Lost Drag Strips

Too bad we've lost so much and for what? Here are a few pictures froom my web site www.dragcityracecars.com

 

Thanks for the pics. Has anyone ever heard of Boondocks dragstrip near Peoria Ill.? Or have any pics? One of my older brothers raced there a bit in the early 70's? Here is a pic of his 57, taken at Midstate Dragway, in Havana Ill, about 1972.

 

I haven't heard of the Boondocks dragstrip, but there used to be one in Assumption IL, don't have any pictures though

edit: Just saw you had pictures on your web site, should have looked at that first

 

Here's one my Brother took of Fremont Dragstrip.
The city did this to stop "Midnight Runs" down the closed down strip.

 

its nice how the beardstown strip made a nice floor for that farmers machine shed,,drive by it all the time,,

 

I'm not sure if Boondocks was the actual name or not. It was a strip out somewhere west of the Peoria airport. Off of Smithfield road? I think it was started by a Peoria area car club, back in the 50's. My brother always said that it had a REALLY short shutdown area, part of which was dirt? He also blew up a rear end in his 57, there. Didn't have any spare rear end lube, so he strained the old stuff through his white t-shirt. Mom wasn't very pleased.

 

I'm curious about the US 30 pic. It isn't a drag strip anymore, but hasn't been left to ill repair. It's only 5 mins. from my house. It's called Thomasville Airport now.

 

Here's Connecticut Dragway as it appears today, been closed to the public since 1985 or 86. Now part of Consumer Reports auto test.
-Dean

 

"Here's one my Brother took of Fremont Dragstrip.
The city did this to stop "Midnight Runs" down the closed down strip."

damn i raced many times there !! vacaville & lions also . those were the days for sure !! ................ steve

 

LIONS NOW...all shipping containers from the port


LIONS THEN

 

bummer on lions ! vacaville has been gone for many yrs ! oroville / vina / so many are gone ! heck west capital was the hotest round track in the west , now a parking lot ... steve

 

Minnesota Dragways is long gone, but there's a guy around here who was the track photographer? I think? Getting to the point, he still has all the negatives from the 60's and has been running off new prints and selling them around here at swap meets. Maybe someone from around here (MN) can help us out with a name or web site.

 

Here are a few more, Beardstown Dragstrip in Beardstown IL, Motion Raceway in Assumption IL.
Yes the track in Peoria was named Boondocks and I was told for the most part it's still there all grown up in weeds

 

pictures of Beardstown as it is now, Lakeland in Memphis, a couple of Assumption and one of Pittsburgh Int'l
also Yellow River Dragstrip in Covington Ga, the circle shows where the funny car happened crash that killed 12 people in 1969

 

I think your refering to York US 30. The US 30 pics here are from US 30 near Gary Indiana it's still there just grown up with weeds and trees.

 

don't forget about balboa dragstrip that WAS in oregon but the friken goverment tore it out!

 

Here is a shot of then and now of Drag City in Springfield IL this was the track that the Chi-Town Hustler did the first long smokey burnout (full 1/8 mile) and started the long F/C burnout craze.
Back then the burnouts were fairly short.

 

.....and the old Brooksville, Florida Drag Strip that BIG Daddy set records on back in the day.

 

Aww, come on Bob! Surely you've got a shot for me!?!

(gonna call you tomorrow)

 

Fontana "Drag City". Always hated that name but loved the strip. In my teens it was my second home. The trees in the background are still there but the dragster would be rippin' up some front yards if he was making that pass today. Progress my ass!
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lakeland in memphis is now a subdivision,the drag strip is now a neighborhood street,speed limit is now 20mph now.like the song goes"tare down paradise to build a parking lot"

 

Caddo Mills, Texas. First NHRA track in Texas
http://hechointexas.blogspot.com/2008/01/1st-texas-nhra-dragstrip-caddo-mills.html




Hecho in Texas

 

West Hampton Oval, upper right shut down in early 70s. The drag strip a few years ago. There is a housing complex here now. To the right you will see some buildings, these building housed ICBMs. A company I worked for was hired to deliver sand to fill the ICBM tombs. The missiles laid flat on a scissor like jacking system and the pits were filled with sand the capped over with concrete. What was amazing was the pit we picked the sand up from had an old junkyard in it and they were shredding every piece of VT in the place. I offered to buy an old Ford, 35 if I remember correctly but was told, nope, everything goes by this afternoon. Nothing is sacred anymore.

 

5 minutes? More like 500 miles! The pictures are of US 30 in INDIANA.

 

Oh yeah, almost forgot about Cedar Hill Drag Strip. About fifteen miles SW of Dallas. Raced there a few times in the early 1960's. Had this big-ass dip in the track about halfway down that gave your suspension a good workout. Ran a '56 Chevy 150 Sedan that had a straight axle, tilt-up front sheetmetal and a 265 that would wind up tight in front of 5.13 gears.

 

it so just makes me want to open a strip . old school style . 2 lane . no BS just run it . for fun or for money . .. just meet up . no worries . just race .

 

This 2 motor car with the Mac blowers looks like the old Jack Moss car from Amarillo,Tex....Spent many Sundays at Caddo Mills.

 

One of my old hangouts, also. Had some great times there.................

 

You asked for it..... you got it.
This is all that's left of the White Hall Drag-O-Way in White Hall IL.

 

I think if you Google "Big Yohns" it will connect you to his site. He has a lot of Minnesota Dragways history there plus a great coverage of his Cacklefest activities.