History Lost Speedways

Otter Creek Speedway near Vergennes, VT




Today-

 

Hey, Robert, I did a thread about the October "Pines Speedway Reunion" just for YOU! I just bumped it so I hope you can find it.

 

Trenton NJ. Art Pollard's car.

 

Pretty sad to see these tracks abandoned and in many cases they are off the tax rolls and take up many acres. We lost Freeport Stadium in 1983 which is now a Home Depot and Islip at the end of the 1984 season, now a cookie factory and a Golds Gym. Both sites, not a single vestige remains of the race tracks.

There was Westhampton Speedway out east, a fast 1/2 mile banked track which went out in the early 1970s. A portion of it was used for go kart races for a while.

 

Checker Flag Speedway , Windsor Ontario ......opened 1961 , closed 1992 . It was a dirt track at first and then paved 3/8 mile track bringing cars from Southern Ontario and Michigan , It was sold to a housing developer and is now a sub division .

 

Nazereth Speedway Nazereth PA
Mile and a eighth and a half mile dirt, Mile and a eighth was paved

 

One of the readers of my Drag Strip List website told me that his father used to compete in drag races at Eau Gallie Speedway (also known as Melbourne Speedway) in the 1950s. I haven't been able to confirm that drag races were held at that speedway. Since you raced at Melbourne, do you ever recall drag races being held there?

 

Dorsey Speedway.

 

Wow, no mention of the Ontario Motor Speedway out in the left coast.....

 

In '69, when I was helping on a limited sportsman car, they opened the Marlboro oval on Wed. nights for a few weeks. I guess they thought that running Beltsville on Fri. and Old Dominion on Sat wasn't keeping us busy enough. LOL

 

............That's interesting. I never knew about this. Must have been, like you mention, a short term thing. Do you remember anyone else that was ***ociated with the car, owner, driver, other helpers? Any chance you have pictures from back in the day from any of the local area venues?...Thanks, Don.

 

IT's possible they had some type of short strip,drags at some point? I guess on the road leading in to grand stand off main road,but was not very long. About 1/8m mybe,but that would of left zero slowdown room,LOL just p***ed the grandstands going more westword was a swamp nicknamed Gator Gluch that was also just off turn 4. There just was not room any real drags at oval.
There were more Fla. oval tracks,I didn't run on at all,a few did have dragstrips also. An even fewer had sportscar roadraces. Its shocking how many are gone.

 

Billy Goode And Jerry Pridgeon owned the car. Jerry was the driver. I got roped in when Jerry's truck broke down and they needed someone to tow the car from one garage to a new one. Car number was 66. In '68 the car was primer blue with red numbers. That season ended when Jerry stuffed into the turn 3 wall so hard that the right front (borrowed) tire was in the p***enger footwell. In '69 the car was pure white with black letters and sponsored by Windsors Towing. That season ended early when Billy and Jerry got into a an 'I'm not building an engine 'till you do the body work/ I'm not doing the body work 'till you build the engine' ******* contest. Shame too because the car was winning. I've got a copy of the Tri-State Motor News somewhere with a picture of the blue car in the wall and a couple of pictures of the white car on the trailer outside the house. I don't have scanner and have no clue how to post pictures if I did.

The picture from Beltsville is after my time but I recognize the 65 car as Charlie Wearman (sp). On I66 going home from Old Dominion he would be flying low, probably so he could at least get a nap before racing locally in PA on Sun. afternoon. On the track I was always impressed by his ability to stay out of trouble and take care of his equipment.

 

Great stories! Are you still in the Mid-Atlantic area?

 

There was a track in Hudson N.Y. on NY state route 9 closed some time in the 50's

1952


1956


2001


2013

 

Cloverly, Md.

 

There was a track in Hudson N.Y. on NY state route 9 closed some time in the 50's


Looks like there was a
wrecking yard next to it in the 50's too?

 

My uncle Paul who used to work the compe***or's gate looks down what was Windsor Dragway 1968-1971. Now considered "the ghost highway" That runs through the middle of an over grown field.

 

I use to frequent Lake Geneva Raceway in the early years when it was still just a drag strip. The roundy-rounds and kart tracks came later, after my time. Due to marriage and apartment living, etc., I threw away a bunch of trophies I had from there but I happened to come across a remnant from those times. It still has the clear plastic film protecting the front.....

 

I don't know about the wrecking yard.
I have only seen two photographs of the track and a very short 8mm film.
I worked in Hudson for a short time most people did not know there ever was a track in Hudson.
The only information I had was the track is now a Wal-mart. It is not the Wal-mart is across the road.

 

Cut my drag racing teeth at NY's Westhampton 1/4 mile and East Islips 1/8 mile tracks. Attached is the 36 Ford drag car we built as teenagers in my Grandpa's garage. I'm the skinny guyin the middle.

 

Air Base Speedway/Greensville Textile Speedway Greensville S.C.

 

I would give just about anything to see the remains of Western Speedway (also known as Gardena Stadium), in Gardena, CA, in the months and years immediately after the track closed in 1964. Unfortunately, there is a tremendous void of aerial evidence for the area in the 1960s. Southern California, Los Angeles, in general, has virtually no aerial photos from 1962 through 1972. The photos from that 10-year stretch, I fear, have been lost to the ages.

 

Have you tried Historic Aerials? See link

Try entering the address something might come up. That is how I found the track in Hudson N.Y.

https://www.historicaerials.com/

 

I drove past the US30 drag-o-way in York PA on Monday afternoon with a guy that used to go there every weekend when he was young... lots of cool stories followed.
It was, and still is an airport. Cool write up in the link.

http://www.draglist.com/2019/04/11/the-history-of-york-us30-dragway-unfolds/

 

some info here
https://thethirdturn.com/wiki/Gardena_Stadium#tab=Aerial_View

looks like Hot rod did a story on it here
https://www.hotrod.com/articles/hrdp-0710-gardena-speedway-history/

best i can tell this is the address of the old speedway
Gardena Stadium at 139th St. & Western Ave.,
and this is the current satellite view of that address....

 

Typed in the address of Gardena Stadium at https://www.historicaerials.com/ this was the only Aerial photo (from 1963) they start 1952 and end in 2016.

 

A track in Jewett NY (near Windham) ran for just one year after after the war only roadsters. The track was located at county route 23c and Boyscout Rd.

The pits note the car on the left

The start the same car on the left


Almost an Indy car


What was left 1960


Today-

 

Robert, I enjoy info. T/Y for your hard work.
Stretch

 

https://www.pea****tv.com/watch-online/tv/lost-speedways/8244217463726854112

Very good series