Just wondering if anyone on here had any memories of this strip. It operated for just a few years in the late fifties and into the sixties. I would like to gather any information about the races or the cars and equipment used. I would also like to hear about the people that raced there. Thanks for the help.
Sorry, I don’t yet know. It is now used as a landing strip for a group of private homes, where the homeowners have small air planes.
Can't help much, But i worked there during the construction in the summer and then worked for Charlie Hendricks in the concession stand when it first opened. It was a 1/4 mile strip In the beginning, they had some one at the finish line that walked out on the track and stood in the winners lane and it caused a lot of ill tempers. Some of the racers were: Pinky Potter Jack Kidd David Hufstetler "spelling? Think he was related to Linda Vaughn Jabo Elam Steve Hayes Don't recall any other at this point as most were locals "been a long time" Will do some more research and get back to ya.
Now that is good information. I knew Pinky. He was certainly a character. Sadly he passed away a few years ago. I am originally from Gatlinburg and moved to Maryville 25 years ago. Do you know the names: F.D. Hedrick from Wears Valley running a 33/34 Ford P.U. named “the gray ghost” and “racing Bill Breeden” of Maryville?
Bringing this thread back from the dead. I recently bought a 36 Chevy 5 window coupe that was reportedly raced at Maryville Drag Strip. I have no other info on who owned it or when it ran. Are there any old pictures from back in the day in existence ?
Ran there in the 60's and 70's before it closed. Julian Hedrick--if my spelling is correct-- ran it 1/4 mile-- old road some cars that ran there was Charlie Wilson' white 60 and 64 chevy Impala named WHITE LIGHTING--409 Some others--67 chevelle, CONTRY GENTLEMAN --early camero named RO-HO-- 60 corvette named MIGHTY MOUSE -- Plenty of others. I ran a 63 chevy post --66 chevy Impala SS 396-- 60 chevy short bed -- one of the badest motors and fastest vehicles I ever built. Ran round track on friday and saturday night and the dragstrip on sunday afernoon-- These are just a few people out of hunderds if not thousands who ran there. Charlie lived over the hill from me.-- Round tracks I run then were the old ASHWAY SPEEDWAY and 411 which is still open--also others. Just really miss it all
Thanks for bringing this back up, I had forgotten about it. Some other's were: Walter Leatherwood Billy Whitehead Ron Hensley Thats it for now.
No drag strip, but do any of you guys remember the dirt oval at Newport Fairgrounds, Tennessee-Carolina Speedway? Home track of future 2-time Late Model Sportsman National Champion, L.D. Ottinger.
Need to hopefully correct my spelling on the name of CHARLIE WILSON'S 60 and 64 409 IMPALA --It was WHITE LIGHTNING-- like a thunder bolt, and the kind you drink. My uncle used to haul it and if we were low or out of gas he would put a gallon or two in the 57 OLDS and it would scream. I remember when NEWPORT SPEEDWAY was dirt and LD. I'm from east knox county and had a brother 7 years older than me. What I didn't know him and his buddies did. He wasn't into racing but his buddies were. I drove at tracks all over. My wife's people grew up on the back side of ENGLISH MOUNTAIN So I know about the Drag strip but never ran there. In his day LD was the man to beat at NEWPORT There's nothing like sitting you ass in a late 30's coupe with a built flathead and letting it loose on friday and saturday nights. When we went to chevy small blocks it was a real eye opener and boy would your butt pucker going into the turns. I still have Flatheads -old race cars and newer late models. WINDY YORK ran a 302 GMC 6 and a flathead cadilac and he was hell to beat at ASHWAY SPEEDWAY if you ever got close enought.
...............Yes he was. I spent my first 12 years looking out our kitchen window at English Mountain.
Talked to one guy and he remembered the white lightening car and the gray ghost Mustang. He told me about a 55 Chevy , but couldn't remember the name of the car or the driver.
Not meaning to sidetrack but is the Julian Hedrick mentioned the same Julian who ran one of the chopper shops in Knoxville in the early/mid 70s?
32 pics of racers, their cars, and a bit of the track showed up in a FB group. I tried saving and uploading here, but it's not letting me for some reason. https://www.facebook.com/groups/3460331584251002/permalink/3460433427574151/
That link leads to some interesting pictures, and it looks like I can get them to copy. Here goes. Identification on that page is Ron Dunlap, so thanks to Ron for preserving that bit of history! Thanks also to lpreston for finding and sharing the link to those photos!
Did not even know there was a dragstrip in Maryville when I went down there to visit a friend. Hearing about the dragstrip I ventured out there and won the trophy in my class.
In the Spring of 2016 I was down in the Maryville TN area. Since I had a little extra time I decided to find the Maryville drag strip. It had been 50 years since my one and only time of racing there. I won a trophy running D/SA in my '63 Ford. The photos I took verify that the drag strip was turned into a small airport with homes along the way. Here is the view from the start line looking down track.
The Jalopy Journal
