Did anyone attend the get together yesterday concerning the new drag strip/auto park in Santa Maria? Will his ever happen - the discussions to re open it have been going on for years now.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1psX060k4jo here is the good ol days of the Santa Maria strip when it was on Foster road - thanks for this Ben
Subscribing... I lived in Nipomo back in the '60/70s, As a kid I spent a lot of time at the JayCees track in Santa Maria and also at Santa Maria Speedway. I also got to sit in Ivo's 4 engine car when it was in the showroom at Romer & Ruble Buick (my uncle Jim worked there as a tech) I'd love to see a Nostalgia meet there.
no55mad;that would be great if it happens!!! I raced there in 69-70 era,nice easy going place to race,easy tow from Camarillo too!!! It sure would be great to get a new track,especially one that is not where it gets so HOT!!!! ROY.
Not so hot, that's for sure. Just took a 4 week trip back east and it was hot everywhere and then the humidity back east - wow! When I got back to Nipomo, I stepped out of the car and had to put on a jacket. Story is, the mayor of Santa maria is all for this motor complex - drag strip, road course etc. When I came to this area in 72 the drag strip was on airport property - not off of Foster road as in the video here. Not sure when it was moved.
I'd love to see that happen. We were all over the place back in the 60's, from Lompoc to Cayucos. My sister and her husband lived in Arroyo Grande, before Grover City became "Grover Beach." What's that about? That is a great area. I'm sure if you build it ...they will come!
There was a write up in The Santa Maria Times saying that the project was backed by private investors and has enough funds to get off the ground at no cost to the public. I was also told that the land has yet to be secured but they do have several places around the airport in mind
I emailed some local Santa Marians to see if they recognized anyone in the video - this is one of the responses returned. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o> </o> <o> </o> Yes I do! That’s Wyrick’s Chrysler 300 B/Modified Production car (Quarterbender) with the moon tank on the front and Skip Gibson’s (Superior Muffler) A/Altered before it was orange along with his 57’ Chevy wagon push car and 48’ Ford shop pickup (all in yellow paint and not orange back then). I looked at this video last weekend when I was trying to find any additional information about the new drag strip project after talking to Art Foster that morning. Also in the video is Evrett Johnson’s dragster (Allan’s dad), Jack Mendenhall driving Pea Soup Andersons rail, Jimmy Seatons altered and cool custom chevy pickup push truck. The Yellow 64’ Impala S/S 409 belonged to Jimmy Cardona. The black 64’ Corvette fuelie belonged to Russ Dovell. The white 62’ Plymouth 413 S/S belonged to Richard Helshire (He worked at Autonetics on the base with me on Peacekeeper much later.) Also an early showing of Art Arfons Allison powered dragster that visited Santa Maria many times. Also the early version of Tony Nancy’s Model A roadster is in there when It just had an injected nail head motor. The Vincent drag bike at the end belonged to Richard Hicks who worked down the street in the base motor pool forever. Anyway, Lots of great memories for me. My dad used to take me out there in the early 60’s and my buddy Charlie Hemstreet used to take me there all the time before I was 16 when we didn’t go to the lake for the weekend. Dan<o></o>
Here is another response which references the response from Dan - response above John, I got this back from Dan yesterday. That video brought back a ton of memories for him. That was about two years before my time. My first drag racing experience was when I went to SM at that same location and by buddy Bryn Smith (Pro-Baseball Play later in life) and we got a ride back to the pits in a 63 Vett with open headers down the return road which was now foster road. Did you know that Santa Maria Drag Strip was the 4<SUP>th</SUP> ever NHRA Sanctioned Drag Strip? I got that bit of trivia from the SM Times some years back.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o> <o> </o> Thanks, Keith<o></o>
thanks for the notes about Skip Gibson. I am his son, Terry. I grew up at the SM drag strip. I still have the 57 wagon Dad used as his push car. Send more posts about the SM drag racing in the 60's. Very cool.
Terry glad to see you still have Skip's cars, I bought your dad's 29 roadster The Banana Boat and ran a flat head in it, had a blast ,your dad was a good friend I left the area in the early 60's but traveled to SM on business all the time and we would have lunch and bs for an hour until the next time. I was in LA at the Fathers Day show when I heard that he was in the hospital on my way back to the bay area I stopped and saw him at the hospital just before he passed away, he got a kick out of the fact that I was in my roadster, but did not hear about his passing until about 2 weeks after the funeral your mom was also an awesome lady, Hope all is good for you because you come from good genes............
Back from the dead, i was sitting the AG village today thinking about where could i race? Any one hear anything more about this?
Thanks for your comments. They mean a lot to me. I always wondered what happened to the Banana Boat. Do you still have it or know where it is? I would love to find that car.
Thanks for your comments. It means a lot to me to hear from my Dad's friends. I always wondered what happened to the Banana Boat. Do you still have it or know where it is? I would love to find that car and bring it home.
Lompoc is currently trying to Organize a Motorsports park which will include a Drag Strip. There has been a few Fundraisers BBQs and Swap Meets. The Guys from Hot Rod Ranch have been supporting them too. You can find a them on FB or the web under Lompoc Valley Motorsports Park.
Come to the "Gasser Round Up" Oct 12-13 to help support/raise money and awareness for the race track. You can call Gil Muro from the Hot Rod Ranch, (805)757-1765.
The "Banana Boat" ran at Pomona, I think, only time I saw it...I remember two versions, the first a '29 roadster, yellow, and the second was a radical tube frame roadster, don't remember if it had a T or Bantam body, but very small tubes, carefully constructed...I think that Skip crashed one of them because the Drag News correspondent from Santa Maria jokingly referred to him as "Flip" Gibson...not sure I got all this right because it was a long time ago...
Hi, I am trying to locate the Banana Boat. You mentioned that you bought it from my Dad. Do you have any clues as to where it went from there? I want to find it! Thanks so much, Terrygibson1953 my email address is [email protected]
Hate to see this page go to the way side, Love to see the track come back, is there anyone out there still that can give an update, I raced there and the speedway back in the day....Thanks Ted McClure
Last I checked their site was dead! My son has had no new information for at least a year[he lives up there],seems to have gone away,like most new tracks!! It sure would be nice to have a strip that is not in the dessert!! ROY.
Do you have the Video that was produced in 65. Has a lot my old buddies on it, I grew up in Arroyo Grande, raced there thru the 60s, then raced at the speedway in the early 70's. I presently have the Yosemity Sam 55 Chevy, im in Las Vegas now. Ted McClure Gasserted's Hangout on Facebook.
The Lompoc track is still in the works and moving forward. Environmental impact study done and looks good. Money being raised and it should happen as the city is for it. Go to the web site for more info. I have not talked to Art in a little while. I will go by and see what is happening when I am in town next week. Last I heard IHRA was willing to pony up some money if they could find the land to built it on. Dan
Dan, Thanks for the update, Im sure if Lompoc goes thru, nothing will ever happen in Santa Maria, as close as they are. Be fun to race in our old stomping grounds, but Lompoc will still be fun. Hope it happens, I can bring the Yosemity Sam car if I don't have the Super Stude done by then. Tell Art and Sheri I said hi when you see them. They are good people... Thanks again Dan, like to meet you some day... Ted McClure Gasserted's Hangout on Facebook
Looking forward to this! I hope something happens.. it's a loooonnnngggg time in the making or re-making!
There was an article in a recent 'Old Car' paper that stated Lompoc is moving forward. As soon as the environmental report is finalized, construction will begin - maybe we can race there in our lifetime.
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