Thunderbird Raceway- Henderson, Nevada circa 1960

A mere 15 miles from downtown Las Vegas, was a mid-century modern dragstrip known as Thunderbird Raceway (or the Henderson Drag Strip).  In 1958 the City of Henderson provided an old WWII auxiliary runway as area for Southern Nevada’s first true dragstrip, which was located about a mile north of Lake Mead. The track was operated by a local car club called the Southern Nevada Charioteers, a group which was formed back in 1954. The highpoint for the raceway was in 1961, when the AHRA hosted it’s first Winter Nationals in January of that year. Sadly, the track was shut down by 1964 and the new, glitzy Stardust Raceway was built on the edge of Vegas. Enjoy this silent footage of Diggers, Stockers, Hot Rods, and Dragsters all tearing down this now forgotten strip in the desert.