Largest in-person crowd in drag racing history

[stitcherbob]

Raceway Park, Englishtown NJ just lost the all time attendance record........ for the US

A George Strait concert in TX this year with 110,905 people beat the 1977 Grateful Dead concert that had 107,019 fans crammed into E-Town.
And they always said you could have 2 birthdays before getting through the after event traffic there....

My neighbors went racing there the next day and said the parking lots looked like you bombed Woodstock. Recovering Deadheads bent over the guardrails....

10 Amazing Moments from Englishtown '77 with The Grateful Dead | Brooklyn Bowl

www.brooklynbowl.com

Listen to the concert here https://gratefuldeadoftheday.com/09-03-1977/

 

[GumbyWVU]

Raceway Park, Englishtown NJ just lost the all time attendance record........ for the US

A George Strait concert in TX this year with 110,905 people beat the 1977 Grateful Dead concert that had 107,019 fans crammed into E-Town.
And they always said you could have 2 birthdays before getting through the after event traffic there....

My neighbors went racing there the next day and said the parking lots looked like you bombed Woodstock. Recovering Deadheads bent over the guardrails....

10 Amazing Moments from Englishtown '77 with The Grateful Dead | Brooklyn Bowl

www.brooklynbowl.com

Listen to the concert here https://gratefuldeadoftheday.com/09-03-1977/


View attachment 14751

And about the George Strait show, no riots, beatings, shootings, etc.

 

[GumbyWVU]

Gainesville has the most seats.

Wow, had no idea, but never been there. I guess Joliet looks bigger than it is. I just guessed it was bigger than that, not that 30k seats is anything to sneeze at.

 

[Polish Hammer]

Raceway Park, Englishtown NJ just lost the all time attendance record........ for the US

A George Strait concert in TX this year with 110,905 people beat the 1977 Grateful Dead concert that had 107,019 fans crammed into E-Town.
And they always said you could have 2 birthdays before getting through the after event traffic there....

My neighbors went racing there the next day and said the parking lots looked like you bombed Woodstock. Recovering Deadheads bent over the guardrails....

Was at a Who concert in Philly back in 1989 which was days after the Dead played, there were still a bunch of Deadheads crashed all over the parking lot.

 

[J. S.]

How about the smallest crowd in history? San Fernando Drag Strip. One grandstand holding maybe 50 - 60 people.

Interesting! I did not know that. We read so much about San Fernando on Sunday afternoons in the 1960's, that I would have thought they could hold a few thousand at least.

 

[Z28LT1]

They may have 35k. Gainesville and Pomona have more. Joliet isn't as big as it is claimed.

Joliet seems pretty legit to me. I was surprised when I read it was 30,000. seemed bigger that.

 

[mick]

i like jim irvin's post #5, back in the day at pomona. that seems to be the legit winning comment for largest one day attendance at a drag race

 

[Dennis]

And about the George Strait show, no riots, beatings, shootings, etc.

I was there...it was an amazing show and great crowd.

 

[GumbyWVU]

I was there...it was an amazing show and great crowd.

I'm sure it was, I've seen him 3 times. Each time was a great experience. Glad you got to go.

 

[TopFuel@Lions]

1965 Winternationals, 65,000 fans made that and to this day the largest crowd in NHRA history. I was at that race as well, it was nuts the flood of crazies that raced in when they opened the gates, I slept in a sleeping bag on the top row next to some bikers who yelled profanities at the police who patrolled on the track. Remember the lone big searchlight that lit up the track all the way to the top end. Then at 7:00 am it got very real.



TopFuel@Lions

 

[M Jones]

1965 Winternationals, 65,000 fans made that and to this day the largest crowd in NHRA history. I was at that race as well, it was nuts the flood of crazies that raced in when they opened the gates, I slept in a sleeping bag on the top row next to some bikers who yelled profanities at the police who patrolled on the track. Remember the lone big searchlight that lit up the track all the way to the top end. Then at 7:00 am it got very real.



TopFuel@Lions

Wish I would have been there too

 

[aakar]

How about the smallest crowd in history? San Fernando Drag Strip. One grandstand holding maybe 50 - 60 people.

World Series of Drag Racing when it moved to Memphis from Cordova was a ghost town

 

[Joe]

And about the George Strait show, no riots, beatings, shootings, etc.

Great point, but it was in The South.