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The Ole Alamo Dragway Days


ProTree

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harvey died not to many years after from leukemia.It was real quick.Caught us off guard.He was sick but kept it from us,he was a big boy and was alway trying to lose weight,and finally he was dropping a few pounds and was looking good.but the reason was he was sick .wouldnt even got to the doctor,even told his wife thats why he wouldnt go the doctor, cause he would tell him he was going to die,when he finally went to md anderson in houston,he died within a week,he raced and fought till the very end,was even getting ready to go to oklahoma to race went it hit him so bad and he finally went to a doctor and that was the week before the race.tough guy right there.knew he wasnt going to make it, so have fun till the end instead of sitting and waiting for it to take you

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Yea,,I painted that car every time it was painted..I was supposed to go to MD the morning he died to give platelets. His wife called me at 4:30 am the morning he died and told me not to come,he had passed...Harold Slawson, (" HARVEY WALLBANGER" ) was one of a kind,and a true friend..

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hey gundog,you and i could write a book or make a movie from all the crazy stunts and tricks that were pulled out of the ole race shop with wallbanger on the corner of lamar,brentwood and wild street every nite during the week back in the day.i used to get a kick out of how many people would just show up to hang around to see what was going to go down sometimes.even the police would come by on their breaks to see what was going to go down, cause they knew they would be getting a call later about it,it gave them a headsup on what they would be dealing with.never was a dull moment for sure.i know if harvey was alive today,he would be driving a pro-mod,just his kind of ride-ON THE WILD SIDE-R.I.P Harvey-we aint forgot you buddy and never will

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  • 2 months later...

budman

Yes it is. I was at SAS today and when I was leaving I looked over the fence to see almost all the return road and pit area covered with tall grass and weeds. I couldnt see the STRIP itself because of the tall grass. Its being used as a storage area for a company thats putting in the rail tracks at Toyota. Its a real shame that its being neglected like that. I have fond memories of my younger days spent there. I ran my first front motor dragster at that track. I wish it could be turned into an 1/8 mi track. I think it would do well for the four banger "Street Rockets" around here. Same goes for the little dirt track next to it. Both are just going to waste.

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The drag strip in San Antonio, I remember from my youth many, many years ago was called "San Antonio Drag Raceway". It was out at the end of Rittiman Road. Not quite sure exactly where Rittiman Road ended way back then. What I do remember is the "Sunday, Sunday, Sunday" radio ads for it. I guess that advertising was pretty effective if I still remember it after all these years.

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Buddy,

You are thinking of "Double Eagle" dragstrip. It was on Gibbs-Sprawl Road. If you know where to look, some of it is still there, but a housing development is slowly swallowing up the strip from the starting line end of it.

Here is a satellite link:

Double Eagle

From this link, Rittiman is to the west, about a mile or two.

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txtom

We're showing our age by remembering that track. I use to take my 65 GTO out there every chance I got. I still remember the first of the "Funny Cars". They stood about 3 feet off the ground with altered wheel bases. And the Anglias were real popular back then as well as the wheel standers. The "Lil Red Wagon" comes to mind. Those were good times. Damn Im OLD!!!

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  • 1 month later...

hey brh50,i got a couple we took at the line together when MILLER was my sponcer and bud was COLLIERS sponcer.his driver at that time was DON BEARD.DON COLLIER was one of those quiet ones that would always help anyone.guys like him are far and few between.....frank t.//////come by shop if you want to barrow.

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Frank, Donalds brother Big Jack, Donalds son Michael and I are great friends and ran with them at Alamo, and your right, about the driver, then Donald drove for a while then sold the vega and put the motor in the counter guy at Kendricks rail, and Tommy Kendrick ran that rail for a time. Did you know Donald passed away here about 2 years ago, sad day, Donald was quiet but funny as hell and smart as hell with a motor. Heres a name from drag racing also, remember Eddie Bauer... ran a rail also, run into him and his wife quite often, know him also.

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Here ya go, John, from dragnews.com:

 

 

Death: Cecil Lankford, 70, driver of the Brand-X Mustang Funny Cars in the late 60's and early 70's, passed away on August 17 after a long battle with cancer. He raced on the AHRA Grand American Series Circuit along with making limited appearances in NHRA competition. He is survived by wife Annette, his brother, Tommy, and Brenda Williamson, who he thought of as his daughter though she was actually his niece.
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  • 4 weeks later...

yea that track was a second home to me. my father was sponsered by the track itself when he race the ahra circut. what happen to those days of racing when closest thing to a helmet in some of the races was my old mans cowboy hat. i remember they would race all night and drink till dawn ...... brings a tear to my eye and a thirst to my tongue... :ph34r:

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  • 1 year later...

Even though this is old news, it's new to me. I can't believe I'm so far out of the loop now. My good friend, Gordon Mineo was dead for months before I heard about his horrible wreck that killed him and his wife, Ann and three others. It's been a year now since his death and I'm still not over it. He was a special friend.

Reading the posts on this forum makes me feel really old and so uninformed. But, that's what happends when you get old. Thanks to all for the good reading and the memories.

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  • 2 years later...

I have some good memories of the old Alamo days. Its where I learned to drag race those were the good days. Bruce Fullerton included these photos with a bunch more to share with everyone enjoy. I'll post them up as I go about getting them organized. I'll have story to link with almost all of them in the near future so check out my blog when ever you can.

 

This is one of those events where Big Daddy made history in Texas.

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  • 7 years later...

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