT.
An unusual layout, but great for spectators. Lots of great memories - I'll never forget Hydrazine racing -
Check out lakelandraceway.com - cool history and lots of photos!

 

[PiPPi]

Don't know if anyone posted this yet....this guy has some cool old pics! Myspace.com - Abandoned Dragstrips Photo Albums

Thanks for that link, I have a fair collection of old race tracks in Google Earth but that added a couple.

Oswego is still visible there at Google Maps I found it a long time ago and it was a nice sort of treasure hunt as at that time there were no solid references to exactly where it was so I had to scour the area by clues to find it.

Another good one also on the MySpace site is US 30 Dragway in Indiana. Google Maps and if you zoom in to the max you can easily see the AHRA-logo that was painted on the asphalt and in Google Earth you can make out individual tress and bushes that can be seen on recent "on-site" pictures. There is also a small website on US 30 Dragway at Lost Indiana: US 30 Drag Strip where you can see more pictures of that strip.

Off-topic but racing is racing and the same goes for boardtrack ovals and a good example is Atlantic City Speedway in Amatol New Jersey. There are stories like at speedway_history and an old aeral photo at aerialview Incredible it is but the track area is still clearly visible 75 years after the track was torn down and can be seen at Google Maps (Heh, don't forget non-US tracks like http://users.telenet.be/les.consultants.bvba1/sitges built 1922 and abandoned almost 60 years ago).

Wish I had more time, there are tons of old tracks that can be seen on Google Earth and connected to old and new pictures/stories like above. Would love to base a cross-country US road trip on this kind of nostalgia.

Thanks for starting this thread, I hope it stays a sort of constant feature of Nitromater.

Regards
PiPPi
http://HarleyDrags.com

 

[Toejam]

I'm surprised (unless I missed it) that no one has mentioned Lakeland Raceway in Memphis. It opened on July 4, 1960 (yes, I was there) and a lot of big names raced there over the years. Joe Lunati, Herb McCandless, Ray Godman (Tennessee Bo Weevil), Gilbert Bugg (founder of the NSRA), Ivar Schmeltnik (Racing Head Service) and many others counted it as their home track.
Raced there for a couple of years in the mid 60's before heading off to UT.
An unusual layout, but great for spectators. Lots of great memories - I'll never forget Hydrazine racing -
Check out lakelandraceway.com - cool history and lots of photos!

I did on Post #16 Jim!

 

[willy]

Reading MaC's posts 'bout gives me chills. It's like I can hear his voice telling the story.

Sure do miss you out there, Dave.

 

[elvis]

Back in the 60's, my mom and dad used to go to Kahoka, Missouri to a drag strip there. Anybody got some info on where in Kahoka it was and any pics? Also, I have got pics of some cars at Lee County Dragway in Keokuk, Iowa, but I cannot find anybody who remembers where it was. Anybody got info on either of these?!?

 

[Vince]

Some of my fondest memories go back to being a teenager in the 60's and going to good old "York US 30 Dragway" located on an airport in York, PA. Host of the Super Stock Nationals in 1965, still remembered as one of the largest one day events in Super Stock history. Yeah, I know, it's like Woodstock, everyone was there, but I REALLY was there to enjoy that wonderful show.


It may have been at this event, or another one, I honestly can't remember, but one other night I'll never forget was the night when Bill Jenkins, Dyno Don, Ronnie Sox and Jungle Jim launched all four of their Super Stock cars, together, side by side. I will always remember those images, I couldn't believe that they would run 4 cars together. The long resin burnouts, the crew guys, sometimes the drivers, with the brooms and resin. Sweeping, pouring, and sweeping and sweeping, trying to get the track just right. Thin steel guardrails separating the cars from the spectators, you could get much closer to the action back in those days. Closer than you could imagine today.

Occasionally they would actually interrupt the racing to let airplanes land, that was always a sight to enjoy.

I believe the airport is still there, and I'm assuming that it's still in use today. I know they have a huge reunion every summer, I want to go to one, just haven't been able to get to one so far.

What a lot of great memories. Thanks for starting this thread, it's fascinating. I check it every day to read the new entries.

On a side note, I totally agree. Dave MaC, a book by you would be a best seller. Please consider doing one. We need to capture all your wonderful memories in print. You must have a ton of great racing and human interest stories to tell.

 

[PiPPi]

Some of my fondest memories go back to being a teenager in the 60's and going to good old "York US 30 Dragway" located on an airport in York, PA. Host of the Super Stock Nationals in 1965, still remembered as one of the largest one day events in Super Stock history. Yeah, I know, it's like Woodstock, everyone was there, but I REALLY was there to enjoy that wonderful show.


It may have been at this event, or another one, I honestly can't remember, but one other night I'll never forget was the night when Bill Jenkins, Dyno Don, Ronnie Sox and Jungle Jim launched all four of their Super Stock cars, together, side by side. I will always remember those images, I couldn't believe that they would run 4 cars together.

US 30 York, the 4-wide at http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m79/kiwikevinp/scan0013-6.jpg

I was at the Super Stock & Drag Illustrated Funny Car Nationals at US 30 in York. Not sure what year but I think it was 1972 as I did not yet have a drivers license but I filmed part of the event. I don't have a projector for that kind of film anymore but will get it converted to DVD to see what is on there.

Can't believe I had things in order back then but in the film canister there is a type written piece of paper (remember typewriters?) outlining the racers as they appear in the film: Whipple & McGulloch Revellution Cuda, Frank Oglesby Quarterhorse Mustang, Sam Miller, Sopwith Camel Camaro(?), Candies & Hughes Barracuda, Roland Leongs Hawaiian, The Snake, Sien & Lankfords Brand-X Mustang, Larry Valdez "the Mexican Revolution" Camaro, Mike Burkhart, Bill Leavitt, Mart Higginbotham, Mickey Thompsons Pinto (Dale Pulde driving?), Doheny & Fullerton, Tom Hoover, Jungle Jim and a few more. The notes say Don Prudhome went up against Gene Snow in the final and Don won the race. Not sure of the quality as the reel has not been stored under the best of conditions but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Regards
PiPPi
http://HarleyDrags.com

 

[AL]

Hearing of York US30 it brings back a memory(war story) of one of my trips that I was scheduled to Match Race back in 1977. I was booked in to run against Mike Evagens "Earthquake" jet dragster with my "Emergency 1" jet dragster. The night before the event my crewmember "Baron" Von Crane" [who was a crazy SOB] and I were about 12 miles out of York PA. and it was raining like hell [our whole conversation was whether we were going to get another rain-out or what] when a guy pulled up alongside us on the freeway yelling that we had lost a trailer tire. Well, we pulled over to the side of the freeway and in the pouring rain went back to see what he was talking about. I almost crapped my pants when I saw that not only did we lose a tire, but we lost the tire,hub,and all that was sitting there was an axle with a scorched spindle. Well, we got under the trailer and strapped up the left front spindle so it didn't drag on the ground and proceeded to try and find the racetrack at about 2am in the rain in a town we had never been to before. The next day was overcast and being on the road for a few weeks and being broke we were anxious to try and get this race off so we had some money to get back to Chicago. After working on the trailer most of the morning and calling everybody we could think of for parts we finally gave up and decided to worry about it later. As usual the day progressed and finally about 1hour before 1st round the clouds started rolling in, but so far "No Rain". As Mike pulled out into the left lane and we pulled into the right lane and both fired up for our turn to do the smoke and thunder thing. As I was staging I noticed a couple of drops of water hitting on my windscreen and I looked over at Mike in the other lane and he also knew what we HAD to do. We continued to stage the lights came down and we both were off. The only thing that we were not prepared for was at the finish line the rain was pouring down. Well we used the chutes and did not dare try to use brakes and thank god York was a long shutoff as we used it all up stopping. By the time we got back to the trailers we were all soaked to the skin, but we figured it was worth it because we earned our paycheck. As I started loading up the car I noticed "The Baron" walking thru the pits with a tire, wheel and hub. He said it bought it from the neighbor up on the hill overlooking the track. To this day I can picture in my mind the neighbor missing a wheel and hub and tire off his mobile home but we got it to fit and limped back to Chicago.

 

[Larry]

Ah yes I miss the old Green Valley Days .
It's gone and Bill Hielscher [ Mr Bardol ] is gone as well as 32 car fields. RIP to them all .

And Mac we sure enjoyed loosing our hearing so I guess it was a trade off though that's not politically correct.

They had ear protection in the form of ear muffs but I don't think foam had been invented yet.
And Mac had lot's of hair.
Yep thats going wayyy back.
Miss my old Midnight Black 56 Gasser and the Gasser wars too.
Yep today's cars are much faster and safer and the same with the tracks.
That doesn't take away from what was ,in it's time the place to be.
To those who came before , I salute !
Every time I attend a race I say thanks to Wally Parks, I may forget my name tomorrow but I don't forget Wally's contribution to Straight Line Sports .

And Mac would say heck anyone could have done all that announcing and those interviews and he would be right.
However they would not have been Mac and there is a difference.

 

[Shazam]

My track is Riverside Dragway near Chesapeake, Ohio.

I went from a 12 year old talking my way in at the gate to becoming manager until the place closed in 1978 due to the property being sold.

Lots of memories of match races with "Ohio George", Jr. Thompson, "Wild Willie", Leon Fitzgerald, Norm Day, Prock & Howell, and ran my "Shazam" Top Fuel Car there.

Darrell Alderman lived an hour away and would show up to run Modified Eliminator (before Pro Stock) for the big races and kick everybody's butt. Also, all the Rod Shop guys and Bob Marshall from Columbus would show up for those.

On the closing weekend in 1978 I was supposed to match race Roger Gustin in his Sherbits Jet Dragster. It rained and we never got to race......we still argue over who would have won that one.

The link shows a few pics of the property today.

Riverside Raceway & Dragstrip

 

[G'ginna]

You know, it wasn't a track... but I asked my dad about south Eubank in Albuquerque while he was visiting. All this time I was thinking it was south Broadway until Joe set me straight. Dad said they used to set up relays to keep an eye out just in case the police headed that direction. When I was little, there was nothing out there but mesa and I think the old dump... I know this was in the late 50's & early 60's & I remember the lines painted across the road. He used to race a 56' Chevy Bel Aire, I have no memories of the car so he must have gotten rid of it before I was two. He still wishes he kept that car.

On a nice note, there have recently been two 1/4 mile tracks re-opened within 250 miles of here. One in Penwell & one, I hear, in Carlsbad.