[Rpracing1]

Does anybody out there have any information on the old Evansville Speedrome that is long gone? What they ran, track size, drivers, etc? Was it a popular joint?
Thanks.

[Mud Packer]

Originally Posted by Rpracing1 Does anybody out there have any information on the old Evansville Speedrome that is long gone? What they ran, track size, drivers, etc? Was it a popular joint? Thanks.

I would bet if anyone would it would be either Ronmil or Flatrightrear. They have the pulse on the SW Indiana racing scene.

Can't tell you much about that track but something most people probablly don't know is that Ellis Park -- the horse racing track near Evansville-- had auto races for a year or two in the 1920s. Bill McCoy of Sullivan, Ind., won the first race. When the track was finished, there was a conflict on holding horse races and with the owners needing to take in some money to pay the bills they had auto races.
Was the Evansville Speedrome also the track known as Pride Speedway?
Jim Morrison

[ronmil]

According to Allan E. Brown's book "The History of the American Speedway, Past & Present" the Evansville Speedrome was a 1/5 mile dirt oval which ran from 1948-59. I didn't attend any races there but remember seeing Jack Kochman's Hell Drivers perform there in 1957. Most of the areas name drivers ran there in it's heyday. The Evansville Courier recently ran an item in the Sunday sports section which features results of sporting events from the past. An item mentioned that Don "Snooky" Bullock took the lead on lap three and led the rest of they way in the 25 lap feature. I don't know what he was racing, but Snooky was a leading driver in Dan Tucker's sprint car #76 at Haubstadt in the '60's. Don Nordhorn raced at the Speedrome too. I believe the track was paved and used as a go kart track for a few years in the '60's after Haubstadt opened in 1957.
Pride Speedway or Pride Brothers Speedway is listed in the same book as a half-mile dirt oval in the late 1920's. I found an item about Duke Nalon racing at the Pride Brothers speedway on the internet. I'll try to see if I can provide a link.
I know Dan Tucker, but I haven't talked to him for a long time. He could probably fill us in as could Don Nordhorn.
I believe midgets may have run at the Speedrome fairly regularly.
Sorry I can't be of more help.
By the way, the Speedrome was located where Rafferty's is today.

[ronmil]

Try this link for the Duke Nalon article.
http://www.motorsport.com/news/artic...=42628&FS=HIST

[jim goerge]

The Speedrome was located on Noth Greenriver Road in which is now in the city but then the outshirts. They ran two types of cars back then Modifieds coachs and coupes plus stock cars. Remember they ran on Sunday night and I think the track was a quarter mile high banked clay track they had 2x12;s for the wall in the turns seems like somebody went into the parking lot every night they also ran spectator races too plus midget specials. I was seven are eight when it ran and I thought it was just the coolest thing I ever saw remember a couple drivers names Snooky Bullocks in a #76 and Curly Thornsley #6 and Don Nordhorn in a pink car called the pink lady He later went USAC sprint car raceing My parents and I lived bout 2 miles from the track. Hope this helps out

[derf]

The Evansville Speedrome was a 1/5th mile dirt track. It ran on 2 weekend nights. The cars were old jalopys, and some nights they ran midgets and motorcycles. Some of the drivers were Eddie Daws, Curly Farnsley, Hank Carlisle, Eddie Hickey, Don Nordhorn, Gene Coomes, Ken Coffey, Charlie Simpson, Wes Stafford, Jack Hille, Curt Posey, Francis Dycus, Owen Hill, just to name a few. I was born in 1947 and remember going there as a child and up till the time they closed 1959. June 22, 1956 was my 9th birthday and Eddie Daws won the feature and I got to ride a lap around the track with him. His racer was a 1934 Ford coupe, white in color with a big red 88 on the doors. I sit on his helmet and remember the track being very rough. There were some good racing back in the day and when a car wrecked or stalled the driver got out of it and ran into the end field or jumped over the outside wall because they didn't stop the races. They just raced around you.

[Barney]

I can barely remember from my first few races in 1962 a pink car I think it might of been a midget at Haubstadt. My mom did not like the car very well. I wonder if this could be the same car?

Don Nordhorn in a pink car called the pink lady

[dalemo]

I believe Ron Gerheardt that races a sprint at Haubstadt told me his grandpa was the owner of that track, he could probably tell you more about it

[ivanjerome88]

I believe the Evansville Speedrome was actually west of Green River Road by a few hundred yards down Vogel, atleast by an aerial topo that I saw. Does anybody know where Pride or Pride Brothers Speedway was? There was a track on the SE side of Evansville off of Riverside in the 10's and 20's. Does anybody know anything about that track?