First dirt track race for me was 1960 or 61, Devil's Bowl, outside of Staunton, Va., modified "jalopies". Then much better Eastside Speedway, Waynesboro, Va.
We moved to Connecticut in 1966 & I went to 2 races on a paved oval in Danbury, also modified coupes, lost all interest...
Fast forward to 2010, I was living in Colorado, summers on East Coast. I was at a music fest in upstate NY when a friend gave me a Circle Track magazine for an article on Smokey Yunick. It mentioned that Central Pa. had the best dirt winged sprint car scene, was going to South Central Pa. the next day, so I got on the Internet & found a race at little Clinton County track, Patriot/ Empire State Sprints. David Gravel was there (just a beginner then) I was amazed that a guy from a state with zero dirt tracks would come all the way there to compete. When they accelerated out of Turn One, I was hooked! Next race, I flew from Colorado to see National Open at Williams Grove... Sammy Swindell won, followed closely by Lance DeWease. Watched a video of wingless at Kokomo later, liked what I saw...
So the next summer, on my way back East to spend the summer with Mom, saw my first wingless race at Haubstadt, USAC/MSCS event. Loved it, bullring & traditional sprints. Met the Mighty Funk somewhere else in Hoosier Land, I thought it was Putnamville, but he says it was Bloomington...
The rest is history...
