need pics of Connecticut Dragway

In May or June I'll get to go in to help my old shool do some electric car testing (long story). The track where we do the testing is right next to the old starting line, so....I'll just kinda pull my super stocker (which has "Connecticut Dragway" painted on the door) right onto the line and take a few pics. I ment to last year but I could'nt find my camera. Should be pretty kool though...
-Dean

 

Awesome! Snap some surrounding shots as well if you can! I miss that place!

 

back from the dead with a few more...

 

a couple more.... OK, maybe 1 more and another that I just had to share.

 

Heres my father's 35 when being raced at connecticut dragway,the picture was taken there,this I think was late 70's

 

how do you run no fenders in conn ? i see you in town summer time great car .

 

Once you get your rod registered you can do pretty much whatever you want. I've been driving with open headers, cheater slicks, weak break lights and blinkers that dont really work for two years and never got in trouble...even after driving right in front of cops multiple times. No fenders would have been an issue 30 years ago maybe but not now.
-Dean

 

thanks i guess it is up to the cop . conn drags i think it closed 1979 80 .now it is testing for consumer reports autos

 

i broke a real fast v8 vega there in the summer of 83........wow that was fun times,,wish it was still there

 

Just Joined The Site. Have Seen Many Pics Over The Years Of My Beloved Ct. Dragway, Nice To See More.so Many Memories. Ironicaly,for Those Of You Who Remember What Happened On Easter Sunday In England (darrell Gwynn ), On That Day In 1990 While Living In Colchester Ct. Myself Wife And 2 Kids Drove Over.you Were Still Able To "sneak" In Through The Lower Road Where Those Big Tires Were Lining The Driveway....into Ct. Dragway. I Looked Up That Small Hill Just Inside The Place,at The End Of The Shut Off Area,i Could Almost Hear Them.....damm What A Great Place.we Went Futrher Up The Driveway, Then Stopped.i Pushed My Nose Through The Fence,peered Towards The Timing Tower,tears And All. What A Place,what Memories. Its Cool How You Can Go Through Life,loose Stuff,have Things Stolen From You,but When It Comes To Memories,ya Get To Keep Em' And I Have For Over 4 Decades. Including My "class Winner Connecticut Dragway 1969" Trophy To My Right.
Today,memories Are Still Alive And Well Here. Just Went To Lebanon Valley Last Night For The Divisional To Watch Em' Go,and Hopefully Next Year That Front Engine Dragster Just Outside In The Garage Will Bring So Many Of Those Great Memories Back,this Time In The Most Unique Way.restoring It Slowly But Surely.

Great Site,and Im Happy To Be Here To Enjoy And Share. Larry

 

Welcome ...Ever run at Dover?

 

I think you guys need to go to Winterport Dragway up in Maine. they are having A big to do with the king and Mashall car on july 12. also Ray Helger found an A alter dragster (25 model T 409)from Charlestown R.I.. From what I'm told both cars haven't run in 30+ years. the track is more of an early 50's type an the people are great, can't be beat! Camping at the track is 5.00 bucks A night.

 

I put this in another thread about pictures of Ct dragway --Sorry about about a double post but I thought someone might have an idea.


I have some 8mm movies (not super 8) that I took at the Charleston RI drags and CT drags in the early 60's. I am hesitant to let them out of my hands but also don't want the history they might represent to be lost.

The vehicles I seem to remember but can 't be sure they are on film were the Tasca Ford, Yankee Peddler, a blue pontiac ventura, and Don Gartlets. There also was a little A Gas Angela that was towed by a Ford coupe that broke and the guys run the tow vehicle instead. (That one may have been at Charleston.)

One idea was to transfer them to a CD/DVD but I have no idea how. Time and money are limited so I can't do it myself and can't afford to have someone else do it.
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NH USA I know this is old but give them to me and I will get someone to convert them.


espcecially since theres a pontiac on it.

I own the stephens pontiac RAIV firebird and if anyone has any pics of this car please email me at [email protected].
I will buy them.

Thanks Jeff

 

here's your chance to see them again. if you guys do this could please put them on you tube so we can all see them too. thanks guys QUOTE=NH-USA;4348222]I put this in another thread about pictures of Ct dragway --Sorry about about a double post but I thought someone might have an idea.


I have some 8mm movies (not super 8) that I took at the Charleston RI drags and CT drags in the early 60's. I am hesitant to let them out of my hands but also don't want the history they might represent to be lost.

The vehicles I seem to remember but can 't be sure they are on film were the Tasca Ford, Yankee Peddler, a blue pontiac ventura, and Don Gartlets. There also was a little A Gas Angela that was towed by a Ford coupe that broke and the guys run the tow vehicle instead. (That one may have been at Charleston.)

One idea was to transfer them to a CD/DVD but I have no idea how. Time and money are limited so I can't do it myself and can't afford to have someone else do it.
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Here's a photo of the 1969 Viking Oldsmobile Cutlass W-31 out of Newport R.I. coming down the return track at Connecticut Dragway in the summer of 1969.

 

Wish I could have experienced CT Dragway in its heyday. Unfortunately, I was born near the time they shut the place down. Seeing some of these pics definitely makes me wish there were time machines, or the ability to be born 30 years earlier than i was...

 

Ct. Dragway.....wee willy with a vette powered by a 406 ford.....the front motored dragster that went end over in the lights....a vw and a thunderbolt raced for top elimanator....great place

 

I remember a white 68-72 Corvette that was Chrysler powered. It had a MOPAR rear license plate on it. LOL
How about the Flyin' Robin Cuda, anyone remember that? It had a ramp truck painted to match the Cuda. Those guys still run a gas station in Stratford.
I saw Grumpy with his Camaro race Dyno Don in his Mustang II in 1979. My brother and I were standing on the apron when they went down. Dyno won BTW.
Man, I remember that place like my own backyard growing up. We were there at least 3 weekends a month in the summer when school was out. My brother Gary had a red 69 Dart Swinger 340 with black stripe & black vinyl top at the time, and he would drive it from Bridgeport to the dragstrip, race all day and drive it home. His buddy was Steve Magyar (sp?) who had another 340 Dart. I think it was green.
I would love to see a pic of my brothers Dart at the track. Who ever thought that one day the track would be gone forever? We sure didn't.
I frequent Lebanon Valley now, and it's a GREAT track, but it's about 2-1/2 hours from home where CT Dragway was about an hour & 15 minutes.
God, I miss that place and the fun times we had there every summer.

George Romano

 

A few years ago I was allowed in and took these shots at the track. Don't expect to show up at the gate and get in though!
-Dean

 

I found these a while back.http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=521120&highlight=ct+dragway

 

I think one of the former photographers from Conn is on this site, or the Dover site. Dino?
Conn was a great place, although we only ran there in '68 for their heads up super stock show ( the beginnings of pro stock, really). The great Jon Lundberg announced there that year, and seeing the tower in those more recnet pix brings back memories...if you guys have never heard "The Voice of Drag Racing" announce, you have indeed misssed something special. Not only that, but Jon is a truely wonderful man. We saw Mario Andretti, who was a friend of Marratta's, fly in after qualifying for the Indy 500, for a match race against Frank. Frank drove a Camaro from Norwood Chevy, and Mario a Tasca Ford Mustang. Mario won. We raced against the Yankee Peddler, Tasca Ford, Natick Dodge, Larsen Ford, Bill Jenkins (Terry Hedrick driving the Grump's Camaro), Ed Miller, and many others. It was a great year! I do have some Conn pix, but not many.

 

Sorry, but no pix of CT Dragway, but I remember that strip and Lebanon real well as a kid growing up in Enfield. I raced a 61 Impala with a SBC and then a BBC with a 4 speed. That 61 BubbleTop was my first car back in 1970. Great times!

 

Awesome car! Looks untouched! When was it raced and what class did it run?

It's cool they let you take those shots.

 

scumbagkustoms, type in < Charles Milikan photos> or < connecticut dragway photos> nice stuff from back then.

 

scrumbag customs, google it, of course with those titles.

 

It was the track service car starting in 1961 when the place opened (I have a few pics of it next to the starting line where it was parked every Sunday), and turned into a race car shortly after until around 1970. Ran M/P with a 390 Thunderbird mill, then a 429 Thunderbird. Afterwards it was put back mostly to stock trim for street use. It's currently powered by a correct '68 429 stroked and bored to 506ci.
-Dean

 

Very cool man...

I remember seeing the In-Bomber build posts on the Junior Stock thread a while back. Great job on that preservation! I haven't seen this one before... and it has me stoked!

Great cars with great histories!

Definitely envious!

 

John Hillman's 1967 Oldsmobile 442 W-30 in the pits of Connectcut Dragway, summer of 1969.

 

I'm trying to find any pictures or footage of these two cars that ran at CT Dragway. The first is Bob Bishel's '31 Model A Roadster which ran there in the early 60's when they first opened (also ran at Orange and Charlestown earlier). I started another thread on this car here on the HAMB. The second is Bill Seaquist's '65 Mustang GT350 that ran there in the mid 70's-early 80's. Thanks,
-Dean