History Fremont Dragstrip Today Oct 2009! Pics!

Marcus (Maxwedgeheminut) ... that is a pretty cool website ... I really enjoyed checking out all of the old abandoned air-fields in the area ... thanks for sharing!

I totally forgot about the Nimitz Auto Movie Drive-In theater next to the Dragstrip:

A circa 1979 aerial photo looking northwest at Skysailing Airport by Barry Jacobsen.
Note the dragstrip to the right, marked with a closed-runway "X" symbol at the bottom-right of the photo.



A 1984 aerial view by Jim Gillespie looking north at Sky Sailing Airport.



A 1993 USGS aerial photo.
The racetrack had been closed for 4 years at this point, and the furrows cut into it were quite apparent.



A 2003 photo by Jonathan Westerling of the remains of the dragstrip pavement piled at its northern end.​

 

This is how it looked after the track was cut up to prevent "Late Night" runs down the track
My brother took this pic while on patrol(Fremont PD)

 

"> This was my dads from 1983

 

"> And this was mine from 1984. I was 8 years old

 

I remember driving out Cushing or out by the Cement plant further down from where the entrance was with my dad & watching & listening to the cars run. You could hear them run from my parent's house in Warm Springs when I was a kid. In high school we used to go out there and 4wheel, dirt bike & race our trucks down what was left of the track. My dad is an airplane buff & we'd go to the glider airport too & watch them tow the gliders up.

 

Related and Kinda-Related to this post

Related - We raffled off a piece of the strip, donated by Graffiti John, a couple of years ago at our BBQ.

Kinda-Related - Just watching the news and Oakland's Mayor, Ron Dellums, is considering giving the "Sideshows" a staged location to showcase the talent of the local drivers and stop the violence that occurs with these events. Don't laugh, he was serious.

 

Thanks for posting the pics of Fremont as it is now. VERY SAD! My Dad took me out there as a toddler, probably late 50's, early 60's. First we spectated. after awhile (late 60's) we started racing. I remember watching the movies at the drive-in from the pits at night races.

Fremont, which is how everybody knew it, was the home track for our drag club (Hayward Drag Club). I used to tell folks I was practically raised there. We, as a club, would provide personnel to help run the national events. My Pop and I used to work the "Bleach Box" alot. What an awesome place to watch the races from.

I better stop now I'm havin' trouble seein' the monitor. Somethin's in my eyes. Chet Carter was the starter out there when I was spectating and then racing. When the track was closed he gave my Dad his old track jacket. Which I now have after my Dad's passing.

Gotta' go!!! I really can't see anymore.

Thanks for the memories!!!

 

Marcus, that was very cool that you went out and took the pic's. I as a kid spent many hours at the track. If it wasnt on the strip it was next door at the dirt track.

I totally forgot about the drive in until someone mentioned it. I remember you could actually watch the movies from the freeway.

I also have an old program from Baylands from 80's I will show you one day when you come by.

Funny is how I live not 5 min from there and never stop by to take a look.

 

I'm glad you guys enjoy the post.Some great stories for sure.I also have a piece of the asphalt from Fremont.I've been in contact with the Fremont Museum to try and get an exhibit happening.But I would need alot of help to make it happen.Alot of the newbies around here dont even know that Fremont had a World famous racetrack.. and thats just sad..
I was hanging out with legendary Photographer Steve Reyes in Bakersfield over the weekend and that guy had some amazing stories about Fremont as you can imagine.

 

Yeah, I got a piece of the track as well. It's in resin with a ticket stub from the "Last Drag Race". I have some of that asphalt in me too. Took a spill out there on my motorcycle back in about '87, on a Wednesday Grudge Night. The bike and I went through the traps separately. About 120 mph! YEA HAW!!!

 

Lol!! Damn!!

 

Raced there many times, great "air" and good times..........still pisses me off that it's gone!

 

This ones Cool!

 

Man, that's a shame they tore up the track and now NOTHING is there. Although, i would rather have nothing there than say a shopping mall or apartment complex. Still a shame though. Does anyone know WHY they haven't put anything in it's place?? Why it's still a vacant lot?? thanks for the pics....

 

Lots of bad planning and Politics is why the track closed and sits vacant til this day.Pretty much the status quo for Fremont,Ca.It's become a zoo around here these days...

 

I missed out on the whole racing scene in California ! Was too far to go because I live on the East coast . We did have some great tracks here too that are all gone also . The US 30 drag strip that was in Thomasville , Pa. was closed down too way back when . The airport is still there and is used allot . I go by it almost everyday and still look and think of all the great cars that went down that track . Is there a place where you can buy DVDs of the drag racing from the great old race track ? Would love to have some . Thanks for the memories of the greatest time in drag racing history !
Thanks for all the great flicks of the drag strip . The most I have seen of that track was from the movie "Hotrod" that I have on a DVD . That Willys that was blown up got the parts to fix it was from the "Munn Museum" to beat his smart ass kid in the final race ! Kool movie !

RetroJim

 

I still have some pics from Fremont from the 70s when a friend of mine ran a 40 willys pickup named mighty mouse, jim brownin ran a falcon, jim siegler ran a 64 vette, I ran a 65 mustang fastback an a 57 chevy wagon, that is when Harold Souza ran the funny car. and oh yes I still have some of my trophies from fremont, an St Louis International in MO, and Mid America in Wentzville Mo.

 

Yep ... and some of us animals figured out how to escape from the zoo!

Speaking of animals ... back in the day, HAMBer fremont32 & his family owned a hog farm near the track ... I sure wish I could get him to share some info / pics of the dragstrip in the early days (1959 thru the mid '60s).

 

Yup, I commuted from Gilroy to Milpitas for years then moved out of CA in 2002 and no regrets

 

Believe me, If I could move, I would...
I'd love to see any old pics of Fremont from the 50's and 60's.

 

Wednesday night grudge races!!!! About 7 of us used to go. I will scan the pics and post tomorrow.

If the economy keeps going bad maybe the companies will move oversees and the dragstrip can reopen.

Check the HAMB'odex for pavers.

B

 

Hell Yeah!!! I think it was $6 to race on Wed Nights..

 

I'll try and dig up some pics I took around '83-'84.
I THINK I know where they are.......

 

That was the first drag strip I ever went too. When I heard it was gonna close I went as much as I could that last season too. Closing down race tracks is a mistake.

I grew up in Los Altos all the way across the bay from Fremont… but I could hear them running at night anyway… I know because when they closed it down… the sounds of racing cars I was hearing just stopped.

 

A couple of my buddies & I went to the last race in 88 seen speedway bikes on wed,drags thur.fri.& sat.sprint cars sat.nite,toss in a good mex.resturant,seen the 'HOT ROD WILLYS' make it's debut only to barrel roll at half track,& to top it off seen on the news the night before we were to come home, the plane in hawai that lost it's roof, we talked about taking a bus back to PA. never forget that trip, such a shame for a complex like that.

 

Hey Marcus!

Got your PM. I'll see what pics I can find. I posted a few on the "Drag Cars In Motion" post.

Rick Finch talked about the great "air" at Fremomt. I remember stories that the East Coast racers hated when Fremont would hold "Record' meets. The "air" was so good that the records would get "buried".

I remember at day during a Top Fuel meet, real Fuelers with the engine in front, that a confused pilot missed the runway at the Glider Port and landed on the end of the strip. There were two fuelers staged and ready to go when this knucklehead landed. The ex's painted in each lane after the traps are there to inform pilots they should NOT land there. That could have been real exciting for the pilot, a 200 mph fueler under each wing. Crazy Stuff!!!

I have heard that one of the track operators, I won't mention any names, polluted the property. Instead of properly disposing of the oil drums that used to be scattered about the pits, he just buried the full drums on the property. Also rumors are that he buried the wrecks from the "Demo Derby's" as well. The story is that it would cost BIG $$$ to clean up the property. That's why Southern Pacific has done little to nothing concerning the property.

It's late gotta' go now! Kinda' fun relivin' this old stuff! Thanks again, Marcus.

Later! Have A Great Day!!!

 

dammmm ,good times .......

 

Thought that you guys might be interested in this.