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History Where was the "Paradise Road" in your town?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by lothiandon1940, Feb 13, 2024.

  1. 41 GMC K-18
    Joined: Jun 27, 2019
    Posts: 5,284

    41 GMC K-18
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

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  2. Jagmech
    Joined: Jul 6, 2022
    Posts: 254

    Jagmech

    Quigley Ave., Industrial flats in Cleveland, 70's to early 80's were best, no surprise there , but real world responsibilities kicked in and that was that for me. Last I heard some diehards in the ninties ,but morphed into rice burners and bikes , oh well good times.
     
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  3. crazybob
    Joined: Aug 7, 2007
    Posts: 35

    crazybob
    Member

    In South Jersey it was "Weatherby Road" every Sunday night.
     
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  4. turbo69bird
    Joined: Jul 5, 2009
    Posts: 26

    turbo69bird
    Member
    from CT

    Bristol CT in front of the new departure plant. A subsidiary of GM
    1:4 marked off and everyone from town raced there. The dealers in the 60s drag raced their cars there after hours. In the 80s us kids raced there and thought it’d be the last generation but if you drive up there today there’s still fresh rubber on the starting line so someone is still racing. God blesses them for keeping it going
     
  5. lothiandon1940
    Joined: May 24, 2007
    Posts: 32,505

    lothiandon1940
    Member

  6. Fordors
    Joined: Sep 22, 2016
    Posts: 6,547

    Fordors
    Member

    @lothiandon1940 that photo takes me back to the early ‘70’s in Chicago. There was a former dime store that became a gym, back then it was more about building muscles than fitness. The gym was on Archer Ave. and Archer was a hot bed of cruising in the late ‘60’s on into the ‘70’s and it was in the early ‘70’s that Big Willy was a regular at that gym with his King Daytona parked outside.
    There were a lot of black drag racers in and around Chicago that raced at the track and on the street and no doubt that brought Willy to the Midwest. I don’t remember how long he and Tomika stayed in the area but it must have been at least that whole summer.
     
  7. lothiandon1940
    Joined: May 24, 2007
    Posts: 32,505

    lothiandon1940
    Member

    ....Great story. Thanks for posting. That poster has been on my wall for at least 50 years!:)
     
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  8. For our generation it was on the Albuna town line. I never had anything worth racing, but I did go once to see an early eighties transam racing someone. My memory was that there was alot of swerving in the lane endangering cars way fancier than I could afford. I heard a story about the good old days in the sixties. The boys were racing on a concession road, and the police blocked off both ends, and took their time doling out tickets as they felt appropriate. Then the got to Kurt, who I knew as a bit of a wheeler dealer and face of the Mercury dealership in town- the kind of guy that would flip you for the difference to make a car deal. His car had mysteriously lost the distributor cap, and there was no way he could have been racing. I guess it worked for him that time according to the legend.
     
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  9. modified1927
    Joined: Nov 22, 2007
    Posts: 165

    modified1927
    Member

    My 55 Chevy saw that road a few times before draft notice in 68, quick trip from Hayward
     
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  10. lothiandon1940
    Joined: May 24, 2007
    Posts: 32,505

    lothiandon1940
    Member

    ....Still have any pictures of that '55?
     
  11. southerncad
    Joined: Feb 5, 2008
    Posts: 1,134

    southerncad
    Member

    On the North side of San Antonio, you would roll up to the traffic light on B***e Rd. & Mcullough headed towards the RR tracks right at a 1/4 mile away....and when things were done you could go straight or if there were red lights behind Y'all, one would go straight the other go around the curve to the right to see who was the luckiest....
     
  12. 2devilles
    Joined: Jul 16, 2021
    Posts: 798

    2devilles
    Member

    I grew up in Conrad, Montana, and graduated high school in 1998 (on time, I might add). The Sollid Road went over I15 and out into farmland for miles and miles, with no turns, hills, and most of it without any houses anywhere near by. About 2 miles out we had the 1/4 mile marked with white stripes (it had been that way since the '50s, each new generation knew where it was so we would repaint the lines as necessary)....used to race out there all the time, got caught a couple times but the cops would usually ask who won and send us home with a "warning". Nice to live in a 3,000 person population town....you can see why this was so appealing, and we'd often run to top speed out here...
    Screenshot_20260105-145724_Maps.jpg
     
  13. 49ratfink
    Joined: Feb 8, 2004
    Posts: 25,195

    49ratfink
    Member
    from California

    in my city young people don't seem to streetrace anymore, they just seem to go around on circles drifting. the court where my shop is there is a BIG round area at the end. 100 plus feet across. I can see bits and pieces of them on my camera's as they go around, if my shop was closer to the street I could start a Youtube channel and could probably get 50 video's a month. these *****s even do it in the daytime when cars are parked in the circle. they have been doing it for years and I have only heard one crash as they took off down the street.
     
  14. lostn51
    Joined: Jan 24, 2008
    Posts: 3,444

    lostn51
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Tennessee

    We used to race right around the corner from my house eons ago and that was really nice. Heck we would push my car out of the backyard and down the street before I would fire it up to keep my dad from knowing that I stole my car. I was 14 and had a really nice 63 1/2 Falcon hardtop with a 289 in it. Then we would race on the interstate just over where we cruised on Summer ave which wasn’t bad at all if you didn’t start racing until 2:30am. We always had Presidents Island which was nothing but industrial parks and no traffic so we could bring out the pro cars and the nice trailers. I would disclose the more recent locations we use but I’m in the process of building a nitrous motor for my daily to race there and don’t need to shoot folks in the foot.:D:D
     
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  15. atch
    Joined: Sep 3, 2002
    Posts: 6,445

    atch
    Member

    Sandy Hook International Raceway. At least that's what us locals called it. MO Highway 179. About 15 miles northeast of California, Missouri; my hometown. About 15 miles northwest of Jefferson City, Missouri. About 25 miles southeast of Boonville, Missouri. Over 2 1/2 miles of arrow straight pavement. Probably not over a foot or two difference in elevation in the whole length. At least 20 minutes from the nearest po po. At the north end is the hamlet of Sandy Hook; about three houses.

    There were three places near the edge of California, but if the racing was serious, you went out to Sandy Hook.

    b-t-w; I was a teenager in the 60's.

    Sandy Hook International Raceway1.jpg
     
    Last edited: Jan 6, 2026 at 3:21 PM
  16. In my time, none in my town.

    But we caught the tail end of Big Willies race track at Terminal Island in Long Beach for the last couple of years.
     
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  17. cabong
    Joined: Nov 29, 2005
    Posts: 951

    cabong
    Member

    In the mid peninsula are of the Bay Area, between San Mateo and Half Moon Bay, was a section of Canada Road... Not to be confused with Canada, it was pronounced Canyada Road. Great out of the was spot for racing, and if you lost the race, you could still find "paradise" at the "Pulgas Water Temple".....
     
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  18. tbirddragracer
    Joined: Jul 25, 2013
    Posts: 133

    tbirddragracer
    Member

    Late 50's and early 60's the place to go in Tyler, Texas to prove whose ride was faster,
    was on Old Highway 69 just south of town.
    A mile straight of way called Elkton Flats. Outside of city limits, only Highway cops to watch out for.My car a '53 Ford flathead with dual carbs, mallory ignition, and dual exhaust was not a**** the
    top cars. I had to carefully select my races.
    Ernie
     
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  19. theman440
    Joined: Jun 28, 2012
    Posts: 388

    theman440
    Member
    from Las Vegas

    Puddingstone Dr. It dead ends on the east end at Pomona Raceway and is parallel to Bracket Airport. The starting line was west of Fairplex Dr just past the curve. We even painted the start & finish lines with latex paint & a roller. This was in the mid 80's.
     
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  20. modified1927
    Joined: Nov 22, 2007
    Posts: 165

    modified1927
    Member

    51FCD809-251C-42E3-AB25-6770BA6AAD40.JPG
    Just after I got it, 235 with broken rod. 1965 my dad was a line mechanic at Daily’s Chevrolet in San Leandro, I’d been washing parts for dad on Saturdays since I was about 8-9 knew all the mechanics. They saved all useable warranty parts for me. A 283 was saved for me, Duntov 30/30 cam added and HiPer heads WCFB and corvette p.g. Then 3.73-1 rear added. Picture was me in 1965 I was 16. Wish I still had it, I have to pull up the picture on computer and add it
     
    Last edited: Jan 7, 2026 at 3:22 AM
  21. lothiandon1940
    Joined: May 24, 2007
    Posts: 32,505

    lothiandon1940
    Member

    ....Great story! Love it. Thanks for posting.....Don.
     
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