Greetings I've been doing some research on the old long forgotten drag strips in the Phoenix area.I saw a good thread on here this weekend that gave me a lot of info about Froggy Bottom / Perryville. Does anyone recall Deer Valley Drag Strip or maybe it was called Arrowhead Raceway? I saw a brief mention of it in a hot rod magazine recently. Someone said it was near 75th Ave and Deer Valley. Craig
The Deer Valley Airport was built on 482 acres in 1960 as a private facility. A single lO,200-foot long runway was constructed on the site, with the eastern half of the runway also serving as a drag strip. See more at the link: http://www.azdot.gov/MPD/Airport_Development/library/MP_PDF/DVT_MP_02.pdf I lived two miles from the airport (towards Cave Creek Road) from 1995-99, and I never knew its drag racing history...
The airport was the first thing I thought, but when I wrote them, they knew nothing about it. Probably because it was private at the time. It makes sense that it was on a runway, but someone told me it was near where Arrowhead is now. Again, at least you found something that referenced racing there. I haven't found anything else other then talk about it being on the west side. Curious if anyone else knows anything about it.... Thanks
I did find one reference to an Arrowhead Raceway in Glendale, AZ from the 1950s. But just a note that it existed... http://www.autoracingrecords.com/arr/tracks.php?lid=04725 Plus, posted here: http://www.arizonagoldprospectors.com/invision/index.php?/topic/167481-a-few-old-pics-and-memories/ by a guy named Frogmick "Deer Valley didn't last long because of a fatal race accident, lawsuits and insurance problems if I remember right. Then Deer Valley Airport was privately owned and the strip on the north side of the airport land. I can't find anything online about it either." However, my favorite source: http://dragstripdeaths.webs.com/ shows no deaths at Deer Valley, but several at Beeline, PIR and one at Phoenix Dragway in Wittman (plus several in Tucson)
I have worked at a flight school at Deer Valley Airport for the past 8 years (hell, I'm there right now), didn't know about the drag strp.
I've heard of this strip, even seen a trophy from there but still wondered exactly where it was or if it was the airport. Thanks for the info Q.
The first races were held at Luke AFB, then Deer Valley Airport, Then at Perryville (yes where the prison is on I-10 now), after the Nationals after the first Nats were rained out at Kansas...
Did they actually have drag racing at Luke? I heard there was road racing there and drag racing at the auxilary fields. Also, I think Perryville was before Deer Valley.
J.R. Bloome has some picture from events out there that he has in the huge scrap books he takes out to shows. I have seen event coverage in a couple of Hot Rod magazines from the late fifties or early sixties, and it peaked my interest. I started talking about it with Ronnie Olmstead, then he sent me back over to Albert Eschenbaugh. I knew it was at the airport, but was open for just a year or two from about '59-'61 or so. If I think about it in the next couple of days I'll look up which issues have the coverage.
Pretty sure Perryville was more mid fifties. If I'm not completely mistaken, I think that is where they rescheduled the first or second Hot Rod nats when it was rained out in Cordova, Il. Calvin Rice won that one.
O.K.. as long as we're talking old long gone drag strips in the area, has any body heard about "San Tan Dragway" or "Queen Creek Dragway"? Some body in the know was telling me about it, but damnit I forgot who!
I've lived here my whole life and only up until the last 10 years or so have I ever heard "San Tan". Probably because the SanTan mountain area is now built up with freakin' car dealerships and IKEAS? Bahh... Oh, I still call "Piestewa Peak Parkway" SQUAW PEAK PARKWAY. Janet Nepolitano blows! Anyway...when did Perryville dragstrip close?
Any pics or racing action at Deer Valley? I live just a few miles west of there....super cool, old vibe airport (Mike can attest to that). I love the idea of hot rods out there. Why not?
Amen on the Squaw Peak deal brotha! I too had only heard of San Tan field of houses that all look the same reacently too. So it must have been Queen Creek Dragway... Wish I could remember which old timer I was talking to! I'm getting as bad as them. Perryville, as far as I can tell, lasted from about '54 - '59 or so.
There's one pic of Deer Valley here. http://hotrodnostalgia.com/Categories/Columns/hrn04/bnr04phc2.html
I'll dig up the coverage I've found tomorrow. I can scan things at a size less than that of the Queen Mary these days too! Used to be all my scanner was good for was bill boards...
Shrapnal picts are always the best! That was also before they figured out that Albert wasn't quite right enough and would gladly strap in and drive the thing! if my memory serves correct, that explosion might be what landed Albert the job. I'll ask him next time I see him.
If you google "historic aerials", you can find locations and litterally click back in time to find evidence of some of these things. I've found two rows of stripes on one leg of the airfield at Litchfield/Bell and Grand (Luke Aux. 3, old Mel Larson track?, pre Speedworld) and a roadcourse on the field at 163rd and Grand (Luke Aux. 2). Also an intact Beeline. Check it out!
Hey gang! I was purusing the new Rodder's Journal, and came acroos what is possibly the last picture of Don Gartlits running without a blower. Then, reading through the caption I noticed that it mentions him cleaning house at not only Famosa, but at Chandler, AZ. I'm wondering if this is the same strip that I have heard refered to as San Tan or Queen Creek as I mentioned before. Any body with a clue as to where this strip was? Airpark maybe?
I think there were two airfields in that area, one was probably dirt at the time and the other an old Army airfield south west of Chandler. Goodyear AF Aux./Chandler Memorial/Gila River Memorial/Williams Aux. 5. http://www.airfields-freeman.com/AZ/Airfields_AZ_Phoenix_SE.htm#memorial
Chip, While watching an interview or documentary some time back, I also heard Don Garlits' saying that himself about winning in Chandler. My understanding is it was at the airstrip west of Chandler too ( as land, sea air mentions ). About 20 years back, a friend who lived at Stellar air park in Chander took me up for a ride in a little plane and we did a touch and go on that strip. It was pretty overgrown then, not sure what it looks like now. Does anyone know different?
Really strange that you mentioned that. Gary Hudspeth was the one who died in 1970. I moved to Phoenix in '71 and became friends with a guy who owned a '52 Studebaker that Gary ended up with after a couple other in between owners. Gary had loaned it to a friend who broke the rear end, shortly before he was killed. The car then sat in a storage yard for nearly 3 years. My friend and I tried to find the owner, but as it turned out, no one had ever transferred the title, so my friend still legally owned it. Well, I ended up with the car, put in a new rear end and a windshield, then went to the AHRA winternationals at Beeline on won my class. It's the only Beeline trophy I ever kept. Local people may remember the car, as it had a big Superman logo painted on each door. I also owned a different '52 that was a AHRA record holder. I raced that one extensively at several tracks in OH and MI before moving to AZ.
Are you saying that the strip is now part of Stellar? Or, somewhere in between Stellar and downtown Chandler. I hate to dilute the original post about Deer Valley, but this has been curiosity of mine for quite awhile.
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