Lost Drag Strips

[Ghoste]

Just finished a book with this title, interesting read.  It's not large enough to cover them all but they hit on some key ones.  It was interesting how many were closed and then just abandoned, and sad too.
There is an abandoned strip close to me that wasn't in the book but I'm more fascinated by it now than ever.  Windsor Dragway.
Anyone else have an abandoned or even closed and used for a different purpose racetrack near them?

[Drache]

My home town of quesnel had one in the 60s and 70s that they closed because someone vandalized the building there. They couldn't afford to rebuild it so they just packed up and left the strip. There was also one in a town called Houston that I used to go to. They closed due to the cost of insurance and upkeep of the strip. 

[Nwcharger]

When I lived in Denver there was an abandoned drag strip and circle track about a mile from my house. Found it riding my dirt bike around. Could probably see it on google earth. Right off i70 and e470. Was called century 21 speedway. The strip had 3ft dirt mounds about every 50 ft to prevent people from racing on it. The circle track had trees growing threw the pavement (may have been a figure but there was enough open space to take a small car around it. Rumor was when the track was still operating someone got onto the track after hours and started racing a jeep down the track with 2 girls standing on the back seats holding onto the roll bar. Ran the 1/4 mile till the end and hit the sand trap causing the girls to go over the jeep which ran them over and they died. Again could be just a rumor.

[Ponch ®]

L.A. is littered with them (hell, we practically "invented" drag racing culture), but there are some more legendary than others.

Here's an awesome write up about Mickey Thompson's Lions Drag Strip
http://laist.com/2008/07/26/laistory_lions_drag_strip.php


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There was also Big Willie Robinson's Brotherhood Raceway Park. Unfortunately I can't seem to find a good write up about it, but plenty of pics on google. Here's a good article written about Willie after he passed. Also worth the read: http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2012/05/big_willie.php

[chargd72]

Century 21 Speedway

[68X426]

Here's a great resource for old tracks (not just drag racing): http://www.na-motorsports.com/Tracks/#State

[John_Kunkel]

Here's another page of old drag strips.

http://www.standard1320.com/1320History/Tracks/Tracks.html

[Nwcharger]

My wife's favorite is Baylands raceway in Fremont California. Her parents where part of the fire and safety crew until it closed in 1988 so she spent a lot of time there as a child. I watch old drag racing videos on YouTube all the time and she always gives me crap until one pops up and its at baylands.

[el dub]

  When I was a kid there was one just outside of town called Raisin City drag strip. Then later called Fresno Dragways. It was run by Blackie Gejeian who started up the Fresno Autorama. Now there's one out by I 5 run by H.A.M.B. but only for cars 1965 and earlier.

[68X426]

Now there's one out by I 5 run by H.A.M.B. but only for cars 1965 and earlier.

That would be Eagle Field. http://eaglefielddrags.com/

It's run by locals, and they did an admirable job of resurrecting the old track.  The local organizers have several annual events for cars up to '74 as well as some all comers races.  I've been several times, and it's a blast from the past.  Everyone in California should attend at least once.

[BrianShaughnessy]

There's an old NY track -  Dover drag strip  - that was maybe an hour from me...   a bunch of old timers went there.     They have a reunion every year at Lebanon Valley now.  I couldn't care less,  it was before my time - it closed in '76.   But I know the guy that runs the reunion and stuff who seems like a nice guy.    He just keeps forgetting I'm not from around here.   

http://www.doverdragstrip.com/

[High Impact]

M-37 in Brohman Michigan.  Closed in the mid 70's then re-opened for a few years and closed I think in 1981.

[wingcar]

Just across from Mesa, Arizona on the other side of the Salt River...Indian Reservation.   You can still see the tower overlooking the Bee Line drag strip.   Before it was closed down by the Indians, Bee line was home to many big races that drew all the big names in drag racing back in the day.
While taking helicopter flight lessons out of Falcon Field in Mesa we would fly over the old strip, but we were cautioned not to fly to low over the strip or attempt to land there as they were using it for some type of radio/radar testing with antennas set up at both ends of the strip.   Today, the tower still stands but is covered with gang graffiti.  Sad looking, but at least it's still there....for now.
 
Growing up in California, we lived for a time next to Ascot Race track, in Gardena and I remember many a Saturday night not being able to sleep due to the noise.  But, then my friends and I use to play at the race track when no one was around, so perhaps it was a fair trade off.            

[Ghoste]

Bee Line is featured in the book, its a shame about that one as it seems like it was just a disagreement between the lessee and lessor.

[TUFCAT]

Drag strips would be making a comeback with the new popularity of performance minded cars, especially in the last decade. I think if managed well, they could be very profitable.  It would also keep a lot of drag racing off the streets, so in theory the "safety critics" should back such an idea.

But then again nobody wants a drag-strip in their backyard, and cost of land in metro markets is very expensive.  I guess for that reason they were usually built in the rural areas outside of major markets. This could be another factor in the demise - too far to go, and much easier just to race on the streets and take your chances!   

[chargerman69]

Ghoste your from windsor

[Ghoste]

Close to there.

[J.Bond]

Golden Horse Shoe/Toronto International Drag strip Georgetown Ontario....

I used to get dragged, as a child to Golden, by my older cousin Fred, who was a big enthusiast. He later stepped into a new hemi challenger to run B/S class in the 71 season. Years later, 82-84, word got out that someone had cleaned the debris off the closed track and guys were running??? A few friends and myself headed out one weekend, and the place was a gong show. Got there around noon, 40 to 50 cars, no tree, no timers, no officials. By 3:00, or so, cars on trailers were arriving, so were the authorities. The cops pretty much stayed out on the street, no arrests. However, the track was ripped up during the next week with a back hoe , and that was that.

[6spd68]

Side note, it's crazy the ammount of members in southern Ontario...  We should do a meet up track day at Cayuga sometime

[J.Bond]

Cayuga or Grand Bend, I think Grand Bend does a Mopar day, Ridelikehell lives just around the corner from the track, hmmmmm, sounds like a road trip!!!!!!! A top fuel day would be even better

[Ghoste]

St Thomas does as well.

[6spd68]

I'd be good for wherever to be honest.  You guys'll have to deal with seeing a fox body T-bird if it's before 2015 though.  At least it's not a Mustang/Camaro/Ricer though