Austin Raceway Park

[txtom]

Surprised this has not come up before....

 

Anyone remember the Austin Raceway Park complex? Was just west of I-35 just a few miles from the Dell Complex.

 

Was a road course and a dragstrip.

 

Any Austin straight liners got a story or two?

[Budman]

Dang Tom,

I sometimes forget this place ever existed. What really surprises me after all these years is that the place is even recognizable in this aerial shot.

 

Yeah, I spent a few afternoons out at that place back in the day. I bet Tommy33 has got some stories about it .............. after he gets home from work tonight.

[tqj3]

Tom and Budman-

I attended my first racing school at ARP in 1966 and raced the road course in F Production, Formula Vee and Formula Ford until they shut it down.

We also ran "autocross" events; essentially just time trials using the entire 1.5-mile road course, though we often used cones to mark off areas of the track to keep the novices from getting too rambunctious. It isn't obvious from the photo, but turn three was actually a banked turn.

The course was a blast to race on, and you could see everything from the bleachers except the exit out of turn one and the first part of the short straight leading to turn two.

I ran a 1966 BMW 1602 sedan and a 1966 Austin-Healey Sprite in autocrosses, usually both on the same day. Too much fun... I might have a photo or two around, I'll try to find them,

The end of the drag strip is still visible from 1325...

Edited April 26, 2007 by tqj3

[gundogC3]

YEP, The day before I went into the army, I had a 62 Buick Skylark convertible that the three guy's I joined with ripped the roof off of it and drove it up 35 until we reached the track (that was shut down then)then drove it around the road course untill it blew up (it overheated alot)....then we poured gas on it at the end of the dragstrip....and left it there on fire....

Edited April 26, 2007 by GUNDOG33

[ProTree]

We used to have some serious late nite throw downs at the "ol strip" in the late 70's.I remember going out on a friday with shop brooms and slingblades,whacking weeds and sweeping the surface so we could have some late nite racing to settle some disputes over "whos trash was the fastest".Once the word got around,if we had of sold tickets,we could of made some $$$.Everybody hanging in the parking lots at those times came to watch,but our group knew where to hide when the race officals (travis county sheriffs) showed up to clean house with lites flashing.Some of those nites we sat in the weeds on the backside of that loop at the top of that pic for a long time in our cars waiting for the county mounties to leave so we could leave,they didnt even know about that part of the track being there.

[Chris Taylor]

Here's a shot of the control tower, from namethattrack.com:

 

 

Somebody compiled a bunch of pictures and stories from the track, but I can't bring up the page in a quick Google search.

[rodlea]

Here's a picture of my brother and my '62 Ford

with the time card from Austin Raceway Park from 1966.

Rodney

 

 

[Budman]

Is that an Anglia in that photo?

 

Was that a 406 in that Galaxy?

[rodlea]

Looking through some scrapbooks and found some old ARP official time cards from when we raced in 1966 a 1962 Ford with 427 engine. My brother and I bought this car in 1966. This time card represents a race with Butch Lake. August "Hands" Hartkopf had a pump up sprayer with resin and was spraying Butch's tires for traction. I'll never forget that he asked us simply "want some?" and then sprayed it on our tires.

This was a "run what you brung" day - not an official event - Saturday afternoon.

About the tower: at the time I believe there were 2 of those around. One at Truck City on Ben White and the other at the race track. Believe they were oil derricks.

Remember one time on a regular Sunday race day the little red wagon that did wheel stands and drug tail gate got caught by the wind and was blown over.

I have a hot rod book around here somewhere that has an article of an NHRA event at the track. Probably in 1967-1968.

Trying to think of the guy's name that ran the Christmas Tree. He was a big guy and worked for post office. First name may have been Bill. His picture is in the hot rod book wearing a cowboy hat.

Rodney

[thrss1]

is that tower where truck city (i think it was) used to on ben white just west of 35

[Budman]

That's correct Dale.

[thrss1]

cool i remember eating breakfast under the oil rig many a mornings with my dad. however i dont remember the track.

[RockStan]

that is one nice spiral stair case in the tower photo

[Lightning351]

Does anyone remember the 32 "Olds" powered roadster of Buck and Bohls anybody have any memories late 50's to 1960's I think set the agas record before that class was closed. Also came out in hotrod magazine too. I have contact to one of the nephews and sent me some photos. It was mentioned Waldo Harpo drove one of the cars at some point.

 

If anybody has Austin raceway park or Oakhill photos let me know or photos of your old drag car or street car let me know. Im realy lookin to make a website in regards to all the cars out of Austin that raced there even after it closed LOL!

 

In regards to the Butch Lake 55 wagon it sat next to my house for 15 years I think before we had to help the owner move it out to the sec home across the street I was surprised the tars held air. it looks the same as the last day you guys ever saw it! just dirty "real" dirty. I got to drive it.... okay while they pushed it.

Edited June 15, 2007 by Lightning351

[Budman]

Lightnin, check the thread below.

[MOTORAustin]

I went to ARP today and snapped about 30 pictures. I added a legend in the lower right so you can see where, and what direction, the photo was taken.

 

[RodneyRodriguez]

looks like a few other tracks around here

[Hrodder]

I have pictures of Buck & Bohls Roadster taken at Houston and Double Eagle 1959 also have pictures of Hands with Buck & Bohls at Caddo Mills I think.

[PAPA]

Hrodder

Please scan and post them. Thanks

[Lightning351]

Hrodder

Please scan and post them. Thanks

 

Thought someone would enjoy these. These color shots were given to me by Rodney Bohls. From earliest to latest. Linford Mclemore ended up with the red roadster and went racing with it -Inferno? The last one was taken by unkown in Victoria match race with Eddie Hill. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

[Lightning351]

These are ARP photos taken by Bruce Fullerton.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Lightning351]

ARP more photos.

 

Chadwick

 

Chadwick close up

 

BobbyRutledge

 

George Cox

 

Marshells Trucking of Austin

 

BanzaiII With George Cox Standing Left

[PAPA]

The old Diggers sure bring back a lot of memories. Damn Im old!

[MOTORAustin]

 

Bob Kramer used to run an ARP site but I believe the host went under and the site with it. He sent me some of his pictures and descriptions and I posted them pretty much formatted like he had them on his site. He's still interested in getting his site back up and running in the future. I have found several references to his site's old URL in my research, so it was very cool to find him! He is more interested in the road racing aspect so it was cool to see a few pics of those races.

 

I posted his photos and text here:

 

http://www.motoraustin.com/austin-texas-hot-rod-history.htm

 

bob's old link was something like: flashpages.prodigy.net/bakramer/index.html

[Budman]

Cool Pics. Thanks guys. Incidentially, at the lower left of the first pic on post 21, that could be me, sitting in that lawn chair with my feet on the fence. Seriously, that really could be me. Looks a lot like me way back then, anyway.