great lakes drag way union grove wi. pics

damn street rodder!

 

thanks to all that posted pics and comments.
It's been a long time since I looked at this thread until it resurfaced.
Thanks to racerx for starting the thread.
Lately, we kinda strayed from the intent that's on me.
Good to get more people interested and involved.
So, let's bring it back home.
Here's a pic from GLD, way back in the day, the 50's.
Curt R

 

I hope this message finds it's way to you. I know John very well. I turn a wrench for him with his current car at Union Grove. I can put you in touch with him. I remember your Dads car "Old Ugly". John had contacted someone in regard to it just this summer. Not sure who he spoke with about it. I was actually interested in it and he called to see if it was for sale. Anyway let me know how I can get some info from you and I could relay it to john, if you have not yet spoke with him. I am new to this site and have not figured it all out yet. I saw his name came up on a google search for this post while I was searching for an article about him rebuilding a motor for an Alpena, the only one known to exist. I found that article and then read this. Thought I would reply.

 

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I hope this message finds it's way to you. I know John very well. I turn a wrench for him with his current car at Union Grove. I can put you in touch with him. I remember your Dads car "Old Ugly". John had contacted someone in regard to it just this summer. Not sure who he spoke with about it. I was actually interested in it and he called to see if it was for sale. Anyway let me know how I can get some info from you and I could relay it to john, if you have not yet spoke with him. I am new to this site and have not figured it all out yet. I saw his name came up on a google search for this post while I was searching for an article about him rebuilding a motor for an Alpena, the only one known to exist. I found that article and then read this. Thought I would reply.

 

I hope this message finds it's way to you. I know John very well. I turn a wrench for him with his current car at Union Grove. I can put you in touch with him. I remember your Dads car "Old Ugly". John had contacted someone in regard to it just this summer. Not sure who he spoke with about it. I was actually interested in it and he called to see if it was for sale. Anyway let me know how I can get some info from you and I could relay it to john, if you have not yet spoke with him. I am new to this site and have not figured it all out yet. I saw his name came up on a google search for this post while I was searching for an article about him rebuilding a motor for an Alpena, the only one known to exist. I found that article and then read this. Thought I would reply.

 

Here's one.
The Henry J still lives locally just don't think it ever surfaces...


I'll only assume this one made a few passes down the track


Anyone remember Pete's old 31? Poncho powered

 

This was supposed to of been run at the grove..

Plymouth I beleive
Here's it today...living in Atlanta

Here's another one that made it's way to NC.

Guy that owns it knows the history and is slowly bringing it back to it's glory. No current pics sorry
EDIT....I just reread this and realized he posted info already

 

Anyone recall a AWB Plymouth called, "Earthquake" that ran here?

 

I recall the car but I have no photos and remember seeing it in the pits but never saw it run!

 

i believe that car was the x- al vandewoode ply. al sold it to leroy roeder in milwaukee after this race at the grove. in group six of the pics i had posted there are four pics of the soon to be earthquake ply. i have some video from the grove with that car racing. the quality of it is rather poor unfortunately. super stock magazine did a story on this car. it was a story on how to alter the wheelbase in under a week and go racing. the mag takes you step by step on how to do it. they only alter the rear. which was a common thing then.

 

that is my buddy BLAZE!

 

Anyone else recall where "Earth Quake" ended up? IM me please.

 

That's more than Al could remember! In 2000 I peppered him with questions about his old race cars, but, like most racers, they didn't keep track of the old, outclassed versions once they were sold to finance the next one. All he could remember was "some guys up in Wisconsin" buying it. He thought the guys had pulled the engine for another project and the body junked. If it still exists that would be an awesome find! Good luck, Hurst69, on the search!

(Car Craft did the article on altering the WB on the '64, with Richard Schroeder helping out, done a week before a match race with Gas Rhonda!)

 

The picture with all the Super Stock cars at US 30 made the cover of a magazine that I have

 

the vandewoulde car is still in wisconsin. Its been a lot of years ago that i read that story on als car. the last time i spoke to him was around 1990. he was at the chrysler power race at tri state drag way. he was one of the honored guests. maverick and herb mccandles were the others. al brought several large scrap books to show. the collection was amazing. me being totally consumed with anything having a altered wheel base we talked for several hours. i got the one on one personal story on all his cars with the most time spent on the 64. i wish i would have recorded it. having the scrap books out may have helped jar his memory. he was a racer that i feel didn't get all the credit he earned

 

I'd like to use this thread to revisit an earlier but related thread.....Does anyone remember a '62 Belair Bubbletop named "Belaro" or "Belairo" that was out of the Southside Of Milwaukee....South 76th Street and Oklahoma to be specific? A few years ago, I had some hits on the subject and those who knew something of the car pretty much vanished. It had a wild Striped Paint job and if you had seen the car, you would remember it. I'm also interested in a Brown Chevelle that was stationed at a gas station at 43rd and Oklahoma....Named "M&M".....I'm sure you fans of GLD would know these cars.......Thanks.....Centurion9

 

racer-x: You know I agree with you on that last point! I'm glad you were able to get the stories...hopefully you can remember a lot of them and record them for history. I only knew him for a little over a year-and-a-half, but I was over at his house every Saturday working on the last Flying Dutchman funny car with his son, Donnie. He was pretty much confined to an electric scooter by then but was as irascible as ever. Funny as hell, though. Great story teller. Passed away in September, 2001.

(Funny thing is I grew up just a short distance from his shop after they moved to Kansas City in '69. Used to ride my bike past his place to get to Dick Harrell's shop across the street! Shoulda had my eyes open more...)

 

al was originally from california. maverick was to. they both ran early pre max wedge mopars. the stories they told of running mopars at the time were priceless. maverick got his name he said by running the much less popular mopars. they tore up the west coast with those cars leading to factory help from frank wrillie in 62

 

i had a interesting conversation with a patient at work recently. he told me about the street racing scene in milwaukee. the cars raced on a street next to harnishvager. that would be north east of miller park. he said the illegal racing made the milwaukee journal several times and he has the articles to prove it. he said broadway bob came out to talk to them and eventually got them off the street and on his track. we are talking early 70s here. anyone have pics or stories? i have talked to a few older guys from back then and they say its true what happened.

 

I think the racing was done on St. Paul street. Even a few years back, the local news had a report on street racing there. I guess things never change.
I watched some street racing on Tower road in the 80's. It's still a popular place.

 

Um, Al Vander Woude was originally from South Dakota. Didn't get to CA until he got out of the Navy.

 

I would get after Curt R on here for more participation in this thread if you want early GLD history. He may not know all the answers, but he probably has friends that can contribute.

while the story is true that the street racers in MKE got bad publicity, I am not on board that it was Broadway that approached them. Broadway was not the first owner of GLD.

 

i stand corrected then. a friend of mine grew up down the street from him in california when he had the 64. guess i just assumed he always lived there because he never told me otherwise. he only mentioned cali and ks. i can't see st.paul with any racing on it. if so between what cross streets? i have heard of some action on tower rd and lovers lane. wisconsin ave and 27th st and hwy 100 I'm told had good action in the day but being mostly cruising.

 

bob i wasn't there then so I'm only repeating what was told to me from someone who was there. the guy that gave me the info is in the process of making me copies of the news paper articles. he has some pics also. i was asking questions so the correct history is recorded. mike borchardt was there also and filled in some blanks. the street racing period I'm talking about here was during the time bob owned the track. not from gld day one. and yes curt is the man for gld history.

 

the story from BEFORE GLD has to do with enforcement action leading to a large group of area car clubs (17?) to combine resources to purchase the land and do the work to establish the track. I don't believe it was called GLD initially.

 

i agree that clubs started the track. that does not mean it got everyone off the street. street racing continued to be part of the fabric around se wi well after the track opened. I'm not 100 percent sure what they called it on day one. i do know i can't stand the way the way the new management calls it da grove.

 

AGREED. of course most of what they do makes me scratch my head

 

The new owners at GLD have no idea what they have and can't agree on what direction they're going.

Too bad because Byron is more than happy to cater to vintage drags by offering reasonable entrance and competition fees knowing that catering to the masses is far more profitable than trying to retire off of 50 spectators and 30 competitors... of course I'm exaggerating but after witnessing the "Meltdown" I'd rather drive the extra miles.

Sorry for the rant and I hope for the best at GLD.

p.s. get rid of the 80's VW junkyard!