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History Old drag strips texas, name them

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Tinker51, Jan 26, 2009.

  1. Sixness
    Joined: Nov 10, 2008
    Posts: 137

    Sixness
    Member
    from Cen Tex


    Talked to a old friend in Pasadena,Tx last night and he told me Karol took (DROVE) the 56 Ford to Bonneville, put on the tires,headers out through the front fenders and ran 156 mph and ended up working for FMC and had a hand in the development of the Ford Cleveland motor. Don't know about the FMC job as being true but remember seeing something in Hot Rod Mag. about the 56 Ford at Bonneville when he described it to me.
     
  2. Herdez
    Joined: Feb 21, 2007
    Posts: 357

    Herdez
    Member

    [​IMG]
    I did a google search on Karol Miller and yes someone blogged about him. Heres the link and great story. click!
     
  3. There's a long story about him here on the HAMB. Was just before Christmas. It was amazing! Yeah, he drove it out there. Apparently never gave it a thought about something breaking and worryin' how to get it home. I posted that story over on Yblocksforever.com and there's a couple of guys there that still communicate with him ... Ted Eaton & Hoosier Hurricane there know him .. Just blows me away ...
     
  4. Sixness
    Joined: Nov 10, 2008
    Posts: 137

    Sixness
    Member
    from Cen Tex

    I always heard about "The Blimp Base" in Hitchcock, Tx between Houston and Galveston. I never went down there and don't remember what kind of racing went on there. Does anyone remember anything about this race track ??
     
  5. roadster-racer
    Joined: Feb 7, 2006
    Posts: 100

    roadster-racer
    Member
    from Austin, TX

    Wierdest old drag strip I recall was out near Commerce in East Texas, paved with torn-off asphalt roofing shingles. Pretty good traction for the amount of power that any of us had back 40 or 50 years ago. Austin Raceway Park was the track just west of I-35 near FM 1325 north of Austin. The 50 year old track once known as Temple Academy (located in Little River/Academy and long nicknamed 'the River') is now known as Little River Dragway and is still a cool place to run. And nobody has mentioned yet the venerable and very much still in operation Texas Raceway out in Kennedale, run by the daughter of the late Bill Hielsher (who took over Green Valley from Mr. McClure who built it in the field of his dairy farm). The Valley is now just a residential sub-division in the endless suburbs northeast of Fort Worth.

    And, Charles, thanks for starting this thread. Lotsa great memories on here.
     
  6. Road King
    Joined: Dec 11, 2007
    Posts: 20

    Road King
    Member

    Sixness,
    I was at the blimp base many times . First time cars were raced there would be when the owner, John Mecum, tested his sports race cars there. He had one of the original GS Corvettes. When I was there we were drag racing. This was in the mid-fifties. I understand there is now a sports car driving school there.
    Road King
     
  7. TexasHardcore
    Joined: May 30, 2003
    Posts: 5,028

    TexasHardcore
    Member
    from Austin-ish

    Clear Springs Dragway near New Braunfels was a base for WW2 before a dragstrip, now it's the New Braunfels Municipal Airport.

    Double Eagle in San Antonio is now covered with KB Homes, but a part of the original pavement from the track still exists in a brushy field between the cookie-cutter neighborhoods.

    Martindale Air Base was another dragstrip for a while after the war, It's near I-10/410 in San Antonio and has been revised by the military. I think they it's mostly helicopters now.

    Check out www.sixflagsdragway.com for lots of pics & info on the Aloe Field track in Victoria.
     
  8. 1940 Willys Coupe
    Joined: Oct 12, 2006
    Posts: 335

    1940 Willys Coupe
    Member
    from Texas

  9. Pyote Dragstrip was owned by Wayne Long from Monahans TX. It was a WW2 base with 9,000 ft runways known as the Rattle Snake Airbase. You can see the runways on Google Earth. The movie "Fandango" was shot around the hangers. The local cops use the runways for driver training now.

    I saw Art Arfons drive one of his "Green Monsters" there in the 60's.
     
    Last edited: Feb 9, 2009
  10. MUNCIE
    Joined: Jan 24, 2006
    Posts: 2,347

    MUNCIE
    Member
    from Houston

    Does anyone know the story of why the one in Porter closed down I heard something about a riot out there ?
     
  11. 1940 Willys Coupe
    Joined: Oct 12, 2006
    Posts: 335

    1940 Willys Coupe
    Member
    from Texas

  12. Eastex Jr
    Joined: Feb 3, 2009
    Posts: 18

    Eastex Jr
    Member
    from Spring,Tx

    Eastex Dragway "Porter" closed because the property had sold.
     
  13. jdj9410
    Joined: Sep 4, 2007
    Posts: 324

    jdj9410
    Member
    from Paris TX

    Webb Britton RD where 360 ended. Sometime in the mid 80's
     
  14. Randy in Oklahoma
    Joined: Sep 18, 2008
    Posts: 301

    Randy in Oklahoma
    Member
    from Oklahoma

    Not officially a strip, but I can remember during the Vietnam days that Ft. Hood in Killeen closed off a runway, set up a tree, concessions, etc, and there were regular drags there on Sundays.
    I can remember it because the runway was several miles long, and everyone joked about having plenty of shut down room.
     
  15. Devoz
    Joined: Aug 25, 2007
    Posts: 86

    Devoz
    Member

    Not officially a drag strip but.....Fredericksburg Road in front of Georges Drive In with Rufus doing traffic control.
     
  16. Sixness
    Joined: Nov 10, 2008
    Posts: 137

    Sixness
    Member
    from Cen Tex


    Could be !! There were 2 or 3 good fights every week end out there. 1 with some racers and 2 with the locals betting on the race. Blew a clutch/flywheel one week end (sbc) and starter Bendix hit a spectator in the hand and cut off a finger. He was out there all day with hand wrapped up and never said a word. I think he was fortified with Lone Star !!!
     
  17. MUNCIE
    Joined: Jan 24, 2006
    Posts: 2,347

    MUNCIE
    Member
    from Houston

    :eek: I would go with my Dad just about every other weekend out there.Good times a buddy was telling me that there was one hell of a fight out there one time in particular with our local mc and a rival that came out that way or something like that.

    Thanks Eastex Jr for clearing that up.:cool:
     
  18. akeman
    Joined: Feb 4, 2009
    Posts: 1

    akeman
    Member

    The Dragstrip south of Abilene Tx was called Steamboat Mountain the bigboys ran out there in the sixties and early seventies
     
  19. Sixness
    Joined: Nov 10, 2008
    Posts: 137

    Sixness
    Member
    from Cen Tex

    Look what I found.. 66 Mustang that my Son ran when he was in Hi-School in mid 70s..at the old Porter Drag Strip.
     

    Attached Files:

  20. MUNCIE
    Joined: Jan 24, 2006
    Posts: 2,347

    MUNCIE
    Member
    from Houston

    :eek: That's the first picture Iv'e seen of it on the net.Those trees bring back a lot of memories at the starting line in the distance.This is where I would usually try and get a spot to watch from right at the starting line.:DBut if I remember correctly you could only watch from the right side there was no seating on both sides.
     
  21. TomP64
    Joined: Dec 10, 2008
    Posts: 429

    TomP64
    Member
    from Vancouver

    I'm not from Texas but i've gotta say this is amazing hearing about these places!
     
  22. 1940 Willys Coupe
    Joined: Oct 12, 2006
    Posts: 335

    1940 Willys Coupe
    Member
    from Texas

    For The Day Shift!

    Thanks guys for the info on the old drag strips!

    Much enjoyed!

    Gary
     
  23. Tinker51
    Joined: Oct 14, 2008
    Posts: 261

    Tinker51
    Member
    from Dallas Tx.

    is that porter with all the trees on the right lane.
    mcworther 8mm col im transfering and editing, has a reel of a track like that with the tower on the right side to.
    charles
     
  24. Sixness
    Joined: Nov 10, 2008
    Posts: 137

    Sixness
    Member
    from Cen Tex


    The top photo is Porter at the starting line. You can see the Tree just off the left front fender. The stands were on the right side. With closer look I think the bottom photo is at the Freeway Drag Strip on I-45 on the way to Galveston. He use to go down there on Wednesday afternoon for what they use to call HI-SCHOOL NIGHT. "Just run what you brung" "king of the hill" deal
     
  25. MUNCIE
    Joined: Jan 24, 2006
    Posts: 2,347

    MUNCIE
    Member
    from Houston

    Yes the bottom one looks like international in dickinson.
     
  26. Sixness
    Joined: Nov 10, 2008
    Posts: 137

    Sixness
    Member
    from Cen Tex

    Any one remember the Dayton,Texas Drag Strip about 40 miles East of Houston ?? It was kinda short with about 200 yards of paved shut down until you run off onto the dirt. They later paved some more shutdown but failed to tell anybody that it had loose pea gravel yet to be packed into the tar. Some folks took some wild rides that day.
     
  27. wayne-o
    Joined: Jan 22, 2006
    Posts: 284

    wayne-o
    Member

    Here are some pictures from Golden Triangle Drag Strip that was located between Beaumont and Port Arthur. These are from 1965. Note the home made X-mas tree and lack of any guard rails. Spent many a day/night there. I will post some others from Houston International.
     

    Attached Files:

  28. wayne-o
    Joined: Jan 22, 2006
    Posts: 284

    wayne-o
    Member

    These are from Houston International between Houston and Galveston. I think '66 or '67. They had a big funny car meet that day with lots of traveling cars.
     

    Attached Files:

  29. FunnyCar65
    Joined: Mar 11, 2007
    Posts: 2,092

    FunnyCar65
    Member
    from Colorado

    Post more photos if you got them!
     
  30. My dad bought all the flood cars from Gay Pontiac (actual name) when it flooded in the late 70's. He and a partner rented the drag strip in Dickinson, dried out all the cars, changed all the fluids and sold them off. Took a couple of months if I remember. In the evenings they would take some of the cars, Trans Am's or whatever and race down the track by themselves. I'm sure there was beer involved. True story though...
     

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