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History Iowa Dragstrips - New & Old

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Calkins, Mar 6, 2010.

  1. I'd like to make a list of purpose built dragstrips in Iowa, both current and the ones of the days gone by. Here's what I've got so far...

    Ames Dragway 1957-1958
    Cedar Falls Motorsports Park http://www.racecfmp.com 1965+ 1/8th Mile then 1/4th Mile
    Des Moines Dragway http://desmoinesdragway.com 1957 - 1967 1/4th Mile
    Eddyville Raceway Park http://www.eddyvilleraceway.com 1965+ 1/8th Mile
    Humboldt County Dragway https://www.humboldtcountydragwayia.com 1963+ 1/4th Mile then 1/8th Mile
    I29 Dragway https://www.i29speedway.com 2003+ 1/8th Mile
    Lee County Dragway & Raceway Park http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lee-County-Dragway-Raceway-Park/122119867810120 1969 - 1988 1/8th Mile
    Onawa Dragway https://www.onawadragway.com 2018+ 1/8th Mile
    Tri State Raceway http://www.tristateraceway.com 1998+ 1/4th Mile
     
    Last edited: Feb 29, 2024
    chryslerfan55 likes this.
  2. too bad Cy Chesterman never got his off the ground.
     
  3. I never heard about that one. Do tell...
     
  4. CONNMAN
    Joined: Jul 19, 2006
    Posts: 1,297

    CONNMAN
    Member
    from Lampe,Mo.

    >>>>>,I;m from Marshalltown & Des Moines ,,i raced at the Des Moines Drag Strip ,in the late '50's & early '60's ,,'till i went into the Air Force ,,when i came back to live in Des Moines in '70 ,we had a Doctor whose son ran the 'Wild Child" altered and he started a group to get a new drag strip built ,,but ,,after 5 years ,we never could get the land ,,,,
    I only knew of the one Drag Strip in Des Moines ,,
     
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  5. CONNMAN
    Joined: Jul 19, 2006
    Posts: 1,297

    CONNMAN
    Member
    from Lampe,Mo.

    >>>>>,In the early '70's & '80's ,i was on the pit crew for Denny Prohaskas FED Top Fueler ,,& later his RED Top Alky Car ,,the 'Tasmaniam Devil" outa Iowa Falls ,,we tested at Cedar Falls before going to Brainard ,,
     
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  6. CONNMAN
    Joined: Jul 19, 2006
    Posts: 1,297

    CONNMAN
    Member
    from Lampe,Mo.

    >>>>>,Ha,,Ha,,i spelled Denny's last name wrong ,,it's ,,"Prochaska" ,,
     
  7. DMD was in Urbandale. I was told that there may have been one in Ankeny, and also possibly one in Altoona.
     
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  8. The hell you say! PM sent!!!
     
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  9. Chesterman (Chesterman Bottling and Alcohol funny car driver) was working on a World class facility near Ottumwa. This was back in the 90s. Never came to fruition. I know one of his sons through road and moutnainbike racing.
     
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  10. He's a Coke bottler, it's he? I thought he was up in Sioux City.
     
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  11. Yes they are.
     
  12. CONNMAN
    Joined: Jul 19, 2006
    Posts: 1,297

    CONNMAN
    Member
    from Lampe,Mo.

    >>>>>,Wasn't Tommy Johnson Jr's Dad trying to get a Strip in Attumwa ??he owns the Speed Shop there ,,
    Never heard of a track in Ankeney or Altoona,,
    DMD was across I-35/I-80 interstate on a farm ,,back in '81 or'82 i was out by there ,,the strip is still there ,,altho w' weeds growin' up thru it ,,
     
  13. CONNMAN
    Joined: Jul 19, 2006
    Posts: 1,297

    CONNMAN
    Member
    from Lampe,Mo.

    >>>Sorry ,,,"Ottumwa" ,,,darn keys are too small ,,,lol,,
     
  14. I think Johnson was tied into Cy Chesterman or vice versa
     
  15. Tommy Sr. is out in NC now
     
  16. CONNMAN
    Joined: Jul 19, 2006
    Posts: 1,297

    CONNMAN
    Member
    from Lampe,Mo.

    >>>>>The Tommy Johnson Jr that's been running funny cars in NHRA ...his Dad had a Speed Shop there in Ottuma and got JR started in Pro Drag Racing ,,
    >>>>>,Calkins: i have a Super 8 Video Tape of the Drags at DMD in '60 i need to convert it to DVD ,,
     
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  17. You should go to the DMD link at the top and email that guy. He's looking for any and all info about that track.
     
  18. CONNMAN
    Joined: Jul 19, 2006
    Posts: 1,297

    CONNMAN
    Member
    from Lampe,Mo.

    >>>>>,O K ,,i'll do that ,,did you know Dave Shafer ,,Pro Stock Fords ?? in the late '70's when i had Boat-A-Rama ,,Dave was my mechanic,,and Vern Moats' shop was a block or so down the street ,,
     
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  19. Not sure about Dave Shafer. We ran against Vern, Lance VanHauen, Dennis Rotter, and all them in TA/FC with Denny
     
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  20. CONNMAN
    Joined: Jul 19, 2006
    Posts: 1,297

    CONNMAN
    Member
    from Lampe,Mo.

    >>>>>,Dave had a straight axle '54 Ford gasser back in the late '60's ,,,one Sunday at DMD ,,he put it on it's roof just across the finish line and plowed up the corn field ,,upside down ,,shattered the windshield and darn near suffacated him when the car filled with corn stalks ,,,
    He has a Johnson/Evenrude repair shop just past S&J Marine out on 2nd Ave ,,
     
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  21. CONNMAN
    Joined: Jul 19, 2006
    Posts: 1,297

    CONNMAN
    Member
    from Lampe,Mo.

    >>>>Dave and his son still race a Pro Stock Ford at Eddyville ,,
     
  22. CONNMAN
    Joined: Jul 19, 2006
    Posts: 1,297

    CONNMAN
    Member
    from Lampe,Mo.

    >>>>,Calkins; i eMailed that DMD guy ,,just got a eMail back from Larry ,,,gonna get him as much stuff as i can ,,,
    thanks ,,
     
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  23. carkiller
    Joined: Jun 12, 2002
    Posts: 849

    carkiller
    Member

    We have The Mid American Motor plex 15 miles north of Council Bluffs Ia. The Newton Ia race track you better have great brakes. Drag strip runs tru center of oval trac. Very little shut down area.
     
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  24. stanlow69
    Joined: Feb 21, 2010
    Posts: 7,348

    stanlow69
    Member Emeritus

    Don`t believe anything someone says thats from Coburg Tucky. It`s 15 miles south of Council Bluffs. It`s a 1/4 mile strip. www.midamericamotorplex.com
     
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  25. john worden
    Joined: Nov 14, 2007
    Posts: 1,827

    john worden
    Member
    from iowa

    Does anyone remember " possum chaser " crosley station wagon gasser or " wild one " 29 ford B/R or John Pignari 55 chev gasser at DMD? Also does any one have photos or video of a metallic blue 289 Cobra at DMD? I could hear the cars from my parants house and spent many hours there. John
     
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  26. Corn Fed
    Joined: May 16, 2002
    Posts: 3,278

    Corn Fed
    Member

    There was one briefly on the South side of Ames in the 50's or early 60's. It was discussed on the HAMB a year or so ago. There was also a strip in Sioux City. And I heard there was one in Ft. Dodge, but that may be the Humbolt Co. strip you listed.
     
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  27. CONNMAN
    Joined: Jul 19, 2006
    Posts: 1,297

    CONNMAN
    Member
    from Lampe,Mo.

    >>>>>,The "Possum Chaser" Crosley Wagon was bought by a member of Gasser Madness ,,there was pics of it and was for sale over there,,,the "Wild Child" B/A belonged to a Doctors son who was trying to get a new drag strip built in Des Moines when i moved back from Alaska in '70,,
    Anybody remember a Black '40 Ford coupe with a 500 inch Packard motor ??,how 'bout Dave Shafers straight axle '54 Ford gasser that plowed up the corn field ,,upside down ,,and Cal Specht's full fendered Model A with a Wayne Headed 302 Jimmy Six & 5 Stromberg 97's ,,and the "Yellow Page" B/G Anglia ,,
    i'll rember more later ,,
     
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  28. carryallman
    Joined: Jan 5, 2009
    Posts: 399

    carryallman
    Member

    that doctors son {?} was al stocko ?,he was a mechanic at "bee square" alignment in des moines ! ive got some pics of his bantam altered { that jim koeniq helped him build !} i will post if i can figure out how ? anyway most of the other drag strips in des moines was probably the street race areas ? adelphia ? out by runnels,spring hill south of des moines airport, des moines had a big following of street racers after the des moines dragway closed .we had pat hartman :66 427 chevelle,eddy armstrong 67 camaro 427 ,clifford watkins ,w/fistfull of dollars car/ 66 427 chevelle, vern moats w/ his street 427 anglia ,there was always a large group of people meeting in several locations to drive to a disclosed location ! it was all good times ! usually a county sheriff or highway patrol showed up to close everything down ,we were just lucky nobody got killed or injured !! there usually was inches separating cars parked on the side of the road and the racers !anyway i should dig back in my memory bank and start a new thread on the street races of the 60-70 in des moines ? thanks mike "carryallman" wahl
     
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  29. CONNMAN
    Joined: Jul 19, 2006
    Posts: 1,297

    CONNMAN
    Member
    from Lampe,Mo.

    >>>>>,I did alot of street racin' in my '64 GTO in '66 when i was there for a month on vacation from Alaska ,,then again in the early '70's in my hugger orange '69SS396 Chevelle after i moved back home ,,,,when i bought Boat-A-Rama in '75 and become a Biesmeyer Jet Boat dealer ,,,a lot of the street racers went to the Des Moines River ,,or saylorville Lake when it was done ,,we had a lota fast boats back then ,,
     
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  30. CONNMAN
    Joined: Jul 19, 2006
    Posts: 1,297

    CONNMAN
    Member
    from Lampe,Mo.

    >>>>>>,Ah ,! Street Racin' ! i started when i was 16 with my Dads '57 Chevy ,,did a lot of it after the drag strip closed for the winter in Anchorage ,,the hi way dept did a great job up there keepin' the roads clean n dry all winter ,,alota guys would take their drag cars ,,hook up sum mickey mouse lites ,rob the plates offa their daily drivers ,,and show up to race after midnite ,,several hundred people would show up to watch the "Run Whatchu Brung" races ,,
    i'm 67 now ,,and just the other day raced a kid with a twin turbo 300ZX Nisson w' my "T" ,,across the mile long Kimberling City bridge on my way home from the store ,,got that hi school kid by 5 or 6 car lengths by the end of the bridge ,,sure made my day ,,lol,,lol,,
     
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