Question about the old Minnesota Dragways (2 Viewers)

[The Swegian]

So, some of you older folks that hung out or raced at Minnesota Dragways, I have a question about this picture:

I remember the sign in the upper left corner of the picture. The sign was located where the cars turned from the staging lanes onto the strip. If I recall correctly, the logo in the middle was either for the Lion's Club or the Optimist's Club. My question though relates to the "McPheeters Lane" and "Kirkbride Lane" that you can make out on the left and right sides of the sign. Does anybody know why these names were on the sign or what was their signficance?

 

[None]

Answer provide by Ron Johnson

For Trivia Buffs, the track was owned by the Optimist Club and Doc McPheeters and Leo Kirkbride were two of the leaders in the Optimist Club who “Got ‘er done”.


Pellegrini

 

[The Swegian]

Thanks Ron...Pellegrini and Johnson! A mystery that puzzled me for 40 years has been put to rest.

 

[Eracer]

I still have hanging in my gargae a Champion Spark Plugs - Welcome Race Fans banner that Doc McPheeters gave me off a fence in 76 as a kid.

 

[fatcat]

I've got a piece of the starting line on a little plaque. there are occasions when I'll smell some asbestos and I'm teleported to the bottom of the staging lanes as the King Dodge hemi car is rumbling by, but the moment is brief and reality sets back in, damn it. My avatar is from there.

 

[The Swegian]

My brother (who is 8 years older than me) and his best friend, Ray Doolittle (as in the son of Bill Doolittle, who is pretty well-known amongst local long-time Twin Cities drag racers) were the ones who got me hooked. Thanks to my brother, my first trip to Minnesota Dragways was to see the Snake and Mongoose in their Hot Wheels cars. Even at the tender age of 6, I thought they were the coolest things I had ever seen, and then when I heard them...well, that really settled the deal. Sadly, not unlike Lions Drag Strip, Minnesota didn't quite make it 20 years due to the encroaching population.

Rich, that picture of the Brookdale Ford wagon...was that Dick Charbonneau's?

 

[DrRocket]

Rich, that picture of the Brookdale Ford wagon...was that Dick Charbonneau's?

I'd say that's exactly who it is, Mark. I always did like the wagons in Stock. Something different, you know. The Olds Vista-Cruisers were alway cool too.

 

[Paul]

That's a cool shot of that wagon. I had forgotten about those "paneled" style custom paint jobs, pretty cool.

 

[Eracer]

my first trip to Minnesota Dragways was to see the Snake . Even at the tender age of 6, I thought they were the coolest things I had ever seen, and then when I heard them...well, that really settled the deal.

Same here Mark, When I saw the Snake and the Army Funny Car I was hooked at the age of 10. Below is a picture I found from the NHRA Points Meet.

 

[Eracer]

Yes Richard Charbonneau's. I remember when when Dad hauled it home when I was a kid after Clyde Birch had bought it from Charby. I was a lucky enough as a kid just help wash and wax and eventually do more as I got older. Thanks for the kind word guys and the interest.

 

[Eracer]

 

[Eracer]

 

[Eracer]

 

[Eracer]

I always did like the wagons in Stock. Something different, you know.

 

[The Swegian]

Rich, those really are some great pictures. Will you be going to Brainerd in a couple weeks?

 

[Steve Quien]

Awesome Pictures! I was a spectator then worker at Minnesota Dragways!

The Good Ole' Dayz!

 

[Toejam]

Where was Minnesooooota. Dragways????

 

[Just Paul]

Where was Minnesooooota. Dragways????

It was in a town called Blaine. It was off of 242 and Hanson.

The track closed in the late 70's but was a test facility for Yamaha after that. The dragstrip was still there 'till about 2003-2004.

Here is a pic from above in 2001 and 2010. I put a yellow dot at the start of the strip.

 

[FC138fan]

Its actually in Coon Rapids. It was fun researching this a while back, turns out my office is about a mile from where the starting line was. I'm sure you would have been able to hear the fuelers running from here back in the day.

Here are a series of pics showing the before and after

Here is the address of where the starting line was.

The closest you can come to driving the quarter mile will be to go north on Avocet Street off of Main Street (CSAH 14), about two miles east of Riverdale Shopping Center. That intersection of Avocet and Main was the original entrance to the drag strip.

 

[The Swegian]

It was in a town called Blaine.

Not to be nitpicky, but it's actually Coon Rapids as the Blaine/CR is further east. Track was just across the RR tra

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cks from Bunker Hills GC.