What track did you grow up going to?

jim goerge · 6/25/13, 1:13 PM

My first race was when I was a year old (guess grandma and grandpa were busy) was at a track less than 2 miles away named speedroam basicly stock cars then Haubstadt opened with super modifieds OMG My dad and I and his buddies went nuts watching them then someone turned us on to sprint cars at THAT and off following the USAC trail we went Remember falling asleep on way home listening to them reliveing the race All started round mid 50;s what great times

sprintcar64 · 6/25/13, 1:31 PM

I grew up going where ever Dad raced. Following CORA and the Buckeye Midgets with the Chevy II then the Speedrome with the VW.

Some of the best memories were going to Mississippi and Tennessee in the late '70s and early '80s and the crowds standing and cheering after hotlaps. The weekend runs up to Michigan to run Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids. All great memories.

Then after my brother started racing sprintcars it was Bloomington, Putnamville, Kokomo every weekend. Then that became Gas City and Putnamville after I started racing.

Now I am lucky to get to 1 or 2 races a year. Thanks for starting this thread, it has been nice to stroll down memory lane.

LB · 6/25/13, 1:57 PM

Olympic stadium in kc mid 60s to 70s on Sunday nights , Fridays at old lakeside , Sedalia for the fair races , the first trip to Knoxville ,and when you went to visit dads parents the one and only ascot ,

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davidm · 6/25/13, 2:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JJMooney

I grew up at Shangri-la Speedway in Owego NY, a half mile paved track in the Southern Tier of NY state near the PA border. Geoff Bodine started his career there. Went to my first race at three months old. My dad crewed/built engines for the Northeast pavement modifieds that raced there in the 60’s and 70’s with drivers such as Mike Zopp, Don Diffendorf, Graeme Bolia, Don Yeingst, Larry Groover, and Brett Bodine.

When I got older, I helped sell welding insurance at the track. For those who have no idea what “welding insurance” is: if you paid two bucks for the insurance and needed the welder to help with repairs on your race car you were covered. If you didn’t have the insurance, you had to pay the track welder’s hourly rate which was something like 10 bucks. That was back in the days before store bought parts. If you broke it-you fixed it, most times at the track in between races. A track welder was pretty popular back in those days.

I had forgotten about welders at the track. I can remember my mom always yelling at me to stop watching the welders that I’d go blind.

Charles Nungester · 6/25/13, 2:12 PM

I can remember early 70s several visits to Lawrenceburg and possibly one to Queen City Speedway (Tri County)

I mostly remember playing with hotwheels on the benches of the old grandstand, The Crows Nest with Burt Swafford terribly misspronouncing names and until recently, I WAS. Krebs, Not CRABS. Salaminto, not SALLAMINO etc.

I remember Butch WIlkerson in a Black Number one and I always cheered for Butch. (Still say hi all the time and am glad for that) Gillstrap, Millburn (Also drove LMS), Krebs, Barr, Salminto, Gaines. Deputy (who I've seen at Paragon a couple times) and a host of others who's names aren't on the top of my head but I'd recognize in a heartbeat.

Remember one night not so much due to the racing but we were tearing down a old chicken coop and I got stung in the leg. (I've always had a bad reaction to stings bellow the waist) We went to the race that night but the fair was on, I didn't feel like hobbling around so we just went in for the racing. I know it was before the feature but from sitting, My leg had swelled four times normal size. Dad hauled me to the hospital.

Once I was liberated (Got my Drivers license) I often hit three our four races a week late 80s early 90s. Union County on Fri night, Florence sat and burg on sunday for LMS and stocks. Was working on a couple stock car teams in the late 80s

Thankfully I am still enjoying racing and almost every race, Dad and I share that passion, Its one of the few things other than fishing and shooting that we talk about regularly. Im thankful for that.

Have fun, Get to a race, Best Family dollar you can spend!

cwfan08 · 6/25/13, 2:18 PM

My first dirt track race was Gas City 1996 I do believe..they re opened after a few years closed..My dad grew up around Anderson Speedway as my great uncle used to build stock cars. I was hooked after seeing sprint cars for the first time..and have been going all over indiana/Ohio since..I went to the indy 500 in the mid 90s but dont remember much of it and went to the first nascar race at indy in 94..i just like dirt better.

Tyler

midgetmaniac · 6/25/13, 2:21 PM

Bloomington-Friday , Paragon-Saturday , always Kokomo on Sunday. Sometimes Putnamville or Lawerenceburg on a Saturday. I have scares and lost a lot of skin on all of those bleachers.

Shawn · 6/25/13, 2:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by racefan20

Started going to Anderson just after high school, absolutely loathed Bob Fields, I cheered for Vic Hellis who graduated HS one year in front of me. Was a big Darwin Blankenship fan too.

Haha! It was quite the rivalry that Selma's Vic Hellis had with Willow Branch's Bob Fields. I always remember that both had beautiful cars. The blue and white Hellis Muffler King #51 of Hellis versus the orange and black Fields Auto Parts #31 of Fields. I almost forgot about #00 of Ray Fullen and Jim Cooper, too. Jim Cooper always drove a #95, sponsored by Car Brite.

I liked ol' Darwin Blakenship, along with Herb Rose. In fact, I didn't really "dislike" any of them, but Bob was just my favorite. I know not many people were a big fan of Bob.

I also liked when they brought in Randy Sweet and CJ Rayburn a few times to try to break the world record. Those cars were WILD, but to a kid, they were so awesome.

410fuelinjected · 6/25/13, 2:49 PM

The original Vallejo Speedway which was about 2 miles from my house. First race was around 1956 with a friend of mine whose dad LR Brown raced at the fastest 1/4 in the west at the time invited me to go along. The track is long gone but it was the place that infused racing into my blood.

hoosier race fan · 6/25/13, 2:55 PM

Montpelier Speedway. My dad and his best friend, who was the driver, built a car in 1985 to race there. '85 is also the year mom was pregnant with me. They won the first race they ever ran, and mom gave birth to me a few weeks later. My chances of not becoming a race fan were slim, but I wouldn't want it any other way. I loved watching the stock cars, and developed my passion for late models growing up there. In the late 90's we started going to Gas City after it reopened on Friday nights, and I began to see that sprints can put on a pretty good show too. Now it's a 2 hour drive to Montpelier, and I don't go every week like I did for 22 years. They don't run my beloved late models anymore, but it is still home. Just looks like a cross dresser when I show up and see midgets instead of the late models. The current owner has done a great job of improving the track though, so I still gladly support the place.

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