History Places - Where did you guys Street Race when you were a kid ?..... Could be interesting

In LA in the 60's Riverside Drive by the Forest Lawn Cemetery from Van de Kamps drive in or Bob's Toluca Lake. From the Wich stand to Slawson blvd. by the old Edelbrock balancing shop or down Imperial hwy on back side of LAX. Also the new Glendale freeway (new in 1964) bridge to bridge = 1/4 mile. We raced on it before it was opened and then after until a big police bust. Magoos BBQ down in Watts produced some large money races also.

 

Oberlin Road in Yreka,CA was used a lot in the sixties. The start and finish lines were marked in white paint. It was a quiet road heading out of the southeast corner of the town. As I recall, it was about a half mile to shut down and turn left on a side road, or keep going if worried a cop was coming over the hill from town. It was a pretty safe spot to race.

 

Not sure if I've posted - my first was on Westmorland Rd with my 65 Cuda against my buddies 65 Stang - a road that had a dead end at Red Bird Lane. We also - not me - raced at the Jr Collège - Mountain View was the name and it had a dead end at Duncanville Rd. just at the exit from the collage - not sure why we chose that spot. Later it was over to Forrest Ln on the north side of Dallas with the cars we put together - for the south side guys (me) to the north side to square off with the daddy bought cars.

 

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2014/07/30/muscle-village-1980

I almost bought a '62? Corvette from them.
I never really had a car to challenge much on the street. Hell they had Hemi Cudas running around over there. Wanted a 383 Dart to race. Never happened. Super Bee later on in life.

 

In the early 60's (before I was old enough to drive) I rode along with my brother and his friends here in Portland, Or. to watch the street races on the old abandoned streets of Vanport. Later closed down to build the legitimate dragstrip PIR.
In '66 when I was old enough to think about street racing it was 82nd Ave. that was the hot spot. But even before I could drive 82nd Ave. was a hot spot for late night drags on Friday and Saturday nights. We lived off 82nd on 81st, and from my East facing 2nd story bedroom I could see the traffic light on 82nd. I sat in the window long after being sent to bed on Friday and Saturday watching the street racers line up at the light and race both North and South from the light.
When I was old enough we cruised many areas, but if a race was set, we headed to 82nd Ave. to do it. I had a '40 Chev coupe in '68 with a stock 413 Chrysler engine and Torqueflite trans in it. Satin black, and pretty plain looking. If anyone asked I told them it was a SBC engine. We had lots of fun racing, but streets were very empty back then around midnight or after.

 

Old friend tuna fisherman and drag racer Bob Pressler lived in "Berdoo" (San Bernardino) asked me to come down from San Jose to visit him.
Soon as I got there, he had me helping him change plugs on his new mill, a 426 'Short Ram', in his '57 Plymouth. 727 T.F., Dana rear.
We went for a ride, caught a race with a '66 Malibu, blew his doors off. Bob sees the heat lamps in the rear view, so he pulls over and stops. Cop runs up, ticket book out...Bob says, "Give us two cheeseburgers and fries," and the cop threw his hand up and knocked his hat off!
We laughed like crazy, but the cop didn't find any humor in it...we 'assumed the position'.
Bob went to jail (old warrant) I drove the Plymouth back to his house and called the Bondsman.
He said, "Oh, BOB Pressler? Sure, I'll meet you down there..."
Old habits die hard...

 

Pomona Ca, East to West on Pudding Stone Dr. Starting a hundred feet west of Fairplex Dr (E street) We went so far as to mark the starting and finish lines with white latex paint and a roller. It parallels Bracket Airport and interestingly was perpendicular to Pomona Raceway. Not sure how accurate the distance was and it was dangerous because the road curved and the 2 lanes merged into one. We also raced in a commercial area in Ontario CA south of the 10 Fwy off of Milliken Ave. This was in the mid 80's.

 

I was in Pomona from 70-75. I was a member of the Pomona chapter of the Street Racers. We raced behind Ontario Motor Speedway surrounded by nothing but orange groves. Made many a pass down that road in my 62 Galaxie and then my 69 Nova. Had a lot of fun. When it was too foggy and wet to race Big Willy would show up with a couple of tricycles we raced or had handicapped foot races. Used to race at the old Irwindale track and the Pomona track.

Good memories for sure.

 

Lakewood Blvd. and Spring Street tunnel going under the main runway coming in from the East. Lakewood Blvd is heading for the LB Airport and Veteran’s Stadium in this direction. Right to left...


Hello,

Our cruising grounds had two specific acceleration areas. One, of course was Lion’s Dragstrip just past the Westside of Long Beach. The other (Cherry Ave.) was on the far Eastern end of Bixby Knolls on the border of the City of Lakewood. Those two places were usually “the best” in the area. Each was a quarter mile long with at least another quarter mile or more for stopping distances. (and escape routes)

During the times that we did not go to Lion’s Dragstrip or accelerate down Cherry Avenue, there were two other places near the Long Beach Airport and the freeway that we knew about for those late night adventures. They were on streets that were major thoroughfares during the day and the whole area with industrial companies were closed and empty. We had to go through those surface streets to get to various places or coming home from the southern county beach cruises.

WEST EAST

When something was brewing, we had to drive past the freeway entrances and come in from the South exit on Lakewood Blvd. Now, with little to no traffic going North off of the exit ramp, this was the starting line. This place had an added highlight. Since it was a tunnel, our motors capped up were louder than normal on full acceleration.

If the headers or exhaust outlets were open, then it sounded like Lion’s Dragstrip on a Saturday night. One car was loud enough, but two cars in the lanes heading into the tunnel gave an eerie adventure to the acceleration.

There was plenty of stopping area (the tunnels were approximately 1000 feet each) after the end of the tunnels. Beyond Spring Street stopping point for the stop light or since it was late at night, the Lakewood Blvd street usually had the permanent green light.

After the stoplight, there is a long straight away that parallels a golf course and the LB airport private airplane parking area. During the day, the Lakewood Blvd is quite busy, but late at night, there is some traffic, but very little under the airport runways and past the golf course. The planes did not take off or land late at night.

Jnaki

Just down the street was the other tunnel raceway as we called it. It was on Spring Street coming from the Signal Hill area, going in an Eastward direction. Talk about an empty street late at night. The businesses were closed as they paralleled the long airport runway. So, there was relatively no traffic. The last stop light was two blocks earlier and there was plenty of time and space to set things up for a fast encounter into the tunnel.
East
On Spring Street coming from the Signal Hill area heading East, toward Lakewood Blvd.

The nice thing about these surface streets was that the traffic was almost nil. Safety as far as stopping distances was another 1000+ feet to the stop light after the tunnel. By then, the race was over and the 58 Impala was slowing down, showing the 6 red taillights to the opponent in the other lane. YRMV
another sleeper in disguise... thanks @themoose

 

There was a straight stretch of highway about 3/8 of a mile long a couple miles out of town that was pretty desolate. T has since been populated with houses and trailers.

 

Phoenix, AZ in the 60's...East met West on Central Avenue, and then went over to 7th ave. or 3rd
street to race. Another favorite was Bell Rd, but it was out in the sticks in those days.
Here is what I raced with. Stopped street racing when I had a clutch explosion with no scattershield.

 

We used to run out in college on Route 273 in Fair Hill, Maryland. It was just a few miles outside of Newark, Delaware, and into rural farmland. There was a section of the road heading west where you would pass High's (a gas station and convenience store), and then it was well over a mile of straight road with no cross-streets, part of which had a big steep downhill section. It was a good place to drag race, and an even better place to open a car up for a high speed run.

I remember one night in particular, probably 2 am on a weeknight, in my O/T Mustang GT, passed High's at 55 mph, dropped it in 3rd, and stood on it. I remember the feeling of exhilaration as the speed climbed well past legal limits and I stayed in it. By the time I took my foot out of it I was going 143 mph.

A few months later, we were returning on the same road coming from Cecil County Dragway, and my buddy hit a deer at close to 100 mph. Thankfully nobody was hurt (except the deer), but the car was a complete loss. Reckless youth...

 

Hello,

I forgot to add in the sound multiplied against the wall of the tunnels and bouncing back. The tunnels make the headers/open exhaust outlets multiply in power.

Just imagine the similar sound while the excitement of going fast through the tunnels. It is late at night, no one in sight and the surge of the acceleration is almost overwhelming.

Jnaki



The 348 Chevy motor in the black 1958 Impala and/or open headers on a 283 with dual quads in the 1957 Chevy Bel Air were both thrilling, with two teenagers laughing all the way.
similar look or ...

old Friday Art

 

Lived in Middlesex County in Eastern Massachusetts. Street raced primarily at night time out of Wellington Circle, Medford. Also the newly constructed Rte. 93 and we did Route 2 Arlington to Concord area. Not much traffic back then.

 

Sure was fun back then, don't dare go there now, it's become a "Kill Zone"

 

That's for sure, some people ruin everything.

 

back then the cars could barely break 110 mph, if that. now 150 isn't impossible with a lot of cars, and they get there a lot faster, which is a shame, because it means more people are going to lose control, especially young drivers. sure modern cars are safer, pretty much any wreck over 80 is gonna end up with someone dead.

 

Racing stop light to stop light we rarely got over 45 MPH.

 

My Parole Officer will still not let me discuss that ! !

VR&C.

 

Ok anybody remember five forks or big tree ?
Shelby,N.C.

 

"Fast Times at Ridgemont Plaza"
Nearby plaza was fairly vacant at one point, 30-35 years ago.
Long wide lot with excellent visibility and many ways out.
Hit it and git!
So I've heard....

 

Amrine's in Marion County Oregon (just across the Willamette River from Newberg), This section of a country road was very active on Friday & Saturday nights in the 60s.

 

This section of Hwy 77 just north of Guthrie where I live has been active from the 60's until now. This is the current Google Maps street view...