History What's your favorite old drag strip?

Famosa, and Redding in cali.

 

Bowling Green great atmosphere and great camping

 

i would suggest our local track thornhill in kenton ky....been opened since 53.....normally a 1/4 mile deal ....but they have been slacking off and only doing 1/8 so far this year ...bad points....its in the middle of no where....closest store / gas station is probably 5 miles or so....probably a good half hour to a hotel / motel... would have been cool to see something like this about 15 years ago....as the track still had the clocks instead of the christmas tree......definently old school then ... brandon

 

I LOVE Beech Bend so don't get me wrong BUT it's a HUGE track, set up for hundreds of racers and thousands of spectators. While it does have that old time feel it does not have the "family run", small time, close, homey feel like MoKan.

and who in the world thinks KY is East yet OH is Midwest?? FYI, Beech Bend is WEST of I-75 and most of the tracks (if not all) that are being thrown around in OH are all EAST of I-75.

Something in Western VA or Eastern TN would be centrally located for both the northeast folks and the southeast folks to attend along with folks in the eastern Midwest.

I'll probably attend no matter where it's at

Those are my thoughts for what they're worth.

 

Ditto!!! And I love the idea of the East and West Coast winners facing off at MoKan for the Nationals!

 

There both North, as far as I'm concerned.

We keep it pretty simple around these here parts.

East of the Sabine= Back East
West of El Paso= Out West
South of the Rio Grande= Mejico
North of the Red River= Sooner and Yankee territory

All in good fun. I hope to make it to the "East" event, if it's "central" East. And I hope to make it to one of the big Ohio races in the next year or two!

 

Muncie, Indiana Lots of history. All of the big names used to run there(Garlits, Ivo, Stone Woods & Cook, Ohio George, Moody & Jones etc.) Muncie is a medium sized town, about 60,000, so there are plenty of hotels. Anderson is about 20 miles away with more hotels and the famous Anderson Speedway( formerly Sun Valley Speedway) home of the Little 500 (33 sprint cars on a 1/4 mile high banked oval) I will offer my help if I could be of any service.

 

Byron dragway in 20 some miles south of Rockford, Il. 'cause it's fast and close. It's been around since the 60's. Cordova 'cause its historical and sand blowing across the track makes for "interesting" launches.

 

Another vote for beach bend in Bowling Green KY. Cant go wrong with this place.

 

After thinking long and hard I'll have to go with Beach Bend , Bowling Green Ky

 

Bunker Hill Indiana. RailRoad track on one side of strip and a road crossed it at the fast end. Luckily most cars weren't fast enough to go off the end of track. They are now running 1/8th mile.

 

one that has not been mentioned.ESTA safety park Cicero, NY. Just outside of Syracuse, 45 years old, cool little off the beaten path sorta track. You Yankees may have heard of it.

 

hahaha...Ron,,why go out on a limb?


like everyone said,,,Beech Bend would be awesome,,but i know its not my buisness,,,but the thing i was thinking ,,is that Beech Bend is privatley owned,,and they are used to hosting real big functions ,,i just wonder if it would be cost effective from Ryans standpoint...

 

Kingdon... again...

Video #2 is an arial view... cool stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UmQrqzVTwE&mode=related&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atInDMD-3ic

 

The mobile tower is cool,but seeing the guy temporarily,shut the snack bar trailer,so he could make a pass in his car was the funniest thing ever.Yes they are still operating,Shelton Airport would work too.

 

Bremerton, is a fun and great place to race, especially with the 2 degree down slope at about 3/4 track, good MPH's at Bremerton and you can camp out there as well. I do love Famoso, but it's a long drive.

 

Beach Bend....

 

Growing up in Burbank, my favorite strip was Pikes Peak" err I mean San Fernando Raceway. We called it Pikes Peak because it was uphill. If you went in the high 12s there, you were really going mid 12s at LADS..... I mean Lyon's.

Fernando in the `60s brings back memories of the flagman starter (early), Brownies hamburgers, Ivo, Landy, Tony Nancy and even Brian Wilson (Beach Boys) A small rinky-dink air strip converted to drag strip. No open headers on Sunday `til noon and you could jump class and trophy in more than one. At the end of the day you could turn in your trophy for a free ticket for next week.

Of course at night it was...

 

Island Dragway, Great Meadows, New Jersey Opened in the Summer of 1960. Island was were Garlits made the first run exceeding 200 mph. The track eventualy got left behind by professional racing as speeds got faster, because the shutdown area is notoriously short. Island is still an NHRA strip. Hotels might be an issue, but you should definately look into it.

 

U.S.30 Drag Strip in Indiana. Closed now, but one of the greatest Strips back in the day. Saw the Chi-Town Hustler do some of the most fantasic burnouts there. Also, thats where I first saw Shake,Rattle,Run race, loved it ever since.

...Bruno...

 

suprised nobody mentioned beaversprings here in Pa. has history and one of the best promoters ,beaver bob. that is where the york us 30 reunion is as well as flashback friday and the jalopy showdown drags are. check out the website www.beaversprings.com

 

I too am up for Beaver Springs Dragway. The promoter is easy to work with. They just expanded the spectator parking area. They allow folks to camp on site. There is a great wooded tree line with creeks on both sides of the grounds. They have been running nostalgia events for the past 5+ years and even know how to flag start cars and still give the drivers E.T and MPH slips. The Jalopy Show Down drags in September are sure to be hit. The camp over race events make memories that last a life time! I'm sure Beaver Bob would work you a deal for a two day event if folks would want. A test day on Saturday and then race day on Sunday. Don Garlits himself told Beaver Bob " Never change a thing" because he liked the laid back nostalgic layout of the facilites.

 

How long is Beaver Springs, we were looking for a 1/4 mile.

BB

 

I am with CabrioletHiboy!!!

While my family no longer owns Muncie Dragway, it would be PERFECT for this deal....GREAT history..Garlits, IVO, Prudhomme, McEwen, Gassers, The Little Go, ALL of the West Coast Funny Car match racers, Jeg, Ohio George, KS Pittman, the Gold Cup, ALL of the funny cars, right on the highway, plenty of hotel rooms. Sun Valley, Winchester...man, what a place RIGHT in the middle of hot rodding, customs, sprinters, Indy Cars, midgets, etc!!!

Muncie and Bakersfield!!!!!!

 

FOMOSA................................

Cruiser

 

Brainerd has always been good to me.

 

To bad Winterport Dragway in Maine is an 1/8 mile track.....feels like your already at a H.A.M.B. most weekends.....I also live in maine so I need put in a good word for the little lost in time dragstrip....been around since the sixties and I believe it was a 1/4 mile track back in the day....John

CHECK OUT SOME PICS!!!! http://www.winterportdragway.com/photos15aug06kara.html

http://www.winterportdragway.com/photos15aug06.html

 

I second Eureka in NorCal. I'll actually consider going to California for that.

 

Mountain View Drag Strip (The Sticks) in Wind Gap Pa. Its been closed since 1974. This sunday is the annual reuion at the track. I will be there.

 

I'd have to give a thumbs up for Beech Bend! I was track announcer there several years, I've known the owners for +30 yrs and would be happy to contact . Ryan PM if I could help!
Bobby D.