Hello Everyone, We are currently in the process of moving to Rolla, MO. My wife is already down there while I get our house ready to sell. My Issue is that I have no knowledge of the area other than it has a good university and Route 66 goes through it. What I need to know is if anyone has some suggestions for mechanics/shops in the Rolla. Our daily drivers are modern cars (post 2000) and I don't normally work on them. Normally all I need is oil change and routine maintenance. I have found I am more comfortable using a real shop vs the quick lube places. I like to build a relationship you know, that way when something does go awry, I know I can trust the guy working on it. So anyone have any suggestions? I have always found that car guys know the best shops and the worst shops. Any assistance is appreciated. thanks Matt
Well I can't answer any of your questions or recommend a shop, but I can say welcome to Rolla. I could maybe point you in the direction of a junkyard or two though.
don't know any shops either. i have had family live in rolla and it's pretty centered around the collage and fort l. wood. welcome to the show me state.
a friend of mine lives just off of old route 66 he has a shop and does alot of wheeling and dealing look for the old 46 pannel truck body in front his name is brandon tk
I bought my '51 Merc. from a nice fella in Rolla. I went down from Cleveland to get it 2 years ago. The previous owner had a fair ammount of work done on it. The quality of most of the work looks good. I'll sift through the paperwork and see what shops I come up with. I did see a few shops along the way just outside Rolla that looked like they work on old cars. I forget the route, but it ran parallel to the old Route 66. I could've spent a few days just checking out the area, but had to book it back to Cleveland. I didn't know Route 66 went through the town until I got there. What a great surprise! I got some pics of the car next to Historic Route 66 signs.
Rolla has a racetrack that has been unused for nearly 40 years, with a strange history. One of these days, I'm going to stop by, photograph it, and write a story about it.
Matt, sorry can't help with info, I live about 100 miles southwest of Rolla, welcome to Missouri and good luck with finding a good shop.
The track is at the fairgrounds. From the satellite pics, it's still intact, but apparently they cover the frontstretch with dirt and use it for demo derbies and tractor pulls. It was called Rolla Speedway, and it is a high banked asphalt oval. Very fast. It was dirt from 67-71, and then they paved it. It ran successfully for three years, and all the top guys in the area ran there. Rusty Wallace ran there, Larry Phillips, the Ropers, Mark Martin, etc. The last race was the biggest - the "USA 300" on July 4, 1974, and it drew over 100 cars from all over the country, including my dad. It was supposed to have paid $10,000 to win. It was won by Tom Maier, from Michigan. What happened after the race is still in some dispute all these years later. Ed Howe claims that he managed to catch the promoter - a guy named Starr - right after the race, and was paid his $10,000. What isn't in dispute is that NOBODY else got paid before the promoter got the hell out of there. My dad was supposed to get around $2,000 for fifth. Now, here's where it gets weird. Up to that point, the speedway had been successful for the promoter, the fair board, and the racers. Yet, after the USA 300 fiasco, there was never another race held. Not a weekly race, not a fair race, nothing. The talk is that there were anti-racing forces in the town government from the get-go, and they used the bad press from the 300 as an excuse to shut it down. And down it has remained, which is a shame. Again, I'm going on some hearsay as to whether it still stands, but a friend of mine stopped by there 2 years ago and looked, and it was still there at the time. But, to have a track that was going well, and then shutter it completely in midseason, is strange. There's even been talk that Starr was in cahoots somehow with the anti-racing folks, and that both sides knew what the other wanted. Either way, Starr blew town with a ton of cash (give or take 10 grand), and the anti-racing people got what they wanted permanently. That's the short version; the long version would take some researcg.
I had heard that the Wallace boys ran there. It's a shame the track got shut down. Could have made for a bit of entertainment when I was at school and bored on the weekends.
My Dad went to UMR back in the late 60's. Found a few pics of Rolla Speedway here. Neat! http://www.flickr.com/photos/dalezoom/sets/72157603714270703/detail/?page=2
Satellite view of track: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sou...795,-91.773627&spn=0.003877,0.006856&t=h&z=17
i grew up in rolla.i i liked it a lot.use to live across from rusty wallaces on summit ave.his dad was dist.for the post disp.paper out of st louis. al the good garages are gone now,have not been back in a few years. we had a small track right off of i-44 called char liea it had the best racing i have ever seen on a stock car track. the track at the fairgrounds was built by miller auto salavage.then a year later the city expanded the city limits to include the fairgrounds and thus shut the track because of noise reg.its on hwy 63 outside of rolla. if you like outdoor stuff you'll love rolla.hunting,fishing,camping,and caving.st.louis is a hour and half away,branson about 2 hours.
Thanks for all the welcomes... we are looking forward to getting set up down there. That race track looks interesting, wonder what the deal is with it. If nothing else it would make a great cruise in location.
Stop in Rolla Auto Salvage, ask for Joe or Marty and tell them Dickie from St Charles sent you. They can help you find a shop and I think they know most of the Speedway story.
Friskyspatula, looking forward to having another car guy in town. I've lived here for 24 years and have been involved with the regional car groups. I'll introduce you to some folks when you get here. There are reputable auto maintenance (mom and pop) garages here. Here's my cell (573) 201-5432. I'm also in the NSRA Fellow Pages. Sam Kimbrough
Went to a handful of races there as a kid. Dad retired from Ft. Leonard Wood and we lived in nearby Waynesville & Richland.
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