Famous Texas Tracks, Cars, Stories and SpeedShops

RE: SUPER TRACK DEMISE: It has been told that during construction of DIMS, a spring was found under the right lane. Someone decided to pave over it and there was this pesky little trickle to deal with. My recollection of Ratty Cat's right lane ride ended upside down on the armco rail, which cut thru the car like a bandsaw. Always wondered why they don't put another run of armco on top covering posts. Contrary to popular belief, the grandstand full of spectators were not entertained by this tragic accident.


HIPPIES INVADE: Legend is that the ONLY event that ever made a profit at the facility was the Dallas Pop Festival (Woodstock on tour). A neighbor asked me to go with her. Hell Yeah! I had been watching news stories of hippies swimming nude at Lake Dallas. I was there! Biggest crowd I ever saw for anything!!!!! We parked past the finish line as Santana began, entered near staging lanes, listened to Spirit as we worked our way towards the stage somewhere near the finish line, to watch Sly and the Family Stone and White Trash (Edgar and Johnnie Winters). Woodstock in Dallas is what it really was. You Know It Was A Better Party In Texas!!!!
Many national championship caliber racers honed their talents on it's road course. They had to deal with armco barriers at every turn. YAHOO.

 

Worked my way back thru GV photos, til I came to the GREAT AERIAL shot. Flashback. This was one of the tracks that legitimized drag racing to the public. To us it was many great weekend parties. We would back a pickup with a tube rack balcony up to the fence, sneak beer in under the seat of my roadster, and have the times of our lives. In the morning, cuties would wake us up collecting money for the day. No one ever seemed to mind being roused by a cutie.
People milled around looking at every car, making life-long friends, UNTIL a BIG CAR fired, then EVERYONE WENT TO THE FENCE. I remember blown gas cars to be very recognizable. Sometimes we ran to the fence. After rain, cars ran up and down the strip and as the track dried, all HELL would break loose. Very unofficial races would take place. We had 3 in my 27 roadster against a bad ass Chevelle. Crossed the finish line at over a hundred and heard a funny noise. Was TOO busy to look just yet, but after slowing down, up the hill, I realized that my buddy had passed out and his arm was rubbing on the front of the tire. Here is the only pic I can find of it, before it was finished. Anybody got any pics of this candy red 27?
I was announcing a bikini contest at a Bug-In there, towards the end, and noticed that the crossover bridge was FULL. Something I said helped a LOVELY contestant decide to take off her top. Guys were hanging off the bridge. The judges gave her runner-up because it was a "family show". Political correctness began before the closing of Green Valley. I cannot see pictures of the bridge without thinking of her.
Someone tell these folks about the beautiful noise in the grandstands.

 

Thanks for the awesome stories

 

bbttt

great pictures all, thks for sharing them!

 

These views are some of my first ever drag racing pictures. I shot them at Green Valley in the spring of 1964 and it must have been some kind of gasser event as nearly all the cars I shot were gas coupes. Or maybe I was just enamored with gassers at the time. After nearly 50 years, I couldn't tell you.

 

Here's another A/G car at Green Valley. This could have been one of the Anglia's that ran out of Al's Garage on Harry Hines in Dallas. Al's cars didn't tend to be fancy but they often ran well. Maybe someone will recognize it.

 

Any pictures of either of these?

 

I would like to know also

 

Hey partsrivet!

Keep those pictures of Green Valley, Austin and all of Texas coming!

Man! those things are great and thanks for telling the stories behind the pictures.

From Deep In the Heart of Texas!

1940 Willys Coupe

 

I remember the Snyder and Lancaster car but have no idea on the other. Didn't shoot either one. The few remaining gassers from the Valley are coming up.

 

It's possible this B/G car is another from Al's Garage (known as Al's Pals). When I started at AEECO in 1965, the substantial machine shop there was being closed and the last machinist there ran a B/G car like this out of Al's. Don't remember his name, but he didn't want to be a parts driver/warehouseman so that became my job. The other machinists and the engineer (the engineer in Automotive Engineering) were gone and Murray and Willie turned it into a parts wholesaler. Anyway, this could be the guy but can't swear to it. From the 1964 gasser meet at Green Valley

 

Guys I just want to say when I started this thread I thought I would post my images and it would be done and over with and get buried. But you guys have shown me so many great pictures and stories and I want to thank you all so much for keeping this going it means the world to me. This is part of my towns heritage and a lot of it is lost and thank you for bringing it back. If you have any objects from the track or trophies etc. lemme know!

 

I'm not sure what model this C/G car is but it was pretty nice for the time. These views were made from color prints as I never shot a drag car in black and white. One of my better moves looking back on it.

 

Steakley Chevrolet over in north Dallas had this nice Malibu that normally ran in the stock or FX classes. This day it was running with the gassers.

 

This 64 view of the A gas cars I've posted shows the bridge where the famous bikini contest was held. And speaking of sneaking beer in, my buds and I tried that one and got popped by the local Smithfield cops that were patrolling in the pits as we looked nowhere near 21. They loaded us in to the squad car for a trip to the can, when a call came in that some dude had tried to break in down by the shutoff and was escaping across the nearby field. Off we went, lights flashing and siren screaming. We caught up with this clown who had run through a couple of barbed wire fences and looked like he'd been in a fight with a sack full of cats. He started mouthing off to the cops, whereas we had been uncommonly polite and contrite. With 7 of us now in the squad car, they took me and my friends back to the startling line, wagged their fingers at us to be good boys and roared off with their new prize. Lost our beer but we were back at the races-life really is good at times!

 

I have posted this before but not on this thread...anybody know anything about this car or "Loyd?"

The name Loyd is part of the nerf bar on the front btw...

 

I may be wrong,my mind is so old now,but if I recall correctly,this looks like the car a guy named Wilbur Booth ran out of Al's Garage back in those days,,I just dont remember him ever working at AEECO..What say you Partsrivet?

 

I don't remember any of the Al's Pals names, including the guy at AEECO. I do remember the AEECO guy ran a black B/G Anglia similar to the one I posted so you could be right about this being Booth's car. I just couldn't tell you on this one-all our minds (and bods) are getting on.

Something about these pictures reminded me of a question I've always had. Where in the world did all these Anglia's come from? I don't ever remember seeing them on the street when I was a kid? Had they been in junkyards since the '40's? Just curious.

 

appears to be a '37 or 8 cheby

 

ANGLIAS: Wandering thru a wrecking yard out Jacksboro Highway west of Fort Worth and the lake, I found 3 or 4 Anglias waiting. This was a bunch of years ago, but it either indicated that this was the MOTHERLODE or that there were a few around at one time. Anyone know? Anglia Obsolete in Vista, CA can help with current parts searches, along with Gasser Wars magazine, out of Morris Printing in Snohomish, WA.

 

In my opinion, this guy's car could use a little TLC. Maybe it ran good, but I've always been more impressed by cars than not only ran good but looked good also. Just a personal prejudice. Green Valley, 1964

 

damn them Texas sleepers.....

 

Still having some trouble with these old scan so bear with me. I think we've seen other views of this match bash. I don't have the original slides with me but I'm guessing it was 65 or 66. Looks like the boys are backing up after some burnouts. I don't remember GV using those rollers in the foreground to start cars. I thought push starts came down from the top end. Or is this just something else I've forgotten about?

 

An unknown altered and street roadster get after it in this view from my first drag race shots. I was rereading some of the older posts and saw that our thread leader has opened this up to races from the surrounding states. I was looking for a home for some 'orphan' pictures so as time permits, I'll put them up here barring any objections.

 

One of the big engine shops in the Houston area was downtown, Motor Reconditioning Company, better known as "Motoreco". A friend bought a complete ARDUN engine (assembled short block, rebuilt heads, dual carbs on stock ARDUN intake) which had been campaigned in a 29 Roadster out of Cleburne TX in the 50s that was built by Motoreco and lay in storage for 40 years.

A racer in my neighboorhood was Willis Ragsdale who built and drove various versions of 26-27 roadsters from the 50s-70s or so when he was injured in a bad crash. He got back in racing after a few years. He has moved from here now but still had his last racer in the backyard on a trailer then.

 

Can't wait to see what else you got!Got any shots of the Funny Car in your collection?

 

Now if that ain't a great shot of Gene Snow and Kelly Chadwich?

This picture to me tells what drag racing was about in Texas in the 60's.

These photos are great. Thanks partsrivet!

Speaking of Anglias, How about the team of Milsap and Booth.

Speaking of Booth-he was a dangerous guy in my recollection and you did

not want to mess with him!

1940 Willys Coupe

 

Partsrivet Id be more then happy to have you post your orphan photo's here my friend. Keep up the good work because youre posting some great stuff!

 

[QUOTE

Speaking of Anglias, How about the team of Milsap and Booth.

Speaking of Booth-he was a dangerous guy in my recollection and you did

not want to mess with him!

1940 Willys Coupe[/QUOTE]
Booth was not half as bad as many others in Drag Racing back in those days..from true Mafia members to bank robbers..I wont name names here..

 

I think I've seen this view posted before as Bob Gibson posted it to Danny White's funny car site a few years back. Although I took this shot, like many I've posted, I simply don't remember all the details. But given the sequence, I'm pretty sure it was at the match bash at Green Valley in either 65 or 66. You saw the one of Chadwick and Snow-others there that day were Phil Bonner, Mr Norm and Pete Seaton. Probably more besides that. We'll see what shows up when Bob sends the originals back. I think he has more than he realizes. We can hope anyway.