Oklahoma drag strips-pictures??

OKC, I hear the circle track is history now.
I think I have some pictures of what was left of the drag strip that I took while I was at one of the NSRA deals in the early 90's, I'll post them if I run across them. My filing system isn't real good (100s of pictures tossed in a drawer).

 

Yea Larry, the dirt track is history, the powers that be could care less about the 2500-3000 people that enjoyed the weekly races that had been run there since the early 60's.

 

Can someone help me with the specific location of Willow Run? I raced there a couple of times in the 70's. I was trying to locate it using Google Maps but I just can't pin it down. I remember there was a creek or river at the end of the track.

 

Robert it's a housing development now, it was the southwest corner of I-40 and Choctaw Rd.

 

I met Jerry Harris at Ardmore Raceway in the late 70s and his two tone Green Dart was damn impressive! I got to go to his race car shop many times after that and those guys were party animals deluxe! Wild, you hear me?!

 

Thanks Mow Too Much! Is there anything left of the track today? As I remember it the track ran south to north, starting line at south end. How far west of Choctaw road was it?

 

There is pictures on the wall at Wesco Classic Chevy Parts in OKC of the state fair grounds drag strip. Not sure if the owner would part or share any of them But its always worth asking.

 

I drove through there about a year ago and really couldn't see much, the track was about 1/8th of a mile west of Choctaw Rd.

 

Do a Google Map search for SE 78th & Choctaw Rd, Oklahoma City, OK. SE 78th was the spectator entrance to the property back in the 80's when the track briefly re-opened. The road actually dead-ends into the treeline that surrounds the creek and the old strip which ran southeast to northwest, between Valley Creek Dr and Dear Meadow Dr, which of course weren't there at the time. When they started building that addition 20 years ago, you could still see the old strip (with a tree growing through it) and bridge over the creek. Now there's nothing left, like so many of Oklahoma's speed palaces (Oklahoma City Fairgrounds Speedway, Jaycees Strip, Tulsa Speedway, Tulsa Speedway 2, Riverside Speedway, Taft Stadium, Faxon Speedway, Dutton Speedway, LA Dragway, I-35 Speedway, Norman Speedway (Goldsby), Hub City Speedway, San Valley Dragstrip, etc.)

HM

 

got no pics but there was a drag strip east of Duncan on Bois D'arc and a little south in the 1960s and 1970s. It was owned by Don Nutt (that was his name - I chit you not). Don was a used car dealer in Duncan for years. the track is still there but no structures remain. A farmer now owns the land and has parked a bunch of farm equipment on the tarmac.

 

Does it run east and west just north of the bypass on the south end of town? I think I know where you're talking about. I had no idea that was an old drag strip.

The strip west of you near Walters was still there a few years ago. Haven't been down that way in a while. The old 1/8th mile LA strip south of Lawton is gone. The last time I was by there the A-frame starter's tower was still standing, but there were homes being built just off of the strip. The adjacent Faxon Speedway dirt track was completely bladed off, including the berm for the grandstands and a house had been built on what was the back straightaway.

The Frederick airport was used frequently as a strip back in the day. The airport is still intact, but I never saw a race there, so I don't know for sure what part they used.

So many memories.

HM

 

The Frederick airport was used frequently as a strip back in the day. The airport is still intact, but I never saw a race there, so I don't know for sure what part they used.

So many memories.

HM[/QUOTE]

I heard they first ran toward the north on the far east taxiway when they first opened.
During the 60's they ran toward the east on the south taxiway (says Image USDA.......on it). When we ran it in the 70's they ran on the same strip from the east to the west.



Still there.



They finally demolished the A-Frame at Faxon.

 

I don't know how to post a Google Map image, but if you'll search Oklahoma City, Council Rd and SW 8th, and pan south on Council until you come to the North Canadian River, then pan left (west), you will see what I believe are the remnants of Sand Valley Dragstrip just north of the river channel. You'll see pavement about 600 ft from Council in the trees and then it opens up and becomes clearly visible until it stops (at a property line?) where there are a bunch of concrete drain culverts. But, if you follow the line on further, you'll see the end of the strip at the next property line.

Nix put on a lot of great shows there. I think we saw the Seaton Shaker there. Saw Kelly Chadwick there.

HM

 

Was the starting line for Sand Valley close to Council Rd or was that the end of the track? I seem to remember at the end of the track was the river.

 

Honestly, I don't remember. But I will find out.

HM

 

Starting line was on west end near the river. End of track was @ Council.

 

This was the view of LA Dragway in about 2009. I thought I had a wider shot that showed the houses that are now sitting adjacent to the strip. Probably just as well as it kinda makes me sick.

We just keep losing them.

 

Didn't Jim Stewart (track owner) build the house?
I know there were greenhouses in the staging lanes for a while.

Is there anything left of Texhoma Motorplex (Walters)?

 

Haven't been by there in a while, but this is what I saw in '09.

 

The Willow Run track is the one I resurected in 1984. It was still in amazingly good shape after almost 20 years of sitting idle. I fought the city to get the permits to reopen and spent 0ver $200,000.00 to put it back together again. We were set to put Oklahoma City back on the drag racing map with commitments from NHRA for a WWCS race, a Super Chevy Sunday event, major sponsorship from Coors for a funny car series and much more. The owners had committed up to 1 million dollars for improvements. We staged a big race to show them the potential and they said go. Unfortunately they got cold feet and backed out in 1985. Very sad and devastating for me. NHRA really wanted this to happen also.

 

Doug, so did the locals.

 

HM, naw it ran north and south and was actually west of the bypass/town and not east as I originally posted (damn my adult ADD!). take Bois D'arc west from the bypass, drop south on 46th (not sure of the mileage) and look for old farm equipment on the east side of the road resting on a 1/4 mile of battered asphalt in a cow pasture and that be it.

 

this is a like a cool thread =)

 

I'm bringing the thread back to the top. I was wondering if anyone has any photos of this Anglia in action.The car was built in Lawton OK raced in early 70's
Thanks zack

 

Would any members have a copy of this pic and can post it?

 

Sent you a PM.