OK ... I have a Detroit (MI) drag racing history challenge. Before Woodward Ave. Before DD. Before the MHRA track at New Baltimore (aka Motor City). Before Te***seh. Before Ecorse Road. There was a legendary restaurant out on Northwestern Highway (M, M10, US10) named the "Northwestern Drive-in". Many a Saturday night "spontaneous demonstrations of speed" took place there. In fact, after midnight, contestants might show-up with racecars on trailers to - shall we say - smoke a tire or two. The odd car ***le is known to have changed hands there as a result. Ask your dads or grandfathers for remembrances or photos of things that took place there. I'd really like to know exactly where it was and perhaps get photos for the place. Northwestern Drive-in. Let's find out more about it.
Growing up in Detroit I knew about northwestern hwy. but don't recall a drive in restaurant. Most of us on the west side raced on telegraph or "college road" as we called it by the Henry Ford C.C. before they chased us out.
I started racing at 9 mile and Northwestern in late 52.It was the best street racing money could buy. More later.
9 mile and Northwestern drive in was the meeting place of the Michigan Modified Auto Club.(MMAC). At the time Northwestern was kind of a road to no where.It was 4 lanes with about 30 feet of gr*** between the two lanes. The neat thing was every mile was a stop light.9 mile-10 mile-11 mile and - - - -. After club meeting on Tuesday night and a road like this what would you expect. MMAC moved there meeting place and the racing continued on Tuesday nights. There never was racing on Saturday night. Some where around 1954 racing was moved to Thursday night. More?
I have been a member of MMAC since 1953.When I joined we met in a members carpet store on Greenfield. Later we went to the Northwestern Drive in near Southfield and Northwestern. I believe there might have been some racing going on. This was on Tue. nights.
Not in the fifties but in the sixties there used to be a lot of racing on the southern boundry of Detroit Metropolitan Airport. Don't recall the name of the road but it has long been gobbled up with the airport expansionr and runway extensions. Road was probably a mile long with no cross roads with entry off of Middle Belt and again don't recall the name of the road at the other end. Only one or two farm houses on the whole lenght of the road. Action started after midnight mostly on weekends.Not uncommon to have over a hundred cars out there although I don't recal anyone ver getting hurt. Local police (Romulas) often teamed up with the Shierfs Department to seal off both ends of the road and give everyone tickets while working towards each other. Road was lined with No Parking signs and police were fond of giving "Failure to obey posted traffic signs" tickets which meant you had to appear before the judge rather then just pay a no parking ticket. I guess finally people got tired of the round ups and moved on which I'm sure was what the local police and Shierf's Department wanted. Also remember Stecker Road as someone else mentioned.
Northwestern was where the hard core racers hung out. Guys like Gil Khon (Detroit Dragway) Jack Powers (Shinoda&Powers) A/H roadster cl*** winner 55 NHRA nats. Grate Bend KA. Jim Wangers when he worked for Dodge,before he invented the GTO. Tom Poole D/G C/S Bonnieville record holder. Just to name a few. Racers came from as far away as Lansing ,Flint,down river,and Ohio. I have seen as meany as 200 cars racers and folks who came to watch.
Pirate---That was Northline rd.-- Used to race my now Wife's '66 Mustang that Doug Nash built . Crazy times
Northline Road was it! Moved south in 1981 from the downriver area and even though I can picture the areas a lot of the names escape me. Can't be from getting older! If I recall correctly Doug Nash was the first driver of the Little Red Wagon which was originaly intended to be an all out drag car and not the exhibition wheelie car it became famous for. Was at Motor City Dragway when it made some of its first p***es and no one could belie4ve the wheelstands it made that day. Didn't work out as a race car but I guess the re4st is history!
Great stories My John Molnar who's around 70 yr told me stories of racing behind the airport. Not sure if his name rings a bell but he had some bad fords.
My friend John Molnar (not my john molnar)who's around 70 yr told me stories of racing behind the airport. Not sure if his name rings a bell but he had some bad fords.
In Dearborn Mi the late 20s my Grandpa and his pals used to run each other down Ford Rd - it was dirt until the mid 30s when it was paved. He always said racing on that old dirt road was almost the funniest time a boy could have in a car! He ran a '15 Ford T roadster with a Rajo conversion ( the engine was from an ex Dearborn police pursuit car ) Many times they used to hang out on the perimeter of the Ford farmlands and relax after their Motorsport. I am actually in planning stages to get his old roadster back to its late 20s spec - he called the car a jitterbug, probably cause it hopped all over the place at speed on that dirt road.
in the early 60's my uncle was sheriff deputy working western wayne county told me tales of shooting the racers with his radar gun and tell them how fast they were going ... before he was told to ticket racers .. his opinion it was safer for the kids to run out there in the middle of nowhere than race on the street memeory also serves me that there was a road in Livonia that the police used to block off for racing
The road in livonia was Amerhean rd off of Newburgh between 96 and Ann Arbor rd.. Behind the old GM plant...You would see Tommy Foster racing his car
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