My grandpa used to run his Nova there in the late 70's/ early 80's. I can remember a pic of him launching of the line that I thought was the coolest thing in the world. Anybody ever race there or have pix? Thanks for the help and thanks to MBTex for mentioning the name in another post
I have a couple of old posters with images that were taken @ the old track in Dickinson. There is a guy that sells these posters during The DelMar swaps. If you'd like I can snap a couple of pics. and email them to you. -eddie
No pics but in highschool I used to go watch Donnie Gay, a classmate, race there. He had a fairly "pro" car as his whole family was into drag racing back then. We'd give him hell about not winning, but I know we were all envious.
Try this link to the niftee50ees photo album on photobucket. Look at the right hand column close to the bottom and click the link to "speedway houston international". Lots of neat pics. I raced there a few times in the late 70s and early 80s. Bunch of houses there now. http://photobucket.com/albums/y103/Niftee50ees/
yeah-those are super cool! I always thought it was weird that Houston Raceway Park never came up on this board. It's obvious from the dates and the cars that California wasn't the only place traditional hotrodding was going on!
My second drag race ever was at the Gulf Freeway Drag Strip (Dickenson, TX) back in 1957 when Garlits and Langley kicked all the California guys in the butt. My dad had a 6x2 Caddy rail. My hero of that time was Rodney Singer and his blown Caddy rail.
Wow, brings back some memories. I was there the night the Garlits Dart ran. Probably '68 or '69. They had crashed their funny car the weekend before and built the one in the picture from and old dragster chassis and stuck a body on it. I think he was running Don Gay in a best of 3 that night. Garlits was late getting there, something like 3 hours and we waited as the announcer kept telling us about this new car and how fast it was going to be. If I remember correctly, it did not run well. Went to many of the early funny car races there while in high school.
Wow! I met an old timer who used to race there. Man he had some good stories. His name is Bobby Knighton. A real down to earth guy. Still works on rods, too. Lives not far from me.
Dad raced at the Houston Int Dragway back in the 50's/60's. After he passed away in 05, I received a few pics showing him coming off the line in the 34. They got lost somehow, I've searched everywhere but cannot find them. I was just a kid back then but remember that place like it was yesterday. Dad ran a 34 Chevy with 292-6, 5 carbs, and in the 60's, he had a 56 Pontiac with hi-po 389 and a crazy panel paint job. Sometimes he would take his louver press and punch 'em right there. The last time I was there was back in '88. Pics below are all I have of his 34. Wish we could go back to those good ol' days. Mikey www.mikeyspinstriping.com
II have several 100 old shots of the gulf fwy strip from 50's up. Scan the albums to see them all as there are several http://www.hotrodchat.com/gallery/
MBTex has a picture of my dads 65 GTO that says Jim Cannon on the door. My dad used to race all during the 80's at the dickenson track and I have a lot of pictures. For KEV NEMO,What did your grandpa's car look like I might have a picture? I also have a list of the drivers racing for points back then and their car numbers. I still remember a lot of the guys names so I might even know your grandpa. I also used to work at USA SPEED CENTER on South Richey street in Pasadena and most of the guys bought parts there. Troy "cycopiston"
Hello all! I am actually working on putting together a website and documentary on this old track. www.HoustonFreewayDragstrip.com If anyone has any specific information like dates and track details, I would love to hear it! I'm also still looking for detailed information on when the track opened, as well as when it closed. Any help is greatly appreciated!!
as a kid i was there every sat. night with my brother in law as he rad a orange 64 impala and around 69 he started running a dragster,ran that until 72. i wish i could find the car or at least some action shots of it .it was purple and silver fed with just the name "texas rattler" on it in gold leaf. i very clean shart rail. ran a small block from the 64 that was a 350 he put in there. he told me it was c-gas dragster class. i only have two crappy poliroids of the car,they dont scan well. will try to post em . any leads on the car would be great as we would love to find it to buy it or at least know what happened to it . it was too nice for someone to cut up, chrome pont/old rear end and full body ,like i said it was well built and very detailed. it was sold to a guy in bay city tx around 73-74 but my bro-in law cant remember his name. also in the 80s i ran my car there ,a 58 chev. have some fond memories of that place. i really enjoy seeing all the pix thanks for posting.
In the early '60s as a high schooler I worked at South Texas Speed and Custom here in Houston. I worked for co-owners Lin Huiet and Ray Milburn at the shop and Lin also managed the South Texas Dragway. I remember a lot of great times at that strip and saw many of the famous names in the sport. One of the memories was the first attempt at night racing one August night. Lin brought in a big flatbed trailer with huge search lights like they used for advertising. The trailer was parked in back of the start line with the lights shining down the track. It was erie running down a tunnel of light then trying to drive back down the return road into the light.
i guess the track name changed over the time it was open, in the late sixties and 70's it was Houston International Raceway. when 45 had a grass median and a dirt cross over to get in the gate. this thread has me thinking back to seeing art arfons green monster jet car , wheel standers like the little red wagon and some el camino from san antone,cant remember the name? also Gary Wells doing jumps on motorcycles. also the t-shirt and sticker stands with the monster/weirdo car shirts! thank God for class racing![the only way imho] long live the 4 speed!!!
Back in the late '50s, early '60s, Tony Fasulo's Paint and Body Shop in Beaumont owned and sponsored a '57 Chevy C/Gas car. They ran regularly at Dickinson. The car was driven by Glenn "Egghead" English.. The car had a super nice maroon paint job with a matching tow truck.. Tony's personal car was an equally nice '57 hard top, painted the same maroon color.. From what I remember, Tony bought both cars new and the race car was never street driven. I was still in high school during that time and lived a few blocks from Tony's shop.. They worked on the car in the shop after business hours and Tony would let me come in and watch them work.. Fasinating for a 15 year old kid.. Does anyone remember this car or better yet, have some old photos of it?? Rustypile
The Green Mopar in the pictures originally belonged to my cousin Kirwin Darney until it was stolen out of the U of H parking lot. The cops up the country found it out in the national forest , stripped. KJ was going off to Johns Hopkins, so I put the original 383 that was sitting in my garage in it. I put in a three point bolt in roll bar and a van seat... BOOM Instant bracket racer.
Raced there many times from 1965 til it closed. Carl Gay offered to take my 56 chevy to Scottsdale Arizona for the 65 AHRA winter nats. I was 18 he was a very nice man...
The Jalopy Journal
