Getting Dirty in the Devil’s Bowl

If your ever down in Mesquite, Texas, there’s a dirt oval track that’s been the home of dirty driving derbies since the 1950s- The Devil’s Bowl Speedway. I just found some great 16mm footage of racing there in 1959 that is worth a look. We’ve said it before, but if you wonder where all the good Ford coupe sheetmetal went, just watch this clip: Tons of channeled, SBC and Hemi-powered A and ’32 coupes going sideways and getting mangled. Watch the guy hit a loose wheel on the track and get his jalopy completely airborne!

Because the film is higher resolution, you can actually make out some neat details on the cars, too…