We went to Detroit Dragway many ,many years ago, in the 60's! Was trying to find the location on Maps. Heard it's now a housing tract. My memory thinks it was Sibly and Dix Rds. There's homes there now you can see. Am I close? Have found the former Niagara Dragstrip which is still there, what's left of it. Thanks for any help. Ned
You won’t see any houses..just an industrial complex...it makes me sad when I drive by there...it’s sad for the Detroit area...we’re know as the Motor City and the closest Drag strip is near the Ohio Border in Farm Country..you would think the Big 3 would want a strip near by to show off their Demons, Hellcats, GT 500’s, SS’s,.....nope they’ve lost their soul...it’s all about spitting out what they can, until they can force feed you an electric pile of shit, cut more jobs, and line their pockets with more money.... Fire up the damn time machine....
@loveoftiki, Don't hold back. Tell us how you really feel. I do agree, though. The MOTOR CITY and we have to go 80 miles to see a drag race. But, unless it is nostalgia drags, I can't get too excited anyway,
Yeah...I know I get a little heated over this topic..we loved going there as teenagers in the 80’s...I go to all the nostalgia events at Milan...and I will admit to digging those Friday Heads up races for the raw speed and amazement of a 10.5 inch tire car running some of the numbers they do....it’s a fun way to spend a nice Friday night during the summer months..I take my nephews and they love getting on the wall by the lights during the heads up cars...
Thanks guys. One of our trips there was Aug 1964. All the 'Big' guys were there. Ohio George carried the front end of his Willys what seemed like half way down the strip. First big meet we'd been to. Seems like it ran way late. Had to get our girlfriends home before their dads came looking for us. I had relatives in Detroit and Troy. So I was there alot til Uncle Sam and life happened. Good memories. Thanks again and Happy Thanksgiving. Ned
There is a very large trucking terminal sitting on what used the be the quarter mile. I’m originally from the Detroit area and the location was just east of Dix with the entrance off Sibley Road. I was told by a friend the only thing that remains of Detroit Dragway is a short piece of the shut down area near King Road. Spent many days and evenings there in my youth.
Spent a lot of time at Detroit Dragway when I was a kid. Incredibly great memories. Is Milan Dragway still up and running, spent some time there to.
Detroit Dragway, as said, is now an industrial complex . One building, originally made batteries for the Chevy Volt and is now a Amazon facility. Sign of the times. Milan is still operating a hosts a Detroit Dragway reunion every year. Edit: GM cut number of employees in battery plant in half last year but still occupies the building next to Amazon
Used to run at Detroit Dragway and the dragstrip out by Marine city in the summer of 1969 when I worked construction in the Detroit area. Wasn't it called Motor City dragway ?
It was called Motor City Dragway. Was there in the early Spring of 1965 when The Little Red Wagon made its debut. Originally never intended as a show/wheel stand vehicle but as an all out race car. Jay Howell was the driver and in the first of several attempts did these huge wheel stands. Never could get under control from wheel stands and the rest is history.
Yeah, Motor City . I remember one time a guy blew up his 440 Road Runner and when the cleanup crew got down there where the parts were. He made them sweep everything into a bucket . So he could tow his car out to the road about a mile from the track so he could dump the parts on the road and call the dealer and preserve his warranty. That 5/50 warranty about killed Mopar. The service departments knew what was going on, but the sales dept's didn't care. They were putting butts in seats.
Drove by the other day and had not seen it in quite some time. Looks like a different world there now. I remember spending four days a week on occasion. They had a Tuesday or Wednesday night deal that we used for testing when we thought we needed it. The track was certainly not a very nice facility (think of the pits) but had a bunch of fun and great memories there. Motor City could be a bit dusty but Milan with all of the grassy pit area was nirvana IMO.
Here's me in the early '70s in my first T roadster at The Dirty D. Note the Bell helmet getting pulled off the back of my head. I took the car up at a one time when cars were required to have headlights. After going through tech I removed the headlights to run. Gil Cohen, the owner, noticed it and asked my friend who was the tech guy "Who let that car in without headlights" "He had them on when he came in" was his reply. It had a 337 SBC w/ duntov cam Muncie 4-speed (note one hand on the shifter and one hand on the steering wheel) Ran a best of 10.30s @ 130+
My old Pal Gator and his son Mickey with the Family Drag Car at the Dirty D... View attachment 4498255
My early memory of DD was my brother took me there very early 60's. They had the Orange Crate on disply, not sure if it made any passes. I got so excited about being there that I threw up. My brother didn't know what to do and took me home. Saw some passes though
I helped rebuild the timing tower in the late 80's The D is gone along with Motor City ... Lapeer came back but is now on Life Support all that we have Now is Milan and Clowns own it
I had a 65 Comet convertible with a Hipo 289 . cammed up with dual quads . Ran M/S formula 1 at he AHRA tracks. Ran D/MP at nhra tracks. So I ran mostly AHRA back then. Was at Motor City in the summer of 67 when Arfons brought his Green Monster . He made a pass in the left lane and hit that dip , more like a hole right at the traps . I remember seeing his car with all 4 wheels in the air with the chutes out. He got back to the pits and loaded his car and told the track owner he would never come back to this shit hole place until they repaved the track. Saw Wally Booth bring his brand new rebodied Camaro out. He changed it from a 68 to a 69 For the brand new pro stock class. He made some quick test passes and loaded up. Made me want a big block Camaro . So that fall I bought a brand new 396/375 RS/SS hugger orange Camaro from Merolis Chevrolet . Probably spelled that wrong.
Gene Merollis what a great, great, guy....can still here the commercials in my head...any pics of the Comet?
looking for pictures and or video of this car at detriot 59 threw 64, first ran a flathead ford, wheel openings closed painted orange number 70 on it. then later orange with hemi power, number 120 on it.owned by nace, ruietz and bohls from niles south bend area. any help would be great.
Grew up in Trenton, about 2.5 mils away as the crow flies. You could hear when the top fuel dragsters ran from the house.
I grew up in Lincoln Park, a little farther away than you were. We could still hear the fuel cars from our house. I got to go there many times as a spectator.