Ryan submitted a new blog post: The History of Mo-Kan (Part 1) Continue reading the Original Blog Post
One of the real high lights of my summer. Looking forward to this year a whole lot. Thank you very much Ryan. -Dave
Mo-Kan is hands down my favorite dragstrip I've ever been to/shot photos at/raced at (hah...well it's the only one I've raced at). There's really no better place for period-perfect cars than a period-perfect track. Thanks for sharing these @Ryan ... That shot of the all out drag Fiat going up against the streetable 'T' RPU in B/A is so 'bitchin. So much to love in these pictures.
A friend of mine, Roy Goodin, raced at Mo-Kan as a teen back in the early 60's. Had to hide his trophies at his aunt's house to keep his mother from finding out. Trying to get him to make the trip back, maybe this year!
Great story man. Love that place. After the closing of KCIR it's our go-to dragstrip. Going to beat the heck out of our wagon at Mo-Kan when it's finished. Made a little video a few years ago of the hotrod reunion.
Mokan is one of my favorite drag strips. I've been racing there off and on since 1981. So far this year, it's the only strip I've been to. Carl puts on a nostalgia race in April and October. They're fun to go to. In 6 weeks, we'll be there again for the Hamb Drags.
Thanks for sharing your video. What ever happened to the KCIR track? Thought the city gov was all hot to trot to make a new park?
I'm not 100% sure exactly what happened, don't want to speculate, but I believe the plans for a park are in motion already. Pretty sad.
Kansas City International Raceway. It succumbed to folks who moved next to a race track and didn't like the noise. Happened a few years ago. -Dave
Kool stuff, I kinda hate to admit it but I raced at Mokan right after it opened in the early 60s, Man that was along time ago. Saw Benny(two motors)Osborn that's in the photo race there a lot. The man you need to get some photo,s from is Bill Wilbert He has hundreds from the day it opened to up in till the Wilbert,s sold it to Carl.
GREAT old drag strip....If you have not made the HAMB drags this is something you need to put on your bucket list as it is a total BLAST!!!
My dad will be 73 this September so he grew up during the "golden age" of drag racing. He was telling me a while back that he would like to find somewhere this summer to go see some nostalgia racing. I told him I knew just the place and time so this will be our first trip! I can't wait and hope to make it an annual trip!
I grew up in Pittsburg and spent time at MoKan in the early 60's, used to be the place to go to the races. My older brother ran an X/F dragster with a 194 c.i. Pontiac in 1963, I attached a picture of it at MoKan, the Buick hearse in the background was his tow car. Haven't made the HAMB drags and it's only 150 miles, might make it this year.
Nostalgia,it makes me feel....Nostalgic Seriously,I hate change unless necessary and changing MoKan is absolutely not necessary. I drove by there on my way back from a business trip to Little Rock and I was pleasantly surprised to see very little change since my childhood.See you in 6 weeks!
Carl and crew are good folks! That first year they rolled up after shutting down the Friday test n tune and told us to have fun, they would dummy lock the gate in case we had any more folks show up that wanted to camp. Who in their right mind we leave US alone in a dragstrip overnight!?
My dad went to Pitt state in the mid sixties and has told me many cool stories from back in the day, some cousins ran a dragster there for many years. not much has changed. We have gone to the hamb drags four years and will be there again this year!
The Jalopy Journal
