Top 10 Most Memorable Tracks

[bubba]

Been to quite a few of the ones already mentioned, one that stood out to me was Fargo ND. I think it is a .5mile dirt track. There was a hell of a bump on the back stretch from the crossover area that actually acted like a ramp. Saw a few cars with all four in the air and most with two. Not sure if it was a normal thing or not, but it made the boring races fun to watch!

They have WoO Sprints on occasion and other 410's/360's as well as the usual cadre of dirt classes.

I have only been twice - both times due to work up there. Great shows both times. Out in seemingly the middle of nowhere, but I guess it is the "fairgrounds". Good food, only complaint was the mosquitos were as big as mockingbirds and swarmed the place.

Going to Fargo is in itself an adventure - adding a dirt track made for some real interesting people watching.

[Frasson118]

From what I've heard (if I'm not mistaken for the correct track), Fargo has a sign that says "It's not the end of the world, but you can see it from here"

[bubba]

I dont doubt it as far as that sign, it would be appropriate.

Here is a link to a cool overhead shot from when the WoO was there.http://photosbychad.smugmug.com/Othe...50_Lq4gu-XL-LB Checkout the crowd/parking.

They might have reconfigured things as I thought I recalled a wall going around the turns.

[linda]

the Heidelberg track, is that by carnegie Pa? i was there twice long ago in the 70's. it was just up the street from me but i wasnt a race fan back then. Then they closed it and made a big farmers market?? geeze if i only knew back then how much fun racing is and how close it was to my house.

[ancrdave]

1. Golden Gate Speedway, Tampa, FL - Great fantastic atmosphere unlike any other track I've ever been to... Sprints on Saturday night were the best!

2. Sunshine Speedway, Pinellas Park, FL - Never saw a bad show there watching or announcing... Competition from class to class was unreal...

3. Amarillo Speedbowl, Amarillo, TX - Neat and wide clay quarter-mile that ran NCRA Supermods and Stock Cars that I went to when I was stationed in Clovis, NM... Only two classes every Saturday but tons of cars and close racing... Was nicknamed the "Silver Dollar Speedway" because if you got change back from your admission, it was paid in silver dollars... The winner of the big NCRA race in September was also paid in silver dollars...

4. Orlando Raceway, Taft, FL - I grew up at this place and, although it was nothing special to look at, never had so much fun... The races were always great and made so many special friends and memories...

5. Hickory Speedway, Hickory, NC - Went there a couple of times and saw two great shows (one an old NASCAR Grand Touring race) and both were interrupted by funerals at the adjacent graveyard... Ned Jarrett treated my family like royalty which is one of my fondest racing memories...

6. Reading Fairgrounds, Reading, PA - Only went there once but it was awesome... Started over 40 cars in each B MAIN! The race between Kenny Brightbill and Dick Tobias that day was truly amazing!

7. Columbia Speedway, Columbia, SC - Very fast, dimly lit hard clay half-mile but man they put on a show... Saw Tiny Lund, Lee Roy Yarbrough, Ralph Earnhardt and more duke it out...

8. Hialeah Speedway, Hialeah, FL - Went there between 1974 and 1979 during some really great years of racing there... This was a track where anything could happen and usually did!

9. Deland Drive-In Raceway, Deland, FL - Where else could you bring a picnic lunch, park right next to the fence with your car and watch races on a Sunday afternoon... This was about as "low buck" a race track you could visit, but it was lotsa fun!

10. Speedbowl, Valdosta, GA - This place was downright scary fast... Only time I ever got to see the Skeeter-style Modifieds run on dirt...

[carolwicks]

fond memories of the past...

in the 60's and early 70's i was a fan of racing at Norwood Arena in Norwood, Mass.. Ive forgotten alot but i will never forget the fun and excitement. women were not allowed in the pits so we had tailgate parties after the races and thats when we got to meet the drivers. Got crazy sometimes. lol well if you know Bugs youd understand. lol . the track is now a parking lot i think but thanks to Karnac we have been able to bring back some of the veteran drivers and talk about old times...Bugs Stevens, Leo Cleary, Ronnie Bouchard, the late great Gene Bergin, and so so many other awesome racers from the past.
Since moving to Florida my favorite track was Lakeland (USA International Speedway. i have been to most tracks and have had alot of fun at all of them. It isnt about the track. its about the people. at least for me it is.
Carol

[JD99]

Mid-west flavor

I-70 Speedway, Odessa, MO.
When this track opened in 1969, it was THE place to race in the Mid-West. A 1/2 mile high-banked asphalt with a dogleg in the back straight, it attracted names like Ernie Derr, Irv Janey, Dick Hutcherson, Ramo Stott, Gordie Blankenship in it's first season, then became a cornerstone track for the original ASA series with Rex Robbins. Trickle, Reffner, Shear, Senneker, Howe, Eddy, Martin, and Wallace have all won races and left junk behind at one time or another at the track Mark Martin nick-named "The Original Home of Wreckers or Checkers". At it's peak, they ran 2 classes, Late Models and 6 cyl Bombers, with each class boasting 25+ cars a week. Later, current Sprint Cup drivers Jamie McMurray, Clint Bowyer and Carl Edwards plied their craft at the fast 1/2 mile. Unfortunately, it now sits abandoned, owned by a "businessman" who felt more value in running 6 classes of 6 cars each, and now owns a piece of history, but not a racetrack.

The Original Lakeside Speedway, Leavenworth Road, Kansas City, KS
This medium banked 1/2 mile dirt track with boiler plate walls was the Friday night option in the 60s and 70s. Lakeside would offer Late Models, 6 cylinder Bombers and 4 cyl Mini-Stocks on Fridays, and for 2 months during the summer would run Late Models and Sprinters on Sunday nights. Torn down in the late 80s due to noise ordinance issues imposed by new businesses, it was resurrected in the 90's some 20 miles away as an asphalt track, it has now been covered with dirt and is hampered by yearly flooding.

Riverside Stadium, North Kansas City, MO
Saturday nights held a carnival atmosphere at this 1/4 mile bullring. High banks and an oil based gumbo made for a track that stayed moist and tacky all the way through the evening ending figure 8 races. Local drivers to go on to success included Greg and Kenny Weld, Jud Larson, and Dick Sutcliffe. Sadly, Riverside closed it's doors in the 80s after the grandstands became so delapidated that the city shut it down.

[mr south 59]

Memories

Ocala Speedway '70's
When it was dirt before it was asphalt. Used to play under the bleachers as a kid. Raced my first lap at that track on a motor cycle and drove my first lap in a stock car there.

Birmingham International Raceway
Track has a lot of history. When we ran their we were told that the asphalt was 93 years old. It had on grip on the bottom or the middle. You just drive it in about 135 mph about 2 feet away from the guardrail and slide up about a foot and a half and rim ride the corner. It is a drivers track.

Concord
It is a challenging track to set up and drive. It is like it only has one straight and one big corner. And what can you say. Your racing in Concord. It has the best view from the grandstands also.

Watermelon Capital Speedway
Fun track. No wall on the back stretch thank god. Lost a brake line avoiding a wreck and flew off the back stretch like the dukes of hazard. Great small town atmosphere. You go to the store there and you get their life history and they want to know what you got in that there trailer? Horses?

Hialeah
Got to race there in the early '70's but the best thing for me was that my son turned his first lap their in a full size stock. He also got to race there on the last night. One day he will realize what it means to him. That was one of the funnest nights we have ever had at a track also.

[legendofauto]

BTW, Gainesville Raceway hosted SCCA sportscar races back in the 70's.
Used the dragstrip, return road, paddock area...ran their myself.

[Joe]

Best topic I've seen in a while

Haven't posted in a while, but this one got me thinking. In no particular order...

North Wilkesboro Speedway: Saw a NASCAR race there in 1993 and thought it was special then. To be there last year when it reopened was entirely more special. I hope they get this place back open.

Plymouth Speedway (Indiana): This track informed me how strong racing in the Midwest was. Late models, sprint cars and modifieds every week. 140 cars in the pits. Cheap beer.

Ocala Speedway: Saw my first race there and watched it go from dirt to asphalt to dirt. Glad to have it dirt again.

Bristol Motor Speedway: While I think the track is ruined, there is not a more electric atmosphere in all of motorsport. It's our modern day coliseum.

East Bay Raceway: I've never seen a bad race program there. Never. Granted, only been there about 7 times, but I've been impressed every time.

Jax Raceways: The place was a dump, but the fights were always good. I took a lot of racing virgins there who ended up becoming fans.

Hickory Motor Speedway: Another one of those short tracks where you can just feel the history. I think the shape is neat too.

Bowman Gray Stadium: The greatest short track in the country. The best show in the country. The best $10 you can spend. Heck, I may just get in the car and head there this weekend.

Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway: This track has one of the best smells in racing. Not sure what I mean by that, but the place smells like a race track should. Glad it's been saved for now.

Darlington Raceway: As my Uncle Harold told me years ago, "People don't come here to see the prerace concert or who will sing the anthem. People are here to see these cars and these drivers hit that wall." And it never gets old. Proud to have seen 20 Cup races there, including the final Southern 500 in 2003 and the Craven/Busch battle.

Honorable mentions to Rockingham, Greenville-Pickens and Bulls Gap (Tennessee).

[TG03]

Eldora - Been there for the World 100 and the 4-crown. The World has great atmosphere, but the history of the speedway and the variety of the 4-crown are unmatched.

Atomic - Goty to see a LM show there. Found myself jealous of the people who got to have it as their weekly track.

16th Street - Saw a midget show in this baseball stadium converted to a dirt track. Seating was great, configuration was interesting and made for some pretty neat racing.

Indianapolis Fairgrounds - First trip to a mile. Saw the Silver Crown cars and thought it was so cool to stand in turn one during qualifying. As the cars went into turn three, you could barely hear them. A bonus was the people attending the race. Saw A.J., Johnny Rutherford, Lloyd Ruby, George Snider, and many others wandering the pits.

East Bay - The speedweeks races at East Bay used to be second to none. The All-Star sprints and the STARS late models would bring great competition. Sorry to see that it has gone down.

Volusia - The Speedweeks races at Volusia used to be the worst races of Speedweeks. But in the past few years they have really turned things around and currently have the best Speedweeks show around.

Golden Isles - Whe it was oiled dirt, the racing was terrible, but the speeds were incredible. Once it went to clay, the races were just as exciting as the speeds used to be.

Rome - Saw an All-Star sprint show and was amazed. Really fast, the announcer stated that Doug Wolfgang set fast time with the first recored 150 mph qualifying speed on a dirt track. Don't know if that was true, but it was blistering fast.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway - What can be said about the icon of racing. I know it isn't what it used to be, but the Museum was fantastic and just knowing the history of the place leaves you in awe.

Jax Raceways - I know the racing wasn't that great, but it is where I started watching races and the first place I raced. I remember full fields in all of the classes, crowded grandstands, rooting for anyone to beat Terry Mock, feeling pround when the local guys made the Speedweeks features, and getting to know some great people.

[wre11]

Top 10 (er, Top 8?)

1. Hialeah Speedway - BEST TRACK EVER! I miss her.
2. Punta Gorda Speedway - Won my finish championship here.
3. Orlando Speedworld - Fast and fun. Wish I lived closer.
4. South Florida Fairgrounds Speedway - Great atmosphere.
5. Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway - Just like "The Miz", AWESOME.
6. New Smyrna Speedway - Very fast.
7. Tahoe-Carson Speedway - Fun in the desert.
8. Walt Disney World Speedway - What can I say, I love Disney.

[Frasson118]

"but thanks to Karnac we have been able to bring back some of the veteran drivers and talk about old times..."

Sorry Carol, but Karnac had nothing to do with getting these people together...

[legendofauto]

For comfort and viewing, Tropicana Field!

They did run TBARA and WoO races there in 1991...who'd of ever thunk it!

[carolwicks]

frasson

Jerry, i wasnt trying to take anything away from you. you certainly deserve credit for the success of that particular reunion. when we worked on it, we were given a banner on Karnac and we did alot of promoting for that reunion. There have also been other reunions such as the Sunshine reunion, Joyces up north of us, and ronnie Bacelos Hialeah reunion. they have all posted their news on karnac. Rick, Jack, Wayne Jefferson and others went to the Sunshine reunion and all the radio work was courtesy of karnac. all the publicity was courtesy of KARNAC...
i am working hard to bring back karnac in a useful good way. it is at rock bottom and i reached out to our kids to help because they have energy and they LOVE what they do and have a special maturity. if you noticed, they have many many posts and readers and not one single nasty word or negative reply. i am so proud of them...
i am sorry if i hurt your feelings. i had no intentions of doing that.
carol
p.s.
remember that Jack came to NSS and did a radio show for us and for the guests. he paid his own gas and gave his own time ... that was a karnac gift to us.