Roadracing in Birmingham Alabama

[marq]

With a Speed shop in Birmingham Alabama(rocco and Cheaters)it stands to reason that there must have been some fun to be had in the 40's 50's and 60's anyone got any stories to tell or pictures of the time,i'm just trying to collate some history on it..............Marq

[Roadsters.com]

Your Madness:

About all I can offer to be of some use here is to provide these links:

http://www.roadsters.com/vintage/

http://www.roadsters.com/tracks/

[Gracie]

They are still racing at BIR - Birmingham Intl Raceway, and at Holiday Beach Dragstrip and Lassiter Mountain (dragstrip is cut into the side of a hill... really cool) and there are plenty of other little small town dragstrips like Dixie Speedway and the big strip in Steele, Alabama. The only roadracing I know of is done by the moonshiners. At Talladega at the Motorsports Hall of Fame there is a lot of stuff... lots of photos are copies from Sammy's own files. Sammy is the one to ask about local racing since his family has been in the middle of it since the beginning. Lots of great racers are from Birmingham... the Allisons, and Neil Bonnett for starters...

[marq]

When i say roadracing i mean illegal hotrod races held on a public road..............Marq

[k9racer]

One of the better stories is about a man named Litebread Hays from a suburb of B.ham called Adamsville. He was one of the great train racers of all time. The story goes that he would find a old car and see how close you could come in front of the train while going across the crossing with out being hit. He quit one night after loosing or being in a tie. He was hit center and pushed down the tracks about 300 ft. This story was in Clyde Boltons book. There was a lot of street racing at places like Coleburg, lake purdy and a place refered to as the mile at Birmingport.with people being killed at all three.One full mooned night Roy Milligan and Bo Bradey in Charlie Gaults mount had a race in their supercharged hemi powered rail jobs at the mile had a race just for fun. I was witness to this as was a off duty highwaay patrolman from Wylam who went on to be head of the Al. HP now retired. I have other stories I will tell you at R nad C