I just met the grandson of CJ,the guy who owned Lions. He's on my sons football team. Does anybody remember who he was? I'm old enough to remember Lions,but I never knew who owned it. My older brother used to take me. It closed when I was still a kid.Loved the Fiats and Anglias. I had a neighbor who raced a Fiat there.He towed it with a Yellow '56 Ford pickup,on a modified boat trailer.Don't suppose anybody remembers him?
C.J. Hart is a legend's legend in the history of drag racing - he opened the first paying drag race at the Santa Ana airport, and continued working with NHRA almost 'til his p***ing. Had the pleasure of shaking his hand at Heartland Park once while he was delivering ice to the tower - even in his 80's he seemed hale'n'hearty.
His grandson told me he once got pulled over in his 80's,driving a motorhome about 80 with a bunch of guns in the back.He asked the cop"what's the f***ing problem?" The cop laughed and let him go! His grandsons name is Kyle Grosky.
I ran an Olds 442 there in the early 70's. GREAT place. They treated us VERY well. Guys would take their cars there for the night races. When that fog came rolling in the ET's would drop by half a second!
I think when this legendary place closed is where most of us tend to stop the era we're all so fond of. http://www.northernthunder.com/lastrace.html I just read this, and it was a total time machine experiance for me. I remeber that article like I read it yesterday, and the sadness as well having never had the chance to see it in person.
I think Lions is why I love the nostalgia drags so much. I remember sitting in the stands with my brother watching the alterds and g***ers. I'll never forget the first time I saw the Little Red Wagon do a wheelie down the track,or the Backup Pickup. Wild Willy Borsh smoking the 1/4. There was a guy who raced a Jeep,stretched,blown,wearing one of those face shields that looked like a lion with whiskers and the two round canisters on it. Piranna,never knew what that thing was. The Flying Dutchman,a Mopar of some kind. An Anglia called "King Kong". Memories!
the cam in my buddy's (chariotshop on here, not sure if he's posted yet) 63 fairlane ran down lions in 68 or so. his dad bought it new, let his buddy run it in his mustang, and now chariotshop has it. he wrenches for myers' studebaker and there's an old studey with a lions decal in the back window. too young myself to do much more than whien about how cool it musta been, but that last race article is killer... as is the commercial for the last race... i just wish hot rod magazine would have printed a picture of the last race night with the article. the 70s cartoon drawings are cool and all, but damn...
Remember him? Hell, how could you forget one of the giants of the sport. A first cl*** guy all the way.
My best friends dad,Rich LeNarz,knew him pretty well.He used to work at Bell Auto Parts,then at Craigar.We used to hand out stuff for him at the drags.
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