FLASH BACK - Atomic Motor Speedway - Lenoir City, TN - October 29, 1978 ----- NDRA LM

FLASH BACK

Atomic Motor Speedway
Lenoir City, TN

October 29, 1978

National Dirt Racing Association (NDRA)

01 Larry Moore 100
02 Billy Thomas
03 Rodney Combs
04 Buddy Rogers
05 Bud Lunsford
06 Buck Simmons
07 C.L. Pritchett
08 Leon Archer
09 Charlie Hughes
10 Charlie Blanton
11 Jerry Meadows
12 Leon Brindle
13 Freddy Smith
14 Bud Norwood
15 Leon Sells
16 Ken Phillips
17 Luther Carter
18 Tommy Joe Pauschert
19 H.E. Vineyard
20 Bob Wearing
21 Doug Kenimer
22 Mike Duvall
23 Joe Richey
24 Ronnie Johnson

I went to all.the big races at atomic that was a stellar field there atomic always drew big names.

I went to Atomic twice and it was rained out both times, got to see hot laps once...

That's an allstar cast of racers from the past, many now gone. NDRA may have only lasted a few years but was an unforgettable part of dirt history.

Loved the creativity in the wedge cars and enjoyed racing them more than anything I raced before or since, though on the wrong side of the country to ever run with NDRA.

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Originally Posted by d-glenn

I went to Atomic twice and it was rained out both times, got to see hot laps once...

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When it was right, not sure there’s ever been a place I enjoyed more. That place was fantastic.

Drove by once on the way to Portsmouth and it was boarded up.

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Originally Posted by Highside Hustler25

Drove by once on the way to Portsmouth and it was boarded up.

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That’s an interesting route to Ohio from Illinois.

At the time I was living close to Ashtabula.

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Originally Posted by Highside Hustler25

At the time I was living close to Ashtabula.

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Had you spent any time at ACE HIGH SPEEDWAY ? Formerly Raceway 7 and now Raceway 7.

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Originally Posted by d-glenn

I went to Atomic twice and it was rained out both times, got to see hot laps once...

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Made it once myself, and got rained out. I did get to see the track though.

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Originally Posted by Raceready

Had you spent any time at ACE HIGH SPEEDWAY ? Formerly Raceway 7 and now Raceway 7.

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Could hear the cars from my house. Went once. I'll leave it at that.

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Originally Posted by Highside Hustler25

At the time I was living close to Ashtabula.

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So Ashtabula to Portsmouth via Knoxville, TN?

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Originally Posted by Highside Hustler25

Could hear the cars from my house. Went once. I'll leave it at that.

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Had you ran down Route 7 to Sharon then ?

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Originally Posted by B_K

So Ashtabula to Portsmouth via Knoxville, TN?

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??lol It was almost 20 years ago. I do remember the last 20 miles or so was a real adventure in a motor home.

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Originally Posted by Raceready

Had you ran down Route 7 to Sharon then ?

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Sharon wasn't bad. Was another in Franklin. Might be closed now. It was pretty primitive as well. Not much for grandstands out that way. He11, not much of anything period if you know what I mean.

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Originally Posted by Highside Hustler25

Sharon wasn't bad. Was another in Franklin. Might be closed now. It was pretty primitive as well. Not much for grandstands out that way. He11, not much of anything period if you know what I mean.

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They called that one Tri City. It was shut down for several years and rebuilt to be more modern.

^
Rebuilt to be more modern. Yup. That's a understatement.

Where at around Lenoir City was Atomic located ? I go through LC once or twice a year might swing by just to say I seen where the track was at.

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Originally Posted by One Man Gang

Where at around Lenoir City was Atomic located ? I go through LC once or twice a year might swing by just to say I seen where the track was at.

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Track was just off I-40 West, you could park on the interstate and watch. Very cool track and I was lucky enough to get to run before it was gone.

Think HH25 is talking about the old Atomic Speedway that was down near Chilicothe if I remember correctly. Scary bullring up on a hill.

If he could hear the cars at Raceway 7 he must have lived nearer to Conneaut than Ashtabula. I grew up in 'Bula before I moved west in 1960 and Raceway 7 didn't exist then. Had the little dump track at Geneva on the Lake where I first raced and the fairgrounds dirt at Jefferson and that was about it in the area. I don't think Sharon was built yet though I did get there years later .

over4T, you are correct twice.
Lived closer to Pierpont. Ashtabula was just for directional reference.
How many different Atomic Speedway locations are there?

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Originally Posted by Highside Hustler25

over4T, you are correct twice.
Lived closer to Pierpont. Ashtabula was just for directional reference.
How many different Atomic Speedway locations are there?

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There used to be 3: Tennessee, Ohio, and Idaho.

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Originally Posted by One Man Gang

Where at around Lenoir City was Atomic located ? I go through LC once or twice a year might swing by just to say I seen where the track was at.

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Exit 364. Crete Trucking located there now.

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Originally Posted by Highside Hustler25

over4T, you are correct twice.Lived closer to Pierpont. Ashtabula was just for directional reference. How many different Atomic Speedway locations are there?

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Pierpont, Pierpont you say ? ? Had you known of big Rich Hart that owned Rich Hart Trucking and crew chiefed for Chub Frank Racing ? Hell of a guy !! Strong as a bull and a heck of a worker ! ! He towed the trailer around the nation with a Big new red souped up W- 900 Kenworth that would pull it at 111 M.P.H. !!!!!!

^that's a negative. There was a ole geezer that still pumped your gas at the local Shell station. Last full serve station I remember. At that time I hadn't seen a full service station in years.

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Originally Posted by Highside Hustler25

^that's a negative. There was a ole geezer that still pumped your gas at the local Shell station. Last full serve station I remember. At that time I hadn't seen a full service station in years.

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When I was a kid there were dozens of kids asking for a gas pumping job now the places can't find anybody that will even work part time hours !

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Originally Posted by One Man Gang

Where at around Lenoir City was Atomic located ? I go through LC once or twice a year might swing by just to say I seen where the track was at.

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The LC exit on 75 is only minutes from 40, which takes you almost immediately to the exit to the track. We stayed many times at the King’s Inn just off the Lenoir City exit on 75. The place wasn’t much, but they had refrigerators in the rooms lol. That was enough for us back then.

Had a couple of the full- service pump jockey jobs as a high school kid. Like the old Chuck Berry song "check the tires, check the oil, wash the windshield, dollar gas." Gas was right around $.20 (twenty cents) a gallon. Also we rebuilt starters and generators (pre alternators for the younger 4mers) and fixed flats, all for the magnificent wage of a buck an hour.

Quit one station after 2 days as the owner didn't even have a tire machine and expected you to break down split rim truck wheels with a sledge hammer and pry bar and that was brutal for a skinny kid.

Always wondered what the connection was southern racer Randle Chupp had to get a Conneaut diner for a long-time sponsor on his LM.

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Originally Posted by over4T

Had a couple of the full- service pump jockey jobs as a high school kid. Like the old Chuck Berry song "check the tires, check the oil, wash the windshield, dollar gas." Gas was right around $.20 (twenty cents) a gallon. Also we rebuilt starters and generators (pre alternators for the younger 4mers) and fixed flats, all for the magnificent wage of a buck an hour. Quit one station after 2 days as the owner didn't even have a tire machine and expected you to break down split rim truck wheels with a sledge hammer and pry bar and that was brutal for a skinny kid. Always wondered what the connection was southern racer Randle Chupp had to get a Conneaut diner for a long-time sponsor on his LM.

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I thought I was older than sin ! You must be even older because the cheapest that I remember for gas was .32 cents .

Let me go back a few years, 1956, I worked at a full service station 12 hours on Saturday and Sunday for $10.00. the gas was 17c and fixing a flat was 50c. That $10 gave me spending money for the week.

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Originally Posted by d-glenn

Let me go back a few years, 1956, I worked at a full service station 12 hours on Saturday and Sunday for $10.00. the gas was 17c and fixing a flat was 50c. That $10 gave me spending money for the week.

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You was working about the time was born. Now a days you have to have about $ 10.00 or more for just for 1 good meal ! !

Did you guys get the bonus for every quart of oil you sold? Oh the memories. Back in the day that seemed to be everybody's first job.

Probably am, though being in my 9th decade on this planet and 8th decade in a race car makes me have to admit I'm getting up there. Get flattered on the occasion (rare) when some clerk wants I.D. for a senior discount. The boy does most of the racing now but I still get in the car a couple of times every season.

In my only outing last season finished 3rd in the main in a pretty stout field from 11th starting. Could have got 2nd on the last lap but would have to have moved a younger guy I mentor to do it and he'd never finished that well in his life. I can still get a car around but don't have the desperate need to win that was the younger me and more enjoy helping the next generation get into and enjoy the sport and, more importantly, stay in it. Hope I can stay involved till I lose interest or racing goes electric or driverless.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by over4T

Had a couple of the full- service pump jockey jobs as a high school kid. Like the old Chuck Berry song "check the tires, check the oil, wash the windshield, dollar gas." Gas was right around $.20 (twenty cents) a gallon. Also we rebuilt starters and generators (pre alternators for the younger 4mers) and fixed flats, all for the magnificent wage of a buck an hour.

Quit one station after 2 days as the owner didn't even have a tire machine and expected you to break down split rim truck wheels with a sledge hammer and pry bar and that was brutal for a skinny kid.

Always wondered what the connection was southern racer Randle Chupp had to get a Conneaut diner for a long-time sponsor on his LM.

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Somehow the McLaughlins that owned Biscottis restaurant got hooked up with Randle. They owned the car. Joel Watson, a good UMP modified guy was one of the crew guys.

Man I loved watching Randle at Raceway 7.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by over4T

Think HH25 is talking about the old Atomic Speedway that was down near Chilicothe if I remember correctly. Scary bullring up on a hill.

If he could hear the cars at Raceway 7 he must have lived nearer to Conneaut than Ashtabula. I grew up in 'Bula before I moved west in 1960 and Raceway 7 didn't exist then. Had the little dump track at Geneva on the Lake where I first raced and the fairgrounds dirt at Jefferson and that was about it in the area. I don't think Sharon was built yet though I did get there years later .

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Sharon has been there since I think 1929. Was my home track. Funny now Atomic is.

Raceway 7 was also my other home track. Guy who used to own it, Ron Nielsen, did do much to improve it. Though it used to have serious character with the way the backstretch was. I dunno if the McDonald’s don’t have the cash, or just don’t wanna dump it into the track.

Atomic is still that, just with way more walls now.

Didn’t know Geneva had a track.

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Originally Posted by chupp n bloomer fan

Somehow the McLaughlins that owned Biscottis restaurant got hooked up with Randle. They owned the car. Joel Watson, a good UMP modified guy was one of the crew guys.

Man I loved watching Randle at Raceway 7.

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Is D. McLaughlins still living? I had one of his Biscottis caps, when the MH burned the cap went with it.

Been gone a few years

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Originally Posted by Highside Hustler25

Did you guys get the bonus for every quart of oil you sold? Oh the memories. Back in the day that seemed to be everybody's first job.

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You had to keep watch back then because some old boys would wipe the dip stick, and then stick it back in only part way and show you that it was down a quart ! !

Another trick with the oil was some stations had the oil in an aftermarket container with a flexible spout. Container held a quart or so and the attendant would dribble a little into the customer's engine and end up selling the same quart over and over to 3 or 4 folks. Never saw it at the joints I worked at but friends that worked for the creeps said it was encouraged. At something around 14 cents for a quart of Pennzoil 30wt. it added up.

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Originally Posted by Raceready

You had to keep watch back then because some old boys would wipe the dip stick, and then stick it back in only part way and show you that it was down a quart ! !

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Now that's a dirty trick!!