Fading Thunder...Abandoned Racetracks in Virginia and the Carolinas

The pix of the Arena on the Boulevard in Richmond reminded me that where the bridge goes over the tracks, down below (or thereabouts) was Brooks Transfer, which later became Hemingway. I went in the truck shops there back around 1965-1966 with one of the mechanics, Beverly Brooks. He had been working there on a yellow and white Modified #27 owned by Sonny Hutchins (while Sonny was driving the #90 for Junie Donlavey) and driven by Al Grinnan at Beltsville on Wednesday nights and Southside on Friday night. That car later was repainted black and white and became modified #99 at Southside for a short while with the number on the doors inside an exploding star pattern. Sitting next to the #27 in the shop on The Boulevard at Brooks Transfer was and old Earl Moss #300 Modified that had been bought by Sonny, but not worked on yet.

During my 1966 senior year at Teejay, I taught driver education on Saturdays on the Arena grounds on the road complexes surrounding the City of Richmond garage. Heck, I might be in one of the skating pix. That's what we did on Saturday morning sometimes in the 50s.

By the way, the sponsor on the #27 was Piggy's Place.... Sonny's brother. Found this remembrance of Piggy from Style Weekly that might interest you. Names several of Piggy & Sonny's establishments. It follows:

Remembrance: Carl Woodrow "Piggy" Hutchins
1924-2006


As a champion boxer, Hutchins taught young fellas to fight. As a wry club owner, he coaxed couples to dance. And as a beloved "daddy," he showed his blithe daughters how to stand on their own two feet.

Hutchins grew up in Richmond in the post-Depression era, when almost everybody was poor. Fighting with gloves was free. It's how Hutchins made a name for himself as the "most popular boxer" in a 1940 Golden Gloves tourney in Richmond, a win that was followed by a 32-bout winning streak. But coming of age for a good ol' boy meant the marriage of dropping out and signing up. Hutchins joined the U.S. Navy, but he kept on boxing.

He returned to Richmond with wins under his belt and a new kind of confidence. He fancied life as a prizefighter. His class: flyweight. In 1946, he took his chances, training hard in New York City with Chris Dundee, a big-time fight promoter. A broken hand brought Hutchins home. His career of pro and amateur fights boasted 79 wins and just five losses.

"You never get the whole package," Hutchins was fond of saying, as if shrugging off regret, good-humoredly, were the only way to truly live. When he could no longer fight, he began teaching local boys, opening the West End Athletic Club at Second and Broad streets.

Out of the ring, he was anything but regular. He got a hair transplant to mask his baldness, then took great joy in shocking people when it turned out horribly. He played pranks on the unwitting. He had an imaginary friend, Links McFadden, whom he jokingly invoked until his death.

Spanning five decades, Hutchins and his brothers owned and ran some of the most legendary restaurants and clubs in town. First, there was Piggy's at Mulberry and Cary streets. Then there were ventures with his brother Ernest Lloyd "Sonny" Hutchins, a former race-car driver. They included Dino's, The Tiki and The Hut. Most famous, perhaps, and most recent was Piggy's Attache, a restaurant and after-hours club on West Broad Street near Libbie, where Hutchins relished greeting customers in his barbershop-style chair. Piggy's, which started as a tavern in 1968, remained in business until 2002.

"He was just a hell of a boxer and a hell of a guy," says John "Siggy" Chapman, 68. Hutchins taught Chapman how to fight. Throughout his life, people of all sorts gravitated to Hutchins, Chapman says.

Hutchins is survived by his wife, Lottie Loftis Hutchins, and his daughters, Vicki Turner and Toni McCracken, a senior account representative at Style.

Grown men cried at his funeral last week. Friend Hazel Childress smiled. Childress, 80, remembers their last kiss. It was a few weeks ago at the nursing home where she had visited Hutchins twice a week since he'd been ill, she says. Leaving, she bent to kiss him on the cheek, but he stopped her. Childress recalls: "He told me, 'Kiss me on the mouth because I'm telling you goodbye.'" S

 

Hay Dave, Great story there, full of interesting history of one of Richmonds flamboyant familys. those boys sure did know how to have a good time. I enjoyed watching sonny race as he made it look so easy. never met his brother but I like there storys. love the picture and history of the # 27 modified.....Thanks for the history lesson...John

 

While Im thinking about it anybody have any storys about Tommy Ellis??? I remamber racing with him In the limited sportsman class at South Side in 68/maybe 69 we both had 55 chevys. his #4x and my # 87. One race I remember well, Tommy was on the pole and I was outside pole, he was faster than me and I knew it. I was going to stay on his bumper for as long as I could . It went well for about 15 laps. I'm right on his bumper and all of a sudden he turns into the infield comming of turn 2 and I was so close to him I didnt see why he dove to the infield. I looked up and there was a car stalled in the midddle of the track. No time to avoid running square into the back of that car. Man what a crash it knocked me out for a bit and made me sore for a month. It was one of those races as a driver you knew you had something for um but didn't pan out OH WELL! life went on.....

 

Great thread! Let's see more on the early S/S-F/X stuff from the region if anyone has any. Attached are two of my paintings. I'm always looking for new research material for my artwork.
Joel
Race Artist

 

I suppose the biggest local heros would be Sox and Martin who raced out of Greensboro, NC. Pee Wee Wallace raced The Virginian out of Richmond. and Linwood Craft raced a bunch of early cars out of Roanoke, VA. Other early FX cars in VA/NC/SC?

 

does anybody have any info on the drag strip in coeburn va up from lonesome pine speedway you can still see were it was at the lanes are still there

 

There were plenty of S/S-F/X names that drag raced out of NC, SC and VA ... a sort of team car to Sox & Martin in '63 was Larry Wilson's Z-11 that was nearly a twin to the Sox & Martin Hellzapoppin car. This car is now restored by the way. Attached are two more of my art pieces ... the Larry Wilson Z-11 and the Sox & Martin 1965 Paper Tiger.
Joel
www.JFNStudios.net

 

Some other drag racers of note from the region were Kenny Warren's Virginia Twister series of cars, The Big Red Plymouths from Newport News, VA, Richard Petty's 1965 "Outlawed" Barracudas, Jake King's Fords before he started wrenching for Sox & Martin, Carson Hyman in the Bowani Mustang from SC, The Jim Hays Quicksilver Chevelle from Aiken, SC to name just a few.
Joel

 

Attached is the artwork I've recently completed for Nancy Wilson's Henderson, NC gathering next fall. This is a yearly event and it is a good one. I've been doing Nancy's art for a number of years.
Joel

 

Here's a scan that came to me from somewhere that I can't recall ... I'm looking for any information on this publication and photos of similar cars and tracks.
Joel

 

Great looking stuff there Race Artist. What a great time in Automotive history we got to see. thanks for the photos and text. For all you yungins that wern't there back when, This thread is a history lesson in the making. Please take notes ,Ask questions and learn where it all came from. Keep it comming guys .....

 

Thanks John. Nice work that you have also. Yes, the 1950's-early 1970's was a really great time in racing on all fronts. We were very lucky to have seen and participated in it.
Joel

 

Today I found myself traveling from Atlanta to Birmingham, and I took the time to visit the motorsports museum at the Talladega racetrack. And low and behold, what is there on display in the courtyard but the old sand and dirt drags pickup sponsored by Poff's Garage. It was a deep purple colored Chevy truck with the appropriate name, "Statutory Grape."

Dang, I sure didn't expect that, but it was a nice reminder of home.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sheogre/4954852268/

 

Dang, we left out Roy Hill. Sheesh, we're loosing it, fellas.

 

Weird, I was on the phone today with Roddy Moore from Ferrum, VA talking about that very track....

Can you take a picture and post it? That would be much appreciated.

 

I've heard recently that the earliest FX car running in Virginia was Bob Bateman's "Virginia Creeper." Pics anybody? Roddy Moore restored his early '31 roadster, "The Beauty", several years ago. It's the first Hot Rod from Virginia to appear on the cover of Hot Rod magazine, April '61.

 

Big Red machines

 

From the publication FULL THROTLE:

[FONT=Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1][/SIZE][/FONT]​

[FONT=Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]
Old Dominion Speedway - April 1953
Manassas, VA

Pungo Air Force Base - 1955
Pungo, VA

Eastern Dragway - March 1957
Petersburg, VA Mid-summer 1961 NHRA both 1/4 and 1/2 mile.

Roanoke Drag Strip - June 29, 1958
Roanoke, VA NHRA

Tappahannock Dragway - 1958
Jack's Fork, VA

Lakeview Drag Strip - 1958-1959 First full season
Bassett, VA

Virginia International Raceway - 1959
Danville, VA

Hidden Valley Drag Strip - April 18, 1959
Covington, VA

Callaghan Drag Strip - March 8, 1959
Covington, VA

Oak Level Dragstrip - 1960
Oak Level, VA

New London Dragway - 1960 NHRA
New London, VA

Louisa County Dragway - 1960
Louisa, VA

Emporia Dragway - 1961
Emporia, VA

Bristol International Dragway - July 30, 1961
Bristol, TN

Freedom 7 Dragway - 1962
Creeds, VA (Virginia Beach)

Suffolk County Raceway - 1963
Suffolk, VA

Richmond Dragway - May 1964
Richmond, VA

Eastside Speedway - 1964
Waynesboro, VA

Colonial Beach Dragway - 1964
Sterling, VA

Summerduck Dragway - 1965
Culpeper, VA

Cedar Hill's Dragway - 1966
(Big Al's Dragway)
Richlands, VA

Elk Creek Dragway - July 18, 1968
Elk Creek, VA

Lonesome Pine Drag Strip - Closed in 1971
Coeburn, VA

Natural Bridge Drag Strip - 1991
Natural Bridge, VA

Virginia Motorsports Park - 1994
Dinwiddie, VA

Bristol Dragway - 1998
Bristol, TN[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]
[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]OTHER POPULAR DRAG STRIPS FOR VIRGINIANS[/FONT][FONT=Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]

Burlington Drag Strip - 1954
Burlington, NC

Maple Air Force Base - 1955
Elizabeth City, NC

Chester - 1956
Chester, SC

A & H Drag Strip - 1961
Fletcher, NC[/SIZE][/FONT]

 

Heres a pic of the restored roadster at the Detroit show a couple years back:

 

A huge discovery, guys, just in the past couple of days....

We've talked about abandoned, ghost race tracks, but how about early ghost custom cars in the Carolinas and Virginia that have been lost? Slick Patterson's '39 Ford Convertible with the removable Carson-type top was just discovered intact and highly restorable. It is a Richmond, VA- based legendary car.

Here are some sneak pics. Keep your fingers crossed. We're hoping this one gets the full restoration treatment. Only the engine and fender flairs are missing.

 

Hidden Valley Dragstrip (located at the airport), Alleghany, VA, circa 1960.

 

Jake McVey's '32 Ford dragster, 1954, Roanoke, VA. Top speed 112 mph.

 

Thanks. That Big Red '65 car was one of my favorites. Strong NASCAR U/S runner. Here's one of my pictures of the car at the '67 S/S Nationals at Cecil Co., MD.
Joel

 

From Richmond Dragway....

 

Don't know how many of you are familiar with the history of Richmond's Southside Speedway, but it was originally built by Nelson Royall and named Royall Speedway before the property was purchased by JM Wilkinson.

In 1951, talented guitarist "Crazy" Joe Maphis (who would go on to world renowned fame and play on tons of hit records), was performing in Richmond on the Saturday night radio program, the Old Dominion Barn Dance at the Lyric Theater near Capital Square and being broadcast live coast to coast on WRVA Radio's clear channel 50,000 watt "Voice of Virginia" signal.

Maphis fell in love with the local Richmond stock car racing scene as promoted by the Richmond Stock Car Racing Association. In 1951 he recorded a song to the tune of the Hank Snow hit "Moving On" and titled it "RACING AT ROYALL SPEEDWAY."

In the song, are accounts of stock car racers at Royall Speedway (Southside Speedway) who are famed and revered today as real pioneers of the sport. Maphis mentions Little Joe Jernigan (killed at the Speedway not long after), Runt Harris, Sonny Hutchins, Buck Mason, Cal Johnson (puffing on his ever present pipe) and North Carolina driver Buddy Shuman ("an old Tar Heel"), "The Whale" and several other local drivers.

This song is a real treasure and impossible to find. I first heard it played at Southside Speedway around 1964-1965 by the late Eddie Anderson and Joe Kelly, the public address announcers at that time.

I have known Joe for many years. He and wife Ruth host the Richmond radio show "Let's Talk Racing". Joe is also a former motorcycle racer and wonderful historian of Virginia stock car racing.

I happened to run in to Joe and Ruth this past November at the annual celebration of the Historic Stock Car folks at the site of Occoneechee Speedway at Hillsborough, NC. I mentioned the song to Joe and he said he had the 78rpm copy and offered to get me a CD copy. Joe was good to his word. I now have that wonderful old historic song about the early great stock car racers in Richmond.

I tried to post a link on this site to my mp3 music file where I have the song copied, but am too old and technologically ignorant to figure out how to do it. However, I was able to successfully post the link to the song at the wonderful racing site, Stock Car RacersReunion.

If you would like to hear the 1951 recording Racing at Royall Speedway, just click on the link below and when you open the page click again on the link I have posted on the topic to play the actual song. If you're not a member on that site, by the way, you ought to be.

Here's the link to get to the link to play the song:

http://stockcar.racersreunion.com/forum/topics/driving-to-shelby-music


I sure hope it works for you.

 

JOE MAPHIS??? THE GUITAR PLAYER, JOE MAPHIS??? THIS Joe Maphis???!!! THE SAME GUY???

http://www.edroman.com/guitars/mosrite/joemaphis.htm



No, it just can't be!!! The SAME??? Holy smoke, holy smokes, holy smokes, I had no idea. Holy smokes.

Way back when and a long time ago, I was a musician, too. Three albums hang on my wall, one that I played on and two more that I recorded and produced. Thought I knew something about music around the state, but sheesh fellas, I don't know beans.

Holy smokes, holy smokes.... I am sitting here stunned.

Pete
Richmond, VA

 

In addition to his legendary guitar playing, Joe was a fine, fine songwriter. This song has been recorded by everybody who is anybody in country music. Here's a favorite cover by Gram Parsons.

"Dim Lights, Thick Smoke and Loud, Loud Music"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAPUoCDeyXo

 

[/QUOTE]

The car is promoting the WRVA Radio Richmond Old Dominion Barn Dance!

 

Here ya go.

 

How about a great video of famed Virginia stock car driver Paul Radford discussing moonshine running, closing with a great little song?

http://www.blueridgeinstitute.org/moonshine/videoMoonshiner.html