I have so many fond memories of 'The County'. The first few times I went was as a spectator, then started bracket racing my '69 Dodge Dart 340 Swinger in very early 1970. There was a Union 76 gas station on Sand Canyon, just before making the left turn to the entrance road to get into the track. We would always stop there to air up the front tires for less rolling resistance while racing.
Here's a "little guy" memory for y'all from the day I won my first trophy at OCIR: I don't remember how many cars were in my class (G/Pure Stock) that day, but we'd gotten down to the last three cars. My Dart, a Javelin, and a Roadrunner. The Roadrunner beat the Javelin and I had a single. My buddy and I had checked out the Roadrunner earlier and it wasn't "Pure Stock" - the exhaust manifolds weren't what the Roadrunner came from the factory with, they looked like Max Wedge exhaust manifolds. The call finally came and we headed for the staging lanes. As we're waiting in the lanes the owner of the Roadrunner walks over, checks under the hood of my Dart, shakes his head and said, "It won't even be close." The time comes and we pull out to the water box. He picked the left lane and I was in the right. The lights came down and I left on him. I also had a weight advantage with my Dart being lighter than his Roadrunner but I kept seeing him pulling closer and closer and I honestly had no idea who won until I picked up my time slip on the way back to the pits with the "WIN" stamp on it. I pulled into our pit spot with a huge smile on my face and the Roadrunner following me since he was pitted on the same row. My then wife walked out in front of him so he had to stop. She walked up to his open window and said, "You were right. It wasn't even close!"
I wish I still had all my OCIR rophies, "WINNER" stickers and event posters.
All the big events were outstanding: 64 Funny Cars, PDA races, the Manufacturers Meet, and on and on.
I remember the Larry Bowers TF clutch explosion and the Beach City Corvette in flames through the fence at the end of the strip and ending up on the I-5 freeway.
My fondest memories were hanging out at the track with the Condit Brothers and their beautiful Plymouth Arrow AA/FC. Billy Condit's wife worked for my then wife and we started hanging out at the track when they raced.
I was down on the track with them at one of the big FC meets - I don't remember if it was one of the 64 Funny Car shows or a Manufacturers Meet but all of the cars were parked diagonally next to the guard rails on both sides of the strip with the bodies up. The plan was for all of cars to fire at the same time - an early 'Cacklefest' before the term was coined. Well, the cars all fired up and it was amazing to be in the middle of all of that horsepower. Except Dave Condit was sitting in the driver's seat of their non-running car. Dave and Bill were standing on either side of the car with one hand on the raised body, rocking it from side to side so it shook like the engine was running. No sense to waste the cost of nitro!
I still think of OCIR every time I go past the Sand Canyon exit on the I-5.
I miss all of the strawberry fields, tomato fields and bean fields. All that's there now are buildings and parking lots.
Oh yeah, there also used to be a trap and skeet range just across the freeway.
