History Ellensburg Drags c1960

COOL pics Kenny !! Those were the days! Sure wish we had our Willy's back so I could "MAYBE" get even, as you beat me in our only Match race !! Your Pal Chris

 

The BIG difference in our Willys was yours looked like it was going 180 just sitting in the pits! You're a great Pal... Magoo

 

Too cool!

Christ I'd like to see a couple Willys run down the airfield strip. Hell, just the sound alone...

I've been pretty busy these last couple of weeks, but this is still on my agenda come hell or high water. -Chris

 

THANKS; Let us know whats happening. Chris

 

Any chance us desert dwellers are going to see some action at E-burg?

Patiently waiting in Wapato..


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I was just talking to a buddy of mine about this last night. He knows of a few locals that might be interested. I'm planning to look into the possibility of a one day event this next spring... Just to see if it can be done, and what type of turnout we could get.


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That is Jerry Pruitt in the Valley Ford car and maybe Ernie Sanchez in the Chevy wagon.


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Raced at Ellensburg in the mid '60's G/S. Also raced at Bremerton, Arlington, Deer Park and SIR. I bought the car from Ron Eilertsen. I remember Jim Sanderson's '57 convertible, Scott brothers '56 wagon and Bob Neely's '55 or Carl Nalley's '56. All Chevy's. Anybody out there that has pictures of this car please let me know.

 

fixed the video link at the head of the thread.
Its just too cool

 

Thanks, I just watched it all the way through. Renegade has been holding an "Ellensberg drag strip reunion" race the past few years. I haven't made it out to one but it is supposed to be bringing some of the old racers or cars out.

 

I've seen that advertised, but haven't made it down either. I really should have since it's so close. Maybe a good excuse for a local/regional H.A.M.B. get together this next fall?

 

Check this out from September 61:

 

I remember that edition. I was still living on Bainbridge Island and in the ninth grade. We moved back to Toppenish the next June.

 

^^^That last photo, with the starter jumping with his flag, pretty much proves they raced on the taxiway; former military runways are a lot wider, as they were primarily used for bombers. Going back to GoogleMaps.Com, you can see the start/finish lines, and the return road they had paved, that's now being reclaimed by mother nature. Prior to the return road, they came back on the far left side of the strip, partly in the dirt. There was a YouTube.Com film clip that showed cars coming back after a run, and other cars racing down the strip at the same time. I've heard stories of the "bus" that was used to haul equipment and functioned as the "tower" with PA/Timing equipment later on. One story tells of the truck breaking down on the way to the airport, and having to be towed in by the other members. What ever happened to the idea of staging some events out there? I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

Life happened. That said I’d be super stoked to have an event there, just haven’t the time or experience to organize; at least not by myself. I wonder if there would be enough interest. No shortage of racing history here for sure, but also in the shadow of Renagade, only a few miles further down the road. Still...seems like an excellent venue for nostalgia drags.


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Track got rather rough down on the big end from what remember. Some of the guys came back in the 60's telling of a Red Roadster pickup that lost a big chunk of bondo on the top end. Allegedly it few several feet up in the air and could be seen from the starting line.
The track was a bit on the narrow side.

 

fun videos, thank you, I think that was the 1961 Winter Nationals and I was there. Great memories, the Ellensworth footage is priceless. My fave was that 36 Chevy gasser. I saw Ivo's 4 engine beast run at Long Beach at night, what a firestorm that was. Shirley Muldowney raced the heck out of that Pontiac coupe.

 

Orange crate showed up at Squeek Bells shop during the California Hot Rod reunion a few years back there in Bakersfield, its still a cool kick ass hot rod! That evening it had the headers uncorked as it arrived!

 

Hey, I met Tauno in 1959 working at Lee Moran Lincoln/Mercury in Seattle. He had just got out of the service.
I was the new guy and he took a liking to me and showed around the shop and Seattle. He was crewing a sprint car and I was drag Racing at that time.I learned a lot from Tauno, He was my best friend, a really good guy.
Bill Brock

 

Thanks for piping in Bill, and welcome to the H.A.M.B.! Where did you race?


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I was just revisiting this thread again this morning. I love the history. If anyone runs across photo or news from or about the Ellensburg drags, please feel free to add them.

 

Are you involved in the Ellensberg drags reunion event at Renegade that has been going on for the past few years?

I haven't made it to it even though it is only about 14 miles from the house but I seem to hear about a lot of stuff after the fact.

 

No, wish I had made it down. I don’t see one on the schedule for this year, but they do list a couple of Northwest reunion events at the end of the season. Probably many of the same racers.

 

My dad got a new tv last weekend and somehow we ended up on YouTube looking at his old 8mm of the Eburg drags. He tells me the yellow 57 belonged to his friend Paul Burlingame out of Yakima. I still can’t get over the return road!