Cedars Dragway located in Les Cedres, Quebec in the 60's early 70's

Does anybody ever heard of the Cedars Dragway Located in Les Cedres, Quebec on St-Dominique street. It was active in the 60's and early 70's, I've heard stories about this place. Went on the spot but there is not much left. There was 2 drag strips seperated by a grass ditch, there was also a 2 story tower and some pits for guys who wanted to work under their cars. I wasn't born at this time but I'm really curious about the history behind it and I'd like to find informations on it. I spoke to a men from Ontario months ago and he gave me some scans of his time cards when he raced there. thanks to Don. Post pictures, stories or anything related to CEDARS DRAGWAY, Qc. thanks!

 

Well I can't leave ya hangin.
Cars that ran there , famous cars.
The Quebec Express. a 57 or 58 mopar (Ply i think) with a Hemi. Later I beleive it sported a blower. Someone has to have pics of that as it was in Car shows in Montreal right into the mid 70s . You might check with Bill Gaw's son in Kempville. Bill ran a homebrew C/MP 55 chev and last I heard his son still had it. It had a hood scoop made from a grease barrel when I saw it run.
Debs Automotive 55 Chev C/MP run by Ralph Ridgeway was there once and I remember that well. Ralph is the father of the tunnel ram manifold. Why he was there I do not know. It was anounced previously that he would be there that weekend so we all showed up.
John Petrie I believe it was was there once with some altered wheelbase mopars.
I would also go to Petric Ford in Ottawa and talk to George and his brother. They were there every weekend.

 

Hi Don! Nice to see you here! haha! This is great! Exactly the type of informations I am looking for! thanks a lot!

 

http://www.motorsportscentral.com/track-display.asp?trackid=ceddrag&querytype=detail&extra=history

 

Hey Don. Did you ever find the old place? Sounds like Mr Clockwork did.
I see Google Earth now has Street Views all along Chemin St Dominique but I can't see anything. Where exactly is it?

I see on the Quebec drag race site which an Anglophone like me has a hard time deciphering somebody says it ran up to 1978 and bikers took it over.

So call it 1966 to 1978 at least?

 

There is a brief mention of it in the drag section of the 1971 book RPM. The rest of the chapter is a good read though.

Scan of the article here:


www.mgertech.com/RPM1971.pdf

 

This is really cool, a lot of good infos on local dragtrips, Quebec racers and car club back in the days. wow! thanks for sharing!

 

I promoted and raced there at the car show in St. Zotique last year there were alot of guys that ran there back in the day. I tried to get pics but no one had any it wasn't important at the time my neighbor across the street was the flagman there at one time it closed because the owner of the property got greedy we had agreed to the price and when it was time to sign the papers he doubled price because he thought he had another buyer a meat processing plant who bought on the next road instead so he ran a bulldozer through the place and removed the top soil. I'm still pissed about it

 

i remember when Bill Kirk from Ste.Anne de Bellevue and the Charlesbois from Ile Perrot ran it in the 60's they no longer ran it when I start to race the races where organized by a car club from Valleyfield ran a 64 chevelle in w/sa then a 65 chevelle in d/mp and finally a 69 Nova in c/sm. Steve Lecour(sp) now a tech inspector with NHRA was with the Bergeron brother's cars in stock and super/stock, Quebec Express ran a lower half of a tunnel ram and a 4 port hilborn fuel injection Bob Bannon from Ile Perrot was tech inspector he also ran a Ford stocker that ran under the class index until NHRA refactored the motor combo because of Canadian heads. Don and I can't believe that we are the only ones that raced there

 

clockwork31, I've been asking around trying to find pics 57 chevy Blast Off owner is/or was a member here, some of the guys that run with ONDRA(sp) a least one that owned a 64/65 Chevelle, and cars from Action Performance, and Karbelt also ran there.

 

Jeff, I knew some of you had some interesting informations to share, thanks!

 

I've got some Photo's from 1977 that I'll post in the next few days from Cedars Dragway.

 

I've got an album a friend dropped off but I can't remove them to scan the pic's are stuck to the page so when I got time (racing season and I've got motors to build) i'll scan it into photo shop and crop it to get the ones I want.

 

I'd really like to see some pics of that Plymouth. Didnt Ridgeway also come up with the first stud girdle?

 

Here are some Pic's from Cedars Dragway from 1978 judging from the Yellow & Brown License Plates. These are all I have, Pretty Crappy but at Least it shows some of the Track. This must have been near the Tracks Demise. Too Bad !!!

 

the 69 camaro belonged to "Munchie" he ran A/MP 454 the others I don't recognize look like street cars

 

Pictures finaly! This is great, thanks a lot!

 

Scanned some pics

 

sorry I down loaded some photos twice the SS/EA had a TRUPPI-KLING(SP) motor nice car but never ran to it's potential the car with the trophies is mine

 

the orange and black A/MP belonged to Frank staged a 8000 rpm and side stepped the clutch ran mid 9's and would race Munchie for class honors at every race a pic of Blast Off staging 283 tunnel ram two 4's about 1/2 of the cars ran in the stock classes with a dozen running under the NHRA index the rest were SS or MP with a few other modified eliminator cars the track was starting to get rough that is why we wanted to buy it so we could refurbish it, other tracks Sanair, Napierville, Luskville,Ste-Tite, Pont Rouge,St. Eugene,

 

here is an add that I ran sorry it all doesn't fit in the scanner

 

Thanks Jeff for posting a picture of Blastoff at Cedars. If ever you have a chance of scanning these photo's I'd love to get that picture of Blastoff or even a better shot of just that shot as an Individual Photograph I'd love to have it. Any Info on Blastoff would be much appreciated as well. The Owner of that Car, Claude Primeau, has contacted me through this site recently, I thought they were Deceased but are Alive and Well. Mario Proulx the Driver of the Car is going to get me Photo's of it in Action back in the Day. I'm told this Car was Purchased from Bill Morrison back in 1972, So I'm very excited to say the Least. Thanks Again.....

 

57blastoff waiting for the pics

 

Great seeing these pictures. I am trying to find some of those houses on Google street view to see if i can locate remains of the track but even with the distinctive roofline on the red and white house i don't see it.

I am assuming the track is north of the #20 highway and on the east side of Chemin St Dominique. There are two sets of railroad tracks. One set near Rt 20 and the other north closer to Rt 340. Does anyone know if it's between the two railroad lines or between Rt340 at the railroad or even a street address? If any of you are in the area have you been to the site to see if there is any of it left?

Another mystery Quebec track is the 1/8th mile at Lavaltrie. I am thinking it might be east of town near the river where Google is showing a site being torn up with a small oval alongside.

 

Yes I am 5 minutes from there and the track use to be between the two railroad tracks (340 and 20) about half way, there is a business called Cramer and unfortunately there is nothing left from the track, it's a field now. Many people from the area know this place well. Some use to go rqacing there with their muscle cars.

 

Thank you! I think i see where you mean. The Google Earth pictures are fairly crappy but there are a variety of years to select from . I discounted that area because of the ditch that would run across the track near the finish line but they must have run it under the track in a culvert.

It looks like Cramer would be the large tree nursery north of it? There are two long narrow fields that look faintly like the twin strips of the track could have been there. The fields are divided by a row of trees and i'm guessing south of those trees. There are a bunch of small buildings near the road and the old white house doesn't really look like the one in those pictures from the street but may from the back side.
On maps it's 45.335 , -74.130

 

Yes Tom, it's where the tree nursery is, check post #19 on the first page the 1st and 3rd picture show a white and a yellow house, these two houses are still there, trees around the houses are much bigger but you can use google street view to check the houses, the yellow one hasn't changed much.

 

I'm not seeing them.

I am also assuming the strip was 90 degrees to the road and not running beside it?
In the old pictures there are power poles to the left of the strip. The shadows are to the left of the cars so i've guessed they are running to the east.
What i'm assuming is one of the houses is at 846 Chemin Saint Dominique . Go there on the street view and there is a silver Cherokee parked beside the white and grey house. lots of power poles running east away from the road.
When you look at the aerial view there are a bunch of white splotches in a green field. Just beside that it looks like two strips that could be the old track with a tree growing through it in the shutdown.

 

yes the strip ran 90* from the road west to east the ditch was at the end of the 1/4 mile causing a bump after repaving the area making the cars wiggle in the shutdown area.

 

Thanks, i'm pretty sure i've located it. Be nice to see a vintage aerial picture to confirm.

Now here's a stumper. A fellow tells me that in the mid 60's there was sign saying "drag strip" with an arrow leading down a path through the woods on Rt 17 part way to Ottawa. Anyone know what that may be?

It doesn't sound like it could be Cedars and may be further northwest. Was there ever another track that area?

I located Lavaltrie Dragway, it's used as a road now, and what i think is Coaticook Dragway near Rt 147 and 141.