Enjoying some conversation this past weekend with a couple of my favorite racing people at Kokomo, we were talking about the Action Track. While we all love the fact that Sargeant has kept it going, and we deeply appreciate that, we all kinda feel it doesn’t get the reverence it deserves. Outside of a few of us on here, it’s a rare occasion when someone brings up Terre Haute when talking about great tracks across the country. We all love the place. We all also believe that it should be the location of a giant wingless national event. Let’s hope one of us wins a big lottery so we can get that done. Of course we also wonder why Sprint races there are almost never on a Saturday when more people would be able to attend? And now after it sounds like the State Fairgrounds Mile has finally come to an end, we worry to about this sacred parcel of land as well. I was wondering if Landmark Status would do anything to help insure the Action Track’s future. Lord knows it’s certainly deserving of the title
Me and many of my car club love THAT. It took me years to get to it and I enjoy it very much. I've seen big teams and low budget teams come from deep to top five. A feature race isn't eight minutes long but sometimes a half hour and you have time to look around where certain drivers are and how they are doing. Sometimes it's a heck of a rush to watch a guy come from say sixteenth to third and its also clear the guys who are holding on and those going for everything they can get.
There's a onboard of one of Ballou's races out there that shows him going out to grab the last three inches of moisture next to the wall on the back straight to get a run then diving to make the pass in three.
Hotlaps and qualifying also always a rush, Always someone going into one and
getting on the bike.
Don't get me wrong,, I've seen some of the best closest racing on quarter mile dry slicks. But it's all too common, Watching cars throw into the corner over 100mph and try to make it work. Now thats a treat. 21 second laps at eldora are slow. 21 second laps at THAT take your breath away.
Sadly the last time I was there I got the Dust out sand blasting treatment and couldn't even follow the damn race could only see about a hundred feet either direction and back stretch, forgetabout it.. The other ten visits though. WOW.
Personally I like that they race weds or sundays. And it doesn't seem to hurt the fan or the car count
I love Terre Haute. Being the only dirt half mile, and special shows only, there is always excitement when going there. I just wish the fair board cared more about the place. I was unable to go last Sunday, but sometimes at the early shows the grass hasn't been mowed since the fair in August. In 1975 the Hulman Classic was the Sprint Car race in the country, even bigger than the Knoxville Nationals. Look at the improvements to the facility at Knoxville since, and look at the improvements at Terre Haute since. I can always wonder what could have been. I think Track Enterprises do great with what they have there.
I really like the old place, But have been so dusted out SO many times I wonder if its even worth going there. A couple years ago after Indiana Sprint Week race heard a top USAC driver say That was first time he ever ran a quarter to half thottle cuz he couldn"t see more than 10 ft in front of his car. That was one of two times all I could do was hear the cars go by but not see them (the great Eldora dustout was the other) I had a quarter to a half inch of dust on my cowboy hat when race was over I said then I wouldn"t be back, even if they had a flood that week. WELL my buddy Tony said you wanta try Terra Hate Sunday since been almost 2 weeks since our last race (we were getting racing with draws) So we went, OMG I was SO FREAKING GLAD WE DID. When I first saw the track I thought I walked into Haubstadt, thats how WET the dirt was and smooth, and talk about FAST, ( can see Chuck Amati desribeing it FAST MAN ITS FAST) It was the best I have seen it in 50 years I been there. THANK YOU TRACK CREW and Bob Sargent for putting on a great show. I have never said this before but I even enjoyed the tin tops and Mods, lol If they keep prepareing the track like that I say LONG LIVE THE HALF MILE
I attended my first race at the Terre Haute Action Track in 1970, a USAC sprint race. From 1973 through 1982, I missed (I think) only 3 of the races run at THAT. The promotional team of Bill Hill and Don Smith were legendary and the amount of community involvement was outstanding in the 1970’s. Practically every race during that time was an “event”.
In the 51 years I’ve been going to Terre Haute, I’ve seen some great races and some terrible races. I’ve seen them manage to run races after nearly 4” of rain the night before, and seen the track so dusty they had to cancel/postpone the race. Since the Hill/Smith era ended there have been some good and certainly some not so good promoters. Personally, I’m glad to see TEI keeping the track active, but I fear that with the political climate in Terre Haute, the ActionTrack’s days are numbered.
I enjoy getting over to terra haute for the racing but it also holds a special memory.
A good friend of mine passed around 10-11 yr ago. After he passed his wife came to me and told me his wish was to have his ashes spread at terra haute and would I do it. I told her I would and that I’d ride over when no one was there. So another buddy & I threw him on our bikes and rode over one Sunday. We stopped at several tracks on the way, L-burg, north Vernon, brownstone, Bloomington. When we got to THAT we put him on the track, in the pits, at the pit sign up, concession stand.
I have always loved the track, but it definitely has seen some terrible track conditions plague its success lately. THAT was the first ever track I raced a midget on during the NAMARS sanctioned Hut 100 back in 2000. I wish USAC or even some other organization would still run the Hut 100 there.
Motörhead, bless your friend. I’m sure there’s a number of folks on here that have great memories of the Action Track. Thanks to Dad for taking us, I want to say my first visit there was like 1974 for a Hut Hundred. Seems I remember a yellow midget flipping in turn one, may have been Staab but don’t hold me to that. We were there also in 76 when Opp won the Hulman. In the following 2 years as well. I watched the 78 Classic on Flo last night, great memories. Terre Haute is a track of champions. Foyt, Andretti, Unser’s, Hertabise, the list goes on. I know Knoxville is considered the Capital of Sprint Cars, but I doubt they can roll out a list of all time greats that raced there like this track can.
Back in 2010 we visited Don Smiths Collection in Ripley and the second building was filled with every car he'd ever used for a pace car. Mostly Caddys and Lincoln convertibles We asked him about his days promoting and he said "hell, who could lose with AJ, Unsers, Pancho and the rest of the indy clan running there. I provided the showplace, They put on the show."
This is where I think Indy has totally separated itself from short track racing. Nascars stars are short trackers. Indy, not so much. Maybe why I could care less anymore.
