IndianaOpenWheel.com Sprint Car & Midget Racing Forum





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racephoto1 (Offline)
  #11 6/25/13 7:04 AM
In Massachusetts, Norwood Arena, Modifieds(coupes and coaches). Sprint cars, Reading.

Once we moved to Indiana it was IRP, then the USAC trail. Didn't really have a weekly track once we started running sprint cars. As it was called back then, It was the USAC traveling circus. Great times for a teenager though.A lifetime of memories.
3 Likes: BrentTFunk, fish, nathans1012
openwheelKT (Offline)
  #12 6/25/13 7:06 AM
Originally Posted by tntbusco:
Warsaw speedway. It was beautiful overlooking the lake. Sprints late models street stocks. It was great
Better get there early if you want a seat. Sure do miss it.

Posted via Mobile Device
Same for me. Also, add Avilla Speedway. Sadly, that one's gone too.
7 Likes: 1956offy, BrentTFunk, fish, KRJoyce1, nathans1012, short track scott, tntbusco
Tumey's 55 (Offline)
  #13 6/25/13 7:12 AM
I grew up about 15 miles north of Paragon. As a youngster my parents and grandparents would take me to Paragon and Bloomington on a regular basis. That was nearly 50 years ago, hard to believe but true. If my memory serves correctly we would watch guys like Gaines (rooted against him because he won all the time), Beavers, Gilstrap, Rose, Bob Kinser, and many others whose names escape me right now. Got my love of racing from those days.
2 Likes: fish, nathans1012
Tief (Offline)
  #14 6/25/13 7:14 AM
What a great question. I learned what racing was at O'Hare Stadium in Chicago. I remember a hard-nosed promoter/operator whose nickname was "Ham", and a clown named "T-Bone" I think. Also went to a number of races at Waukegan Speedway. Whitey Gerkin is a racer I remember - not many others. My parents were originally from Milwaukee and I'm told I saw my first race at the Milwaukee Mile when I was 1-year old. That's still my "home" track. As a teenager my Dad started taking me to midget races at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie. Still go there a lot too; in fact was just there on Sunday. When I was dating my wife, many times we went to the stock car races at Hales Corners Speedway. Romantic, hey? Went to all of the open-wheel (mostly WoO and Badger Midgets) shows there up until they closed. Good memories.
3 Likes: BrentTFunk, fish, nathans1012
HARFprez (Offline)
  #15 6/25/13 7:16 AM
Danville Il for me also. Growing up in far western Indiana, it was our usual Saturday night destination. It's my first track i remember attending, but have been told i was at the first Hoosier 100 in Sept. 1953, a babe in arms. It was always, and still is, my favorite race of the year because of my dads love for it. Great thread for us oldies but goodies, bob.
5 Likes: BrentTFunk, fish, Indy1808, nathans1012, racing2bwithu2
scottyCbus (Offline)
  #16 6/25/13 7:47 AM
My Uncle would always take me to Paragon with him and sometimes sneak me in the pits hiding in the back seat of his Duster opps did I say that!! He was the Mechanic for Leon Thickstun back in those days! We would also go to races at the Old Laweranceburg Speedway alot. I remember going to Bloomington back then and Haubstadt and sometimes Salem! Those were the days!! Some of the greatest drivers of all time raced back then when I was just a young pup in the late 60's and 70's! Some people on here still think I'm just a pup and that's ok! Makes ya feel alive!!
Likes: nathans1012
Seadog (Offline)
  #17 6/25/13 7:57 AM
Cincinnati Race Bowl, the ORIGINAL 16th Street Speedway (across from IMS), Dayton Speedway, Winchester Speedway, New Bremen Speedway, Salem Speedway. We are talking mid 50's here, AAA and USAC racing. Now they are all gone except for two of them.
6 Likes: BrentTFunk, fish, mtek56, nathans1012, old time Hoosier, RichH
The Old Coyote (Offline)
  #18 6/25/13 8:01 AM
Raceway Park, Blue Island, Illinois.

Real Race Cars Don't Have Fenders!
Ed
4 Likes: BrentTFunk, erich45, fish, nathans1012
illinisprintfan (Offline)
  #19 6/25/13 8:10 AM
I was born in April of 1968, and by June I was a regular at the old San Jose Speedway where they ran super modifieds (called them hardtops) on asphalt. They shut that track down when I was in elementary school, so we started going to the dirt track at the Santa Clara County fairgrounds in San Jose. Sometime in high school I started going to Baylands raceway in Fremont CA.
4 Likes: AustinSprinter, BrentTFunk, fish, nathans1012
davidm (Offline)
  #20 6/25/13 8:18 AM
Hagerstown Raceway in Hagerstown, MD. was were my Dad took me to that first race. I was hooked instantly! Sunday evenings in the summer were mostly spent at this track. When I first started going in the mid sixties they ran super modifieds and semi lates. I got to see the likes of Mitch Smith, Bobby Abel, Dick Tobias, Jan Opperman and Kenny Weld race there on a regular basis as a kid.
5 Likes: BrentTFunk, fish, nathans1012, racephoto1, smith19
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