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Lost Drag Strips

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by BobG, Nov 30, 2008.

  1. 35touring
    Joined: Dec 4, 2009
    Posts: 462

    35touring
    Member
    from Kentucky

    Post them, was Ray a drag racer?

     
  2. Ray C's son
    Joined: Dec 27, 2009
    Posts: 410

    Ray C's son
    Member

    No, Dad was just a motorhead and chronic tinkerer. He loved anything fast with wheels and loved making it faster, better, nicer. He was like a lot of guys from his era, he could make something out of nothing. He helped other people with their cars but could never afford to race himself. He really liked SCCA racing, but we went to most any racing event. He was a great guy and I miss him every day.

    Anyway, here's all the coordinates that I have:

    Howland, Howland, Ohio: 41.263212,-80.749405

    Meander or Ohio Drag City, Youngstown, Ohio: 41.059749,-80.83099

    Friendship Park, Smithfield, Ohio: 40.291746, -80.781748

    Wayne Trail or Van Wert, Middle Point, Ohio: 40.852757,-84.41813

    Hyde Park, Newark, Ohio: 40.017825,-82.432413

    Shelby County or Pence's, Piqua, Ohio : 40.228092,-84.247085

    Kettlersville, Kettlersville, Ohio: 40.428001,-84.278709

    Beechmont, Cincinnati, Ohio: 39.114629, -84.404140

    Riverside, Proctorville, Ohio: 38.440519,-82.397035

    Raven Rock, Portsmouth, Ohio: 38.714802,-83.052363

    Belpre, Ohio: 39.284683,-81.634354

    Friendship Park isn't an old strip, I think it ran from 1998 to 2003 and I'm not sure I have the right location of the Belpre Dragstrip, but the others are right.
    I'm sure I don't have all of them yet so if anyone knows of any other closed, long gone Ohio dragstrips let me know. I'm pretty sure I'm missing a couple from the Cincinnati area. I'd like to document all of their locations.

    Thanks,
    Kevin
    <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="198"><colgroup><col width="198"></colgroup><tbody><tr height="20"> <td style="height:15.0pt;width:149pt" height="20" width="198">
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  3. easttown
    Joined: Jan 29, 2011
    Posts: 49

    easttown
    Member

    anyone have pictures of Hyde Park Dragstrip in Newark Ohio?..If I got the name right,I raced there in 69 or 70..the pits were carved out of a hill and had several levels...
     
  4. Ray C's son
    Joined: Dec 27, 2009
    Posts: 410

    Ray C's son
    Member

    Hyde Park is under a housing development now. I'd like to see some pics, also.

    Does anyone have any info or pictures on a track in Nicholsville, Ohio?

    I think the track might have been located here: 38.939694,-84.158252

    [​IMG]
     

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    Last edited: May 15, 2011
  5. easttown
    Joined: Jan 29, 2011
    Posts: 49

    easttown
    Member

    found this today
    http://nerkahia.com/newark/hyde-park-dragstrip.html
     
  6. CalGasser
    Joined: Apr 11, 2005
    Posts: 793

    CalGasser
    Member

    Hawaii Raceway Park @ Barber's Point, Oahu circa mid 1960's. As someone mentioned, it shut down in '06 and since then, someone burned the tower.
     

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  7. Ray C's son
    Joined: Dec 27, 2009
    Posts: 410

    Ray C's son
    Member


    First pic is from the webpage taken in '94 and the second is what it looks like today. Looked better as a drag strip, I think. That site also lists the years it was open as 1957 to 1968. This must be a guess on their part, caused you raced there after 1968, correct? They say that the red line on the first pic was the original strip and the blue was after 1962. It says the uphill shutdown area launched a car into a tree so they changed the config so it was a longer hill.

    Kevin
     

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  8. Ray C's son
    Joined: Dec 27, 2009
    Posts: 410

    Ray C's son
    Member

    I don't know why but Howland just interests the shit out of me. Maybe because it closed so long ago (1964) but still survives more or less in it's entirety. It's not like you could trim the weeds, sweep it off and go racing on it but it's mostly all there still. Before long the old peoples community that's next to it now will swallow it up.

    Satellite pic of how it is now. I cropped the end off a little short, the runoff ends up in a parking lot. I'll bet the people on Pineview Drive have no idea that odd pavement in the backyard was a drag strip.

    Kevin
     

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    Last edited: May 16, 2011
  9. Ray C's son
    Joined: Dec 27, 2009
    Posts: 410

    Ray C's son
    Member

    What's left of Wayne Trail/Van Wert dragway. Kind of unique because it had two separate lanes. Closed in 1974, I think. Looked for it a long time and couldn't find it. Had to have help, thanks Claymart.

    Kevin

    Edit: I think it actually closed in the early '80's
     

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    Last edited: May 16, 2011
  10. Ray C's son
    Joined: Dec 27, 2009
    Posts: 410

    Ray C's son
    Member

    Last one for today. Kettlersville today. 1/8 mile track, not sure when it closed. I think I made a mistake on Van Wert in the last post. I think it actually closed in the early '80's. If anyone's got stories or pictures of any of these tracks please post 'em up.

    Kevin
     

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  11. Here's a few shots of the action at Wayne Trail Dragway. I believe the track opened around 1968 and closed, as you stated, in the early '80s. I'm basing that opening date on an old picture I've got somewhere in my collection that shows the ribbon cutting for the grand opening of Van Wert Dragway, as it was originally known.

    One of the owners was a former boss of mine who ran a Chevrolet dealership in the area at the time and he and maybe the Mayor and Police Chief of Van Wert are sitting at the starting line in what I'm guessing was a then new '68 Impala convertible. If I ever find that pic I'll scan an post it, but in the meantime here's some shots from the late '70s. Maybe not all HAMB friendly but pretty representative of the racing at that time.

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  12. A few more from Wayne Trail Dragway.

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  13. MeanGene427
    Joined: Dec 15, 2010
    Posts: 2,307

    MeanGene427
    Member
    from Napa

    HEY!!!

    [​IMG]
     
  14. Wesley
    Joined: Aug 12, 2006
    Posts: 1,670

    Wesley
    Member

    I ran a NHRA divisional at Hallsville in 1998, during the day the racing was great and when the racing was finished at dusk the party was even better. I heard that the track closed around 05, there was a thread on the HAMB for a while trying to get people together to buy it. The track ran down hill to the finish line, then up and over a hill on the shutdown, I got a real butt pucker on my first pass when I creasted the hill only to find out I was almost out of track. Every run after that I was hard on the brakes after I crossed the finish line!
     
  15. callcoy
    Joined: Aug 31, 2008
    Posts: 187

    callcoy
    Member

    Sorry I don't have any pictures, I raced in So-Calif. at Riverside, Lions,Santa Ana,San Gabriel,Fontana,Pomona,OCIR and Colton. I don't think Colton has been mentioned before, it was east of Fontana and was a air strip. Racing had to stop when a plane was to land or take off, the air strip was the drag strip, no taxiway. I worked for C J Hart at Lions (Sundays) and at Riverside, sad to see all gone but Pomona.
     
  16. Ray C's son
    Joined: Dec 27, 2009
    Posts: 410

    Ray C's son
    Member

    Thanks for the pics, Claymart. Did you ever go to Kettlersville? I really have no idea why these old drag strips interest me so much.

    Kevin
     
  17. MoKanMan
    Joined: Aug 15, 2003
    Posts: 223

    MoKanMan
    Member
    from Joplin, MO

    Seems like a lot of tracks in Illinois, Indiana and Ohio had the lanes separated by a strip of grass. I wonder how that got started?
     
  18. TomP64
    Joined: Dec 10, 2008
    Posts: 429

    TomP64
    Member
    from Vancouver

    That's a different Hallsville than the 50's one he mentioned, the old one was down the street a little further.
     
  19. Wesley
    Joined: Aug 12, 2006
    Posts: 1,670

    Wesley
    Member

    Thanks for the update, I had no idea that there had been 2 Hallsville dragstrips.
     
  20. fogs58
    Joined: Jan 14, 2011
    Posts: 135

    fogs58
    Member
    from ooo

    I can remember races there in 1982 and Am pretty sure 83 also.
     
  21. HarryPallenberg
    Joined: Nov 7, 2010
    Posts: 130

    HarryPallenberg
    Member

    Not sure how I just saw this thread... but here is a teaser with Danny & Judy (Mickey Thompson's) son and 1st wife as they walk down the old Lions strip.

    More info here: WEBSITE

    <iframe width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XqwUcQO-9cY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
     
  22. Probably unknown by most here Camp Wheeler in East Macon, GA and Warner Robins International Dragway outside Warner Robins, GA.
     
  23. TomP64
    Joined: Dec 10, 2008
    Posts: 429

    TomP64
    Member
    from Vancouver

    I think that would have been Brasstown drag strip. On Settawig Rd south of 64.

    Anybody know anything about Smoky Mountain drag strip neat Qualla NC ? It's at Thomas Valley Rd and Quinn Holcombe Rd right along the river. Nothing shows on 90's aerial pictures but it's shown on old Topographical maps.

    Second thought, Smoky Mountain is near Dillsboro.
     
    Last edited: May 19, 2011
  24. PVTA Jay
    Joined: Dec 17, 2010
    Posts: 149

    PVTA Jay
    Member

    I remember about when that happened, my brother was there, I was on a ship at the time and didn't hear about it for a couple of months. God did I get drunk after I read his letter, RIP Les
     
  25. PVTA Jay
    Joined: Dec 17, 2010
    Posts: 149

    PVTA Jay
    Member

    I worked at HRP when Stan Adams was managing there, maybe 66-67 time frame, was stationed on a ship in Pearl and used to go out and run front chutes whenever I was in port. Remember Punky Kid Falcon PU, Stan Shiroma, Safari Char and a few others. Sorry to hear about it closing
     
  26. PVTA Jay
    Joined: Dec 17, 2010
    Posts: 149

    PVTA Jay
    Member

    Never went to Pomona, it may as well be idle, only running 2 times a yr.?
     
  27. Ray C's son
    Joined: Dec 27, 2009
    Posts: 410

    Ray C's son
    Member

    Just so you guys in Michigan don't think I overlooked some of your old strips, here's one. Motor City as it is today. Don't know the years of operation. I think it was run by a car club and held some major events there.

    It's here: 42.718171,-82.67431


    Kevin
     

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  28. Ray C's son
    Joined: Dec 27, 2009
    Posts: 410

    Ray C's son
    Member

    Back to Ohio. Shelby County or Pence's Dragway today. Not much left, a gravel pit now. Not sure of the years of operation on this one either. I had a hard time finding this one although a lot of information is out there on it.

    Kevin
     

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  29. Some shots from Connecticut Dragway as it is now (Consumer Reports). I'm friends with the owner and he allowed us in to take shots for a couple hours.
    -Dean
     

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  30. Ray C's son
    Joined: Dec 27, 2009
    Posts: 410

    Ray C's son
    Member

    Beechmont in Cincinnati. Years of operation 1958-1961. Not sure if it was a 1/4 or 1/8 mile track. This one closed even earlier than Howland.
     

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