Somerset Drag Strip

remember hearing about a dragstrip in Manchester on a hill. Never went there though.

 

A friend said he raced there in his "stocker" chevelle....complete with "legal" 377" 327.... he said he got the finals and had to run local hot shot in a super stock "stocker"....and was told to never come back by sheriff....another guy said he got his slicks slashed in the staging lanes. Also heard of having to be pulled up the hill just to be able to race......

As for clocks from the hill.....sold at auction after ralph died....my $1000 bid wasnt highest. They are still in northern ky. Same guy still has them. I had the stuff from the tower and dropped it off at garlits in 99. Were only 2 sets and other was in benton il @ 75/80 drag strip...(think thats the name)

 

I hear there is a Somerset Drag Strip Reunion planned for this Saturday (6/23) as part of the June Somernites Cruise downtown. Anyone have any info, anyone going?

 

I have put together a group of trophies from the old drag strips, one from Manchester, one from Campbellsville and 15 from Somerset, one being a top Eliminator Trophy...one of these was won by my late dad, Wheeler"00" Phillips, some by a Padgett man that also is gone, but can't remember his first name, few by Curtis Sluder and the most by Doug Padgett, he won the Top eliminator as well....love this old stuff, wish I had more...

 

Been a while, anybody ever get other photos from these tracks?

 

The Campbellsville track mentioned here, is that in Taylor county Ky?

 

like that 409

 

I found this somewhere on the internet and saved the photo. Cannot remember where though.

 

Does anyone remember Dean Mink running the Hemi Powered Willys at Somerset? My uncle ran a 66 Fairlane GT 390 there for a while and also ran Bluegrass. Larry Barnett ran a max wedge Dodge at Somerset. I will get withMike he probably has some pics of Somerset and Bluegrass both.

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Ha,ha Thanks a million! This made my day!

 

That was Peanut Moore alright. Been dead for a long time. He was a Pontiac man. He had a 1962 Pontiac light weight car new.

 

I emailed my dad and asked if any of his buddies ran down there. My folks retired to Somerset and have made some great friends down there. One of them is Vic Sutton he has lived down there his whole life and also raced at the track
Back in the day! Here is the reply I got back.

Ryan,
Just got off the phone with Vic, he used to run there all the time.
1966 Ford GTA & won 5 weeks in a row, until they brought in a Chrysler product, typewriter drive, on a trailer &
knock him out of contention.
The drag strip is right off of the 914 bypass it is now a Mobile Home Park and the strip is now a street: Dragway Drive.
Vic has pictures you can post if he find them. ???

So I am waiting for pics and waiting for my pops to go steal me that street sign haha!


Dad




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Sorry if you guys are scratching your head over the term "TYPEWRITER DRIVE" , that's what dad refers to as a Mopar with a push button trans. I am sure it's a common phrase but I have only heard my old man and graybeards from his generation refer to it as such.


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No luck on photos of campbellsville dragstrip?

 

Old thread, Sorry to say the only pics I ever got of Campbellsville was long after the track had closed and never got around to pursuing it further.

 

I just found a clipping from a July 1963 Louisville newspaper reporting that Peanuts Moore won top eliminator and stock eliminator honors at Somerset Dragway. It stated that the strip was having drag races every week. Does anyone know when it first opened? Or the year that it closed. I know it was still running in 1970. dragstriplist.com

 

My dad, Paul Clark, grew up in Pulaski/Science Hill and moved to MI permanently in the late 50's. Since then, we've traveled there yearly, as we still have family there. Used to have our family reunions at Burnside Island. I sent him this thread and here's his response; I ran my 53 Olds there in 1958. I remember the track was not level, but was uphill from the starting line...also have a program from the circle track, June 1954. The area where the track was, is now an interchange, but you can not tell there ever was a track there..Emery May with his 56 Bel Air and me with my Olds went to the strip to run our cars, summer 58'.

 

] if you have any pic. of peanut moore's Willis join a group called kentuckyhotrodsof the pastor send them to phillipbuddyadams on facebook]

 

if you are still on here contact me on facebook phillipBuddyadams I live in Crab Orchard

 

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