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First races you attended?


Banker36

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So lets here where everyone saw their first races at, what surface, and what state? Name the track if you can remember.

 

Mine were when I was about 8 years old at Longhorn Speedway during the last year or two the track was open. I actually still remember seeing the only? or last ROMCO event they had there.

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Lebanon Valley Speedway in upstate New York in 1956 - I was 12.

 

My older brother took my Dad's 55 Chevy to the Lebanon Valley drag strip to see what it would do and I went with him. While we were there, a couple of Hudsons and 6-cylinder Chevys were hot lapping on the oval next to the drag strip and I went over to have a look.

 

That's all it took.

 

Two summers later - unbeknownst to my unsuspecting parents - I was racing a jalopy at Maine's Ellsworth Falls Speedway, a roughed-out, flat, dirt track with some of my clam-digging buddies. No flagstand. No flagman unless we could talk a volunteer into standing close enough to the track so we could see him. Two flags - Green and Checkered. No seatbelt, no fire extinguisher and personal safety gear consisted of a dirty t-shirt, oil soaked jeans, work boots, a football helmet and swimming goggles. Oh.. and a bandana over your nose and mouth to keep a portion of the dust out of the lungs. No score-keeper and sometimes a dispute over who actually won. No grandstands. Folks just stood around or watched from the nearby road or drove into the field and sat on top of their car or pickup to watch. No purse, but most every time someone would pass the hat from those standing around and give it to whoever won that day.

 

What a blast.

 

Nick

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1965(approx.)...Illiana Speedway, Schereville, Ind.(still in operation by the way) 1/2 mile, semi-banked, paved oval......USAC Midgets, plus local classes.....They put a Midget out in the parking lot that afternoon, too....Saw/walked the pits with many of the old ASA, soon to be, NA$CAR drivers race there in the late 70's-early 80's....Kulwicki, Martin, Wallace, Musgrave, Trickle, Alexander, Miller, Sauter(dad), Benson...

 

From there to drag racing, 1968(approx.).....US 30 Dragstrip, Merrillville, Ind.(Closed due to urban expansion).....Was close enough to home that I could hear them running if the wind was out of the southeast.....Also close enough I could ride my bicycle....Helped build motor for drag car in high school shop class.....Graduated mid-term 1973, so I never saw it run...

 

Over to dirt, 1978(approx.) Sante Fe Speedway, Willow Springs, Ill.(Closed due to urban expansion)....First ever World of Outlaws Sprint Car race, Kinser, Swindell, Doty, Allen, Haud, Ferkel.....Hell ya!

 

Been hooked on racing, of all kinds, ever since day one.....As I recall I had 11 or 12 tracks(dirt, paved, dragstrip) within an hour and half drive between Ind., Ill. and Mich.....Wish I had that many options now!

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1960---Hialeah Speedway (near Miami)---I grew up watching the greats that grew into legends. Buddy Griffin (Griffin Radiators)---Robert Hamke (Hamke Chassis)---Randy Tissott (WC racer 1973)---Bobby/Donnie Allison (lived and raced here before moving to Hueytown Al) Bobby Coyle (237's most famous driver next to Gary Balough who went to school with my brother): Butch Mock (WC car owner of the 75 RAMOCK team fame)---Dickie Anderson (Waynes Father) and a bunch of others. This was a 1/3 mile FLAT asphalt track and operated for 51 continous years before closing in 2004. They said if you could master this track you could drive anywhere and they were right. You can see this track at http://www.floridaracingmemories.com/

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.1962 CC SPEEDWAY MOMS MISTAKE A GOOD ONE I THINK ONE OF THE FEW SHE MADE .WE LIVED ABOUT A MILE FROM THE TRACK AND I COULD HEAR THE OLD COUPES GOING AT IT .USE TO SIT IN THE YARD AND DREAM OF GOING THERE .FIGURE 8 RACING WAS BIG THEN .MISS THAT .I REMEMBER DON YOKUM SR HITTING THE PIT WALL HARD THINK HIS THROTTLE STUCK ...SOME WOULD REMEMBER THE MUSTANG DARE DEVILS . ROLL OVER CONTEST AND SUCH .OF COURSE A WEDDING IN THE BACK OF A RACE CAR GOING AROUND THE TRACK WITH A VERY YOUNG LOCAL RACER SITTING WHAT WAS THE BACK DASH ..THINK IT WAS A 64 FORD CALAXY 500..1969 I THINK ..DON CORRECT ME IF I AM WRONG ..

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I vaguely remember being in tge pits at CC Speedway in 1991 and seeing the Gold #11 Miller High Life Olds Cutlass, Wayne Norrells white and blue #17 car and my old mans Black #15 Miller Genuine Draft Lumina!

 

Some of the best racing between 3 cars you'll ever see

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Just like JC.. 2 weeks old in 1971 at Austin Speed O Rama.. still remember it like it was yesterday.. ;)

 

Well Rodney, this is actually JC's rival, Michael. But JC's first race attended would have been 1983 as a newborn and probably also at longhorn...he will have to confirm since my memory doesn't go before my birth :)

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