Favorite track that is no longer around
 

I am stealing this idea from another thread. In there a comment was brought up about tracks that aren't around anymore.

For me Little Springfield. I thank Joe Shaheen so much for that place, sadly Joe passed away and the track was torn down not long after his passing. That track got me addicted to racing. Sadly it was torn down for a freakin Kmart.

Dave Despain asked the question "If you had $100 million dollars and could live out your racing fantasy what would it be? Someone emailed him and said they would buy back the stripmall and rebuild Little Springfield. I didn't catch the name but I was thankful to see that track still have that following after 20+ years of it not being around.

Oddly enough, I am only 29 myself and have been to the Springfield Mile, Knoxville, IMS, Spoonriver, Jacksonville Raceway/Morgan COunty Speedway, Macomb Speedway, Ft. Wayne, and just recently Granite City yet to me none of them come close to Little Springfield.

Re: Favorite track that is no longer around
 

Twin Cities, THAT and Putt LOL

Re: Favorite track that is no longer around
 

16TH STREET:thumb:

Re: Favorite track that is no longer around
 

Langhorne, Pa.

Lynn

Re: Favorite track that is no longer around
 

New Breman. From what I am hearing this track officially joined the list last week via the demolition crew.:(

Re: Favorite track that is no longer around
 

1. Santa Fe Park Speedway

2. New Bremen

3. Dayton Speedway

4. Queen City Speedway

5. Cincinnati Race Bowl

6. 16th Street Speedway (both of them)

7. Loiusville Speedway before they ruined it

Re: Favorite track that is no longer around
 

I have to go with Little Springfield too. I grew up going to that place on Sunday nights. The Kmart was already there. The Walgreens and McDonalds are where the track was. I also have to list Godfrey,Il. It was another little track with a lot of personality. I hope the Action Track doesn't go the same way.

Re: Favorite track that is no longer around
 

1. Warsaw Speedway- what are a beautiful location

2. Avilla Motor Speedway- That was a racy little joint

3. Bryan Motor Speedway- It was a dump but put on some great sprint
car races

I hate to lose any tracks, but these were my favorites

Re: Favorite track that is no longer around
 

Avilla (The dirt version)

Millstream (Saturday night at Eldora, Sunday at Millstream...Those were the weekends)

Eldora (The Earl Baltes version)

Re: Favorite track that is no longer around
 

1)Queen City Speedway

2)16th Street Speedway

3)Millstream Speedway

4)Louisville Speedway

5)67 Raceway Park

Re: Favorite track that is no longer around
 

The late Len Calinoff had a lot of suggestions when he posted on another forum. One of them was to turn the tables and tear down a few strip malls and build race tracks in their place.:thumb:

Re: Favorite track that is no longer around
 

Wow....I know I'll be leav'n some out,But heres just a few.... Old S.J. Spwy..Baylands Rwy Pk...Vallejo Spwy...W.Capitol...Clovis...Kearny Bowl...and mabe just the greatest of all time, "Ascot Park".....Whew!!....What memories they hold......

Re: Favorite track that is no longer around
 

I too miss Little Springfield. I still continue to stop and pee in the former parking lot every year after the Fairgrounds Champ Car race. Godfrey Speedway and St. Charles Speedway (another semi-high banked dirt 1/4 with the board walls) also come to mind...:(

Re: Favorite track that is no longer around
 

16th St speedway!!
On the news last week they were talking about tearing it down. It would cost too much to get rid of all the lead based paint used there to make it cost effective to use it for another purpose. They had some pictures from inside and it looked like the grass had taken back over where the track used to be.

Re: Favorite track that is no longer around
 

Lil' Springfield and Santa Fe. Maybe 16th Street....maybe. :eek:

Re: Favorite track that is no longer around
 

Godfrey, Ill. Only made it there once.

Re: Favorite track that is no longer around
 

The track I miss the most is Penn National, but I'd have to add Reading and Flemington the dirt version to the list.

Re: Favorite track that is no longer around
 

Ascot, West Capitol, Vallejo, and San Jose's three tracks. All California tracks. Ascot they sure used that place every night of the week, with a Slick track on their land!!! Polished Cement with baby powder on it. Man those were the days!!. To teach you how to back it in!! West coast racing.
West Capitol-one mile, half mile, and a quarter mile. all in one.:Steer

Re: Favorite track that is no longer around
 

16th street speedway
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y89...t/IMG00073.jpg
via spring 2007

Re: Favorite track that is no longer around
 

Raceway Park(Blue Island Ill)== Santa Fe Speedway===87th St Speedway===O'Hare Speedway===Mance Park Speedway

Re: Favorite track that is no longer around
 

1). The one mile dirt track at the Fairgrounds in Phoenix.

2). Ascot.

3). The 1/2 mile track at El Centro.

Re: Favorite track that is no longer around
 

http://www.freewebs.com/springfields...tcarphotos.htm.

For all of you old Shaheens speedway fans check out this sight. Really cool old photos of sprints and midgets.

Re: Favorite track that is no longer around
 

My favorite track from the past, that has died and no longer exists:

Putnamville

Jerry

Re: Favorite track that is no longer around
 

Has to be those for me. Those were the two tracks I went to all the time as a kid.

I would have loved to have seen Ascot.

Re: Favorite track that is no longer around
 

Well I guess you never went to Alviso :checkered:or Belmont :checkered:or Whiteman field:checkered: and just shortly gone stockton 99:checkered: spdwy.
Hey AustinSprinter;13831 we are in the same area now. I am from Santa clara (The real silicon valley!)
aXe

Re: Favorite track that is no longer around
 

1. New Bremen (Dirt) & New Bremen (Paved)

2. Tri-County (Dirt) & Later renamed Queen City (Paved)

3. Dayton Speedway

4. Reading Fairgrounds

5. Lawrenceburg (The 1/2 mile - Only saw one race there. It was wild.)

6. Ascot (Never made it out there but all those Cali folks couldn't be wrong.)

7. Lawrenceburg (The 1/4 mile :wink1: )

Re: Favorite track that is no longer around
 

:rolling:Everytime I read this I fall for it. I to for years and years in the 80's went to Lincoln Park on Friday night or Saturday, Late Models ran on Sunday I can not remember. I think it was the best track I have ever been to. If I win the lotto tonight things will be different or go back to the way it was. There is no better seating at any track anywhere. I worked with a lady who was the wife of a Late Model and Mod driver named Larry Taylor who won countless races there. I hated going to work on Monday and hearing how much better those cars where than Sprintcars. They had a match race one night Late Model vs Sprintcar the late model won thank you Terry Shepperd (sp) I lost a bundle of money and pride:emote20: anything I said this is all in fun.

Re: Favorite track that is no longer around
 

There has already been a couple of votes for it, but without hesitation mine is Ascot Park!

Only got to visit a few times before it closed in 1990, but one time we actually saw Evil Knevil making some hot laps in a sprint car, a #56 that I think at the time was Gary Pattersons ride.

Man that was 30 years ago! OMG!

Re: Favorite track that is no longer around
 

Since I have been to 104 tracks that no longer exist I have to break it down. Dirt short track, pavement short track, and special event track. The dirt short track would be Reading, as mentioned by Marv. Reading was simply the greatest dirt track ever. USAC sprinters were incredible there and the weekly modified battles are legendary. Over the years such names that are well known to sprint car fans such as Dick Tobias, Bobby Allen, Kenny Weld, URC champs Dave Kelly & Glenn Fitzcharles competed there with the likes of Gerry Chamberlain, kenny Brightbill, Al Tasnady, Bobby Gerhart (father of the current ARCA star), Harry & Mose Moore, Freddy Adam and many, many others. It was the toughest weekly racing ever seen. The paved short track would be Fulton, N.Y. It has been a dirt track for over 30 years now but the pavement is still there underneath. A 1/3 mile, it is 60 feet wide on the straights and 100 feet wide in the apex of the turns. Weekly fare was the modifieds, and for a time, the mods were paired with the Oswego super modifieds. What a show. Geoff Bodine, Maynard Troyer, Richie Evans, Roger & Merv Treichler, Dutch Hoag in the mods. Nolan Swift, Jim Shampine, Warren Coniam, Norm Mackereth in the supers. Heats, consis, and 30 lap features for $5! And the special events track would be Langhorne. Never saw sprints there but champ cars and modifieds were spectacular. The modified National Open in October was THE race weekend of the year. Great memories!:applaud::thumb:

Re: Favorite track that is no longer around
 

The old (flat) Kokomo Speedway.

Re: Favorite track that is no longer around
 

That is really cool. But have you seen Mr. Backwards and Mr backwards Jr. jump cars. I saw Mr. Backwards Jr. last jump at Bloomington Speedway. All I have to say is where were the parents.:emote20:

Re: Favorite track that is no longer around
 

The 25th St. Speedway in what is now midtown Columbus, Indiana. Even USAC had a midget race there back in the day. This location is now, you guessed it, a shopping mall. Retail heaven.

The dirt version of Tri-County Speedway north of Cincinnati.

Fairgrounds Motor Speedway in Louisville, KY.

The later version of LMS, down by Okolona.

At times I wish that I was old enough to have gone to Jungle Park, but it closed when I was a mere lad.

I miss both 16th St. Speedways, the ballpark and the track that was across the street from IMS.

Re: Favorite track that is no longer around
 

16th Street

Re: Favorite track that is no longer around
 

They actually had three midget races there, Danny. 6/28/63, 8/2/63, and 5/17/64. Three different winners. Who were they?:D

Re: Favorite track that is no longer around
 

Saw Mr. Backward Sr at Paragon, that too was a long long time ago.

I agree, where were the parents! :doh:

But then, Mr. Backwards is one and his son is doing it too! :headbang:

Re: Favorite track that is no longer around
 

67 Raceway Park
Riverside Park,Agawam Massachusetts
Newcastle Motordrome, Australia
Sydney Showground.Australia

Re: Favorite track that is no longer around
 

I'll guess Mel Kenyon for one of them, DC.:thumb:

Re: Favorite track that is no longer around
 

Warsaw! Hands down! Our family has so many memories there!:crying:

Bunker Hill Speedway too! It's still there but I think it's closed!

Re: Favorite track that is no longer around
 

Warsaw!!!! A driver by the name of Dwayne Barker comes to mind?

Re: Favorite track that is no longer around
 

No one has mentioned Sweet Owen Speedway in Patrcksburg IN.

When you drive west from Spencer to Terre Haute on IN46 you can still see what's left of the track I first attended. They had ran sprints there in the past, but eventually moved to Late Models and hobby stocks before closing in the early 80's.

My dad ran there in all the different divisions over the years. After injuries from a sprint car crash there, he didn't race anymore. I remember watching a traveling volkswagen bettle series run there in the late to mid 70's.