Louisa Drag Strip- Louisa, Virginia

Went by the site of the former Louisa Drag Strip a few weeks ago with some guys who raced there in the late 50s and early 60s.
I since have been shown some photos and 8mm films of races there. So now my interest in the track is high.
Do any VA HAMBers have any photos they could post? I would love to see them or maybe hear a story or two.

Confede-Rat26
Shenandoah Valley

 

Here's a photo I took when I was there. This is Pete, the first time he's been on the launch pad in 4o years.

 

one more time. I was hoping some one out there was old enough to have a pic or two.

 

My father Alan Garletts grew up in Harrisonburg,VA. He used to go to the races there from at least 63-66. He passed away Nov. 07 from cancer. My brother and i have come across some of his slide photo's from the track. I'm trying to clean them up now and get them on the computer. Hopefully i'll have some up soon to share with everyone. i know there's some local cars as well as cars from MA,NC,GA. Some car names i've come across are Julie's Body Shop "Little swamp rat", Tommy's Pure Oil "Leaping Liz", Bill Barrnett- Bill's Sunoco, Gene Lunsford- Wayne Jones Ford, Bob Balderson's "Matchbox",Six Sinclair Service- Jack May, "southern Sidewider" Weaver Auto Service, Kenny Renkin- Johnson's Esso, Jake King - Sox & Martin Plymouth, "Daddy Warbucks" Phil Bonner,"dixie twister" Huston Platt, Holyman moody,Mouise Brown- Annabelle Walker Sox & Martin and more. i'm working with beat up slides so it's gong to take me a while. feel free to email me.

 

Still looks like the track is in the middle of nowhere. Why did it close and hey get her opened again !!!

 

Garletts:

I grew up in NoVa, and I remember seeing a 409 Convertible that had "Annabelle Walker" lettered on the side. Same car? The name Mouse Brown is very familiar too, but not sure why

Paul '56 Nomad

 

Mousie Brown was a big time super stock racer around the D.C. area, regular at Aquasco, 75-80, Capitol Raceway. I kinda remember a 62 Bel Air sedan 409 I think he raced out of a Northern Va Chevy dealer, Maybe it was a convertable, been a long time

 

Mousie Brown worked for Rosenthal Chevrolet in Arlington, Virginia back in the day (Annabelle Walker sponsored the car). Rosenthal had quite a connection to drag racing in the 1960's. Gene Altizer from the S&S team worked there too.

-Lee
Atomic Radio
www.atomicpinup.com

 

Here's a picture of one of Mousie's early cars (I think it was taken at Capitol Raceway):



He later ran a Chevelle.

-Lee
Atomic Radio
www.atomicpinup.com

 

Hey Garletts, PLEASE, PLEASE let me see those photos when you get em done!

 

Louisa ran from 59-65 It was a 1/5th mile track. The cars just got too fast for it. If you could see the finish line area you would know why. Less than a 1\10th of mile shut down area.

 

I heard about that track a long time ago but never went there. I'd like to see the pics and hear any more about it. Mike

 

my grandparents might have some literature or photos....they went around to every track in VA right before they got their fueler together just to see what the deal was...and they are the biggest packrats in the world...ill give em a call tonight...

T. Hilton

 

Thanks Tyler. I'd love to see anything you have.

 

Here is a nice Lousia pic

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbi...ack-bikini-gets-love-split-girly-holiday.html

 

Just curious, did the Lees keep any of the old equipment when they were done racing? I really liked the front-motored "Great Expectations" car and wondered what became of it. Mike

 

Roger Sprouse is an expert on Louisa Dragway. He also has a ton of photos from the track. The only problem is I don't think he is into computers...

Garletts, I'd love to see your photos!!!

 

Yes...the car ended up being found in a barn in delaware...Brian Beattie is supposedly restoring it...it was supposed to be finished for bowling green 3 or 4 years ago...you know how them california guys can be....
They still have a house full of parts and a pile of used slicks and nitro barrels that the EPA would flip over (take that enviro tree huggers)...and some cowls and other body panels...The rear engined car my dad drove for them is in Garlit's workshop....supposed to be in the museum soon..hmm..we will see....

T. Hilton

 

It's cool the car is still around anyway. We (Poor Boys, Florida) have our Billetproof coming up in a couple of weeks at Garlits so I'll ask if he'll show me the back-motor car. I'll get pics if possible. Jim and Allison are two of the nicest, most friendly folks I ever met. I'd like to see their scrapbooks...they must have raced every track on the east coast. Mike

 

I called grandaddy tonight...before he got his first dragster from Bilbow he ran a HOT 32 chevy coupe with a 6 carbed oldsmobile....full on show n go racer...he remembered Louisa specifically and might have a couple pics from racing his coupe there....ill update soon with any luck...

T. Hilton

 

Well, I'm the new guy on this thread today. Never raced Louisa myself but knew some who did. Hopefully more of them will come forward to share.
Visited the old LOUISA DRAGWAY site earlier this spring. Have a small bit of LD event advertising and would like to eventually work with others interested in developing a memorial website for this venerable old strip.
There's a lot to learn and a whole lot of folks have got a piece of the story. EVERY piece is important! Hopefully, in due time, we can assemble enough of those pieces to make it interesting for everybody.
I acknowledge ahead of time that not all of its memories are warm and fuzzy, but the goal would be to honor the memory of all who were a part of the LOUISA DRAGWAY scene: staff, drivers, spectators, et al... (Even the lawmen who waited out on old Rt. 22 for the hapless drivers who couldn't get stopped in time and went sliding across the highway!) Yep, there's a lot of little pieces to this big story--and we need to gather as many as we can before more of them are lost to the ages.
Hope I can complement in some small way the hopes of each previous contributor to this forum. Thanks so much for encouraging one another with your memories and interest in this pioneering Virginia drag racing venue.

 

Wow. Im in. I would love to help any way I can. I know quite a few people who raced there. I also have a couple short 8mm films from there that my Brother in Law let me copy. PM me if I can contribute. I have tons of photos and film of the site as it sits today.
What part of VA are you from. Louisa?

 

What treasures those videos must be! Were you able to digitize the 8mm films? Did you learn the year in which they were taken?
(Location? At the foot of the mountains east of Charlottesville)
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I did copy the films to DVD. There are 2 films. One from 64 and the 2nd is 65. Not too bad quality wise. Good shots of the timing stand and also of the pit area. You can see the flagman in most of the starts and also can see the Refreshment stand on the East side of the track. That stand is gone now only the well is left. The stand on the West side is still there but has collapsed. The films are in color also.
Roger Sprouse in Staunton had tons of Louisa photos. If you do not know him let me know and I will take you to him and introduce you. He is real big into local Drag history and would probably like to talk with you about your project.
I live in Shenandoah but work in Waynesboro. (I was born and raised in the Boro.)

 

Anyone remember a 64 Hemi Savoy campaigned by Pettit Bros?

 

Any chance I can get a copy of those converted films?

 

Louisa Dragway update: Its been a while since I posted concerning this old local drag strip. I visited the strip again today and it is in pretty much the same condition as when the last pictures were taken and posted here in 2007. We found part of the timing stand as well as another building that has collapsed. The land surrounding it is for sale (all 297 acres) and is being farmed, mostly for bailing hay. I have permission from the property manager to do some metal detecting there so I am looking forward to finding some artifacts from the drag racing days. I have talked to some other folks who raced here back in the day and it seems that they had some pretty well known racers here including Ronnie Sox and Hubert Platt. I would really enjoy seeing some pictures from the track during its heyday. If anyone can e-mail some pictures or put me in touch with someone who has some pictures I would be very grateful. I will post back if I find anything related to the the tracks operation. I am always looking for flyers, pictures or any other printed material from this old drag strip. Thanks for keeping these old strips alive here on the H.A.M.B.

 

Fascinating thread. Hope more folks come forward with pictures and stories.

 

Mousie Brown is alive and well. I met him and his wife at Colonial Beach and Budds Creek this year. He told me he was planning on attending the drag race reunion in Henderson, Nc. on Oct 18th thur the 20th.
For those that haven't made the Henderson show I recommend it. This will be my 3rd yr....JT