I just thought of another. Opened in 1955 When it first opened It was called Reds Drag Strip. Several names after that. It was located in Dallas Ga. Orignaly Tar and gravel cheap asphalt construction. That became the return road and a good quality asphalt was installed later this was turned to concret.It was running last year ...... Bobby..
How about Greatbend KS?It started back in the 50's.Any of you guys that raced in Salina during KKOA Spectaculer ran on an old strip from the 60's.I'm sure theres others all over KS.These are the only ones that come to mind right now.
Carlsbad Raceway just closed down a few years ago, after having a 40-year run (1964-2004). I hear tell that Samoa Dragstrip <www.samoadragstrip> is now the oldest continuously running drag strip on the West Coast. Carlsbad and Samoa were both nice tracks, as Carlsbad was about 30 feet above Sea Level, and Samoa is right smack on Eureka Bay, probably about 6 or 7 feet above Sea level.
My uncle and a partner opened PITA in 1958, and it ran continuosly until the early 70's. My parents ran the concession stand, and basically I grew up there. I was there every Sunday, and saw many famous cars run, such as Ohio George Montgomery, the Little Red Wagon, both Walt & Art Arfons, the jet cars of Romeo Palamedes, I got to see the formation of the funny cars, loads of gassers, EJ Potter the Michigan madman on his Pontiac powered motorcycle, and on and on. It was a great way for a kid to spend his Sundays, as well as form the foundation for what I do today. The current owner was a regular at the track, and purchased it from my Uncle sometime in the late 70's. It did sit dormant for quite a few years. Somewhere in my family, there are loads of pictures that I am trying to get a hold of, but can't seem to get anybody to fess up that they have them.
Rogersville, Missouri still runs every weekend just had huge event in connection with Car Craft Mag. and OReilly show in Springfield, MO Going back a few years I use to race at Orange County...no not that Orange County...its Orange County VA. Around 61-62 when the bubble top Chevys with 409's were hot stuf, Sox and Martin use to show up... looking back it was not a safe place to race, if you didn't get on the brakes real fast you would end up running thru a fence into the state highway...no sand pit...no lights, did have a flagman, haven't been back there in 30 years..could be a subdivision by now. Oh I ran a super hot '55 Willys sedan...yep flat head red continental 6 cyl....dead stock with slick mud and snow tires on the rear...now thats class
beach bend bowling green ky great little drag strip, remember comercials on t.v. from when i was a kid.
Minnesota Dragways in Coon Rapids, MN is where I got started. It was owned and operated by the Twin Cities Optimist Clubs. It opened in the late 50's and closed about 1968 when Donneybrooke (Brainerd Int'l.) opened. Here's a start line shot of a match race between the Guzler out of Chicago and The Big Wheel dragster from Minneapolis....around 1960.
There's a guy that was the track photographer there for years that sells copies of his old photo's at most of the local swaps. I'm sure he'll be at the roadster's swap in October if you come down for that. I grew up in Coon Rapids. I know when we moved there in 1975 it was still operating. We lived about 4 miles away and on Sunday afternoon's, you could here the fuelers running. The track was still there and being used as the test track for Yamaha Corporation for motorcyles, etc. up until about 3 years ago. The Anoka county compost site is directly behind it. The road into it went directly past the end of the strip. For years when going there to dump stuff, I would look at the track, and it looked like it was still ready to use. Everything was still there, including the timing tower. The surface and return road still looked fresh. Of course now they tore all of it completely out of there and made it a housing development. I always regret not tresspassing and going in there just to look around. I really wish at the end I would have taken my coupe in there to get some shots in front of the tower. It was sad to see it go, but there was no way they ever would have been able to run there again due to development all around. There used to be about 10 junkyards about 1 mile up the road from there. Progress got all those too. I laugh when I think what will work itself to the top in the dirt of those peoples gardens, and how shocked they'll be when they see it. I'm sure none of them know what used to be where they built their new houses.
Nope, don't go out there anymore. too many shootings and such. thought of another old strip was Caddo Mills. I know it was openen in the fifties because they held some national events there in 58-59.
I have ran this old track a few times, what a trip in the time machine. The tming tower is a very old travel trailer. The track is put up and torn down for every race. All volinteer crew. Some of the nicest people you could ever meet. I heard the FAA has closed them down this year. This is from the web, January 2005 "The Dust Devils, recognized by "The Guinness Book Of Records" as the world's oldest and continually operated drag racing club, officially kicked off their historic 51st season at their drag strip at the Inyokern, California Airport last Sunday January 16th. A very healthy car count combined with unseasonably spring like weather, nearing 70 degrees, created good track conditions and very competitive racing. " Craig
Manasas, VA has a crazy lil' 1/8th mile. I think the sign on the tower says "eastcoasts oldest dragstrip".
there use to be a drag strip in oswego, illinois back in the 50's to ??. there are stories here and there about it but i'm not old enough to know what it was really like and i can't find you a pic so knock yourselves out.
Dallas, GA closed last year. It was still an NHRA sanctioned track until the end. Yellow River, another infamous Georgia strip closed years ago, but I heard the asphalt is still there. Now it's the main street in a trailer park. Anybody in the DC area? Is Aquasco still around? I know it's been closed for a long time but I heard the track is still intact.
That's been closed for quite a few years now and is now a tree nursery. Probably soon to be another housing development. Hardly recognize the whole area due to more suburban sprawl. There was a reunion a couple of weekends ago in downtown Oswego. Do a google search on Oswego drag strip and you should find a site that includes pics of Oswego, US 30 and the 1/8 mile Seneca tracks. There has been a reunion in the Spring in Seneca the past few years.
Is there anybody else still alive out there that remembers Circle Dragstrip in Dallas? (circa '59) You could stand around the starting line and the exhaust would blow your pantlegs! Safety Barriers ?? We didn't need no "Stinkin' Safety Barriers!!!! Sure would like to find any info on the car(s) called "Snuff Box".
I was there in 53, was woundering if it was still around. The first drags I ever went to, been hooked ever since.
Hadn't thought about that place in years. It was at the Harry Hines traffic circle or close to it. Used to be an old honky tonk close by too.
Glencoe Alabama had a pretty cool drag strip in the 60's, My father used to take me there when I was a kid. I dont know when the strip closed but it is now called Green Valley Speedway, they have a dirt track on the property now. I looked it up on Google Earth and found that most of the strip is still there, looks like it may have a house or building built on part of it. appaRATus
I don't have any pics, but I do remember the "Snuff Box" Seems like it was a 38 or 39 chevy coupe. Don't know who owned it. Saw it run at Green Valley some back in 65-66 time frame. Don't know anything else about it.
Paradise Drag Strip Calhoun Ga. in operation since 1961. Vintage drag race scheduled for 10/14/06 Rain date 10/21/06 www.PARADISEDRAGSTRIP.NET
Another that I think is still open Is the Sand Mountain Drag strip in northeast Alabama This was open in the early 60s...well I can list a few that are closed that I have attended races at. One is Close to Birmingham Alabama Helena drag strip. The old strip by Montgomery circle track it was also the road to the circle track. Close to huntsville al. Sunset drag strip now a air port, The New Hope strip in the same named comunity. It was about as wide as my driveway, In Ga I went to Houston county dragway close to warner robins, The first drag races held in Georgia were run on the front straightaway of the old lakewood speedway. And yes this was a DIRT DRAG STRIP.. I went to another Dirt Drag strip in the mid 50s close to anniston alabama..Years ago a article was in one of the car mags showing Dirt strips in mexico. Another one closed years ago was In Panama City Fla.. As my old mind thinks of more I will post.. Bobby..
Esta Safety Park in Cicero NY (north of Syracuse) still runs every Sunday. I bought some old mags at the last car show and saw an ad for the track in a '61 magazine - Utica-Rome Speedway used to have a dragway, too - it ran across the turns up the middle of the infield. I think it was finally done away with when they "unpaved" the circle track and put in clay. My friend has a '55 Chevy that ran there when it was an NHRA sanctioned track - flip nose, '57 Pontiac rear, firewall and engine set back, tube front axle, radiused wheel wells, little nerf push bars on the back - a real nice piece. I was at South Butler and unless I didn't go in far enough I couldn't tell where there was much of anything except grassy clearings in the trees.
I have heard of Esta in NY. remember National Speedway on Long Island and how about Dover Drag Strip in Wingdale NY. Closed in 76. I wonder whats there now?
Circle Dragstrip was actually on Goodnight Ln.,just south of Royal Ln. if I remember right.And you are correct,it was close to the Harry Hines Blvd. traffic circle,which it was named for. r.e. "Snuff Box"; I think there were several reincarnations of Snuff Box. The first one that I ever saw was a light brown '49 chevy(cpe I think), that ran off and on at Circle in '59-'60.I think it had an Olds V8 w/2-4's. The most memorable thing for me was that it was a couple of black guys who ran it.That was back when blacks had to ride on the back of the bus and there were seperate dining areas in restaurants. The coolest thing was that we were all just car nuts,and we all talked and raced like there were no differences between us. Motorheads are cool! Yellow Belly got too scary in the late 60's.Good place to get knifed or shot. BTW,have you seen Green Valley recently? I think I found where it was a couple of years ago.It's a housing developement now. Lot's of memories in that valley.I got to run a dragster there at the AHRA Nationals in the early 60's.
Yea, I've been out there. A guy I used to work with owns a house just about where the staging lanes were.
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