I went there many a Friday night when I was in grade school. Clearly remember Dandy Don Klein, pits in the infield, standing starts, and the big one in turn one which ended the standing starts. It seems like there were always cars in the infield being welded on.
Don't forget the beer man on the front stretch selling beer to us 15 year olds. Good times. Jim Thompson was my driver but seemed to always get cheated somehow.
My Dad grew up near by. He gathered crawfish there b4 the track was built. He also sold programs for admission at the track. Yes it was designed for midgets. I remember some really big names in racing. Before cages and fat ass tires.
Besides Little Belleville and Mighty Macon being built specifically for midgets, the original short track at Fairbury, Illinois was also built with midgets being the primary genre. The reason I say "original short track" is because there is/was a 1/2 mile horse track on the Fairbury Fairgrounds that was used fairly extensively for auto racing prior to WW II and the original short track, the aforementioned track that was built for the midgets shortly after WW II, was completely reconfigured sometime back in the 1990's to better accommodate the late models and modified's.
IMHO Mighty Macon is the best outdoor midget track in the Midwest. Little Belleville is generally just as good on any given evening. It would be a huge loss if Little Belleville is allowed to founder and disappear!
Silver Crown Championship Dirt Cars properly driven on a one mile dirt track are classic poetry in motion. Using that analogy, Jack Hewitt is one of the greatest poets of all time.
Originally Posted by 55fan:
Don't forget the beer man on the front stretch selling beer to us 15 year olds. Good times. Jim Thompson was my driver but seemed to always get cheated somehow.
Didn't the beer man push a cart with a wash tub holding the beer and ice?
I'm disguised as a responsible adult!...
