TopFuel@Lions
Nitro Member
- Joined
- May 9, 2019
- Messages
- 643
- Age
- 66
This past week has brought a tremendous amount of joy and some heartache about my beloved Lions Drag Strip. Thanks for all the pictures, memories, and great comments about this historic strip.
I am sure some of the newer folks have maybe rolled their eyes at these threads and thought there he goes again. I hope some may have felt the passion on this board that some of us felt and more importantly witnessed.
Not a horn tooter here but I feel I have a good grip on all of racing history, not just the 1320 action (whoops, now at 1000') but all forms of racing that I enjoy that I have seen all across this country. Just recently I attended a new track here in the South to now make 144 tracks attended.
But thru them all the one that sticks out by far is still Lions after all these years. Better than the Indy 500, Daytona, Talladega Super Speedway and many other legendary tracks I have been blessed to attend.
Why Lions? Many reasons, in no order and maybe even a ramble here. The era, competition, location, layout, weather, seating, the drivers, the diversity, the incredible events, track staff, food, and the atmosphere at Lions all added up.
The records I kept, the weekly papers, great magazines and the souvenirs all once again added up. The records, wild races, car counts, and even the deaths played a big part. Still to this day I can picture the horrible accident that I saw right in front of dad and me watching a grizzly wreck by John Hoffman in the Snoopy Jaguar, wish I never had binoculars with me.
Another thing that made it great for dad and me was as mentioned earlier was the track staff, got to know the guys that sold us the chili dogs, gave us the invisible hand stamp for the pit pass seats, the guest announcers, Larry Sutton starting, Bernie Mather calling the weekly shows, watching Pappy buzzing around on the Honda Trail 70 or whatever it was. It all added up. Climbing up those poles underneath the tower and watching the races including maybe the best pure run by a Fuel Altered ever by Leroy Chadderton, sitting in our same seats, same section, same exact spot on the race blanket. Having Bill Bailey work on my jacket.
Getting shoed out of the tower on a number of occasions, I would walk in, hang by the door until getting the boot, lol.
But the best was all the events, ever single one of them, was with my father, truly priceless these days in geezerhood. All the friends I made at the track, the last guy I knew from the track since 66 died earlier this year, that is a long time.
Solid records have my father and I going to Lions at least 240 times, no s!%$, that is no bull, might be a little higher. Time and money well spent.
Thanks for the great times from that little piece of geographic heaven located at 223rd & Alameda, Lions Drag Strip..."DRIVE THE HIGHWAYS-RACE AT LIONS."
[email protected] it is time for some Jack Daniels Rye Whiskey over easy ice!
Talladega Short Track Announcer
I am sure some of the newer folks have maybe rolled their eyes at these threads and thought there he goes again. I hope some may have felt the passion on this board that some of us felt and more importantly witnessed.
Not a horn tooter here but I feel I have a good grip on all of racing history, not just the 1320 action (whoops, now at 1000') but all forms of racing that I enjoy that I have seen all across this country. Just recently I attended a new track here in the South to now make 144 tracks attended.
But thru them all the one that sticks out by far is still Lions after all these years. Better than the Indy 500, Daytona, Talladega Super Speedway and many other legendary tracks I have been blessed to attend.
Why Lions? Many reasons, in no order and maybe even a ramble here. The era, competition, location, layout, weather, seating, the drivers, the diversity, the incredible events, track staff, food, and the atmosphere at Lions all added up.
The records I kept, the weekly papers, great magazines and the souvenirs all once again added up. The records, wild races, car counts, and even the deaths played a big part. Still to this day I can picture the horrible accident that I saw right in front of dad and me watching a grizzly wreck by John Hoffman in the Snoopy Jaguar, wish I never had binoculars with me.
Another thing that made it great for dad and me was as mentioned earlier was the track staff, got to know the guys that sold us the chili dogs, gave us the invisible hand stamp for the pit pass seats, the guest announcers, Larry Sutton starting, Bernie Mather calling the weekly shows, watching Pappy buzzing around on the Honda Trail 70 or whatever it was. It all added up. Climbing up those poles underneath the tower and watching the races including maybe the best pure run by a Fuel Altered ever by Leroy Chadderton, sitting in our same seats, same section, same exact spot on the race blanket. Having Bill Bailey work on my jacket.
Getting shoed out of the tower on a number of occasions, I would walk in, hang by the door until getting the boot, lol.
But the best was all the events, ever single one of them, was with my father, truly priceless these days in geezerhood. All the friends I made at the track, the last guy I knew from the track since 66 died earlier this year, that is a long time.
Solid records have my father and I going to Lions at least 240 times, no s!%$, that is no bull, might be a little higher. Time and money well spent.
Thanks for the great times from that little piece of geographic heaven located at 223rd & Alameda, Lions Drag Strip..."DRIVE THE HIGHWAYS-RACE AT LIONS."
[email protected] it is time for some Jack Daniels Rye Whiskey over easy ice!
Talladega Short Track Announcer
