What is the first race track you ever attended?

[bigq11]

Memories

Same here, I'm really not positive that I didn't go to Mitchell first either, the newer track.

The first and second turns were carved out of a bank. No way to go out of the track there. Seems a sprint driver named Miller got killed there one night and it might have put them out of business. Remember?

One night I seen Cecil Beavers get turned going into turn one, shot straight up the bank high into the air and came down right across the dirt berm. He was loaded into the ambulance and taken to the Bedford hospital. He must of had someone following the ambulance as he beat the ambulance back to the track. I remember the likes of Bob Kinser, Cecil Beavers, Calvin Gilstrap and many more.

One of the most amazing things I saw there was when someone, can't think of the name now, had a Ranger aircraft engine in his sprint car. He started last and led the first lap as he passed everyone in just one lap.

[gumby_32d]

An IHRA event at Mid America Raceway in wentzville mo in the early 90's. First dirt track was Highland Speedway the following year.

[XRACER1993]

Dirt Clod,
Glad you like that site.. Read the bio about Bob Pronger... He was the killed by the "mob" .. Seen him win one nite in the early 70,s at Grundy County Speedway...

[Roundtown21]

First track was K-C raceway for a STARS race. I wanna say it was around 95

[TerryM]

Bluestone Speedway, in my dad’s hometown of Morehead, KY.

[Godogsgo]

Marlboro Raceway Maryland my dad raced go carts on the sports car track that included part of the oval late 60,s

[1DirtRacer1]

1974 - Sycamore Speedway in Maple Park, IL

[hausman]

Tri-State Speedway - Superior, WI - 1974. Tom Nesbitt used to show up a few times per year. Other local legends included Jim Eliason, Billy Nelson, Johnny Johnson - Hermantown, MN not the Iowa driver. Leon Plank would show up for the year-end invitationals..

[CIRF]

CIRF
, If you can go to, Chicagoland Auto Racing.com , on the left of the main page you will see "race tracks", click on that and go to Mazon Speedbowl scrool through the pic's and stats.. lots of info there thru the years, and also look at drivers bio, lots of stuff on this site.. Hope you enjoy it ! Thank You..

Thanks, XRACER! We'll check it out.

XRACER / CIRF,

Looks like we all have something in common - Central IL racing. Back in the day, it certainly gave us options. I was born and raised in Streator. Unfortunately, I was just behind the Bob Tattersall era. USAC midgets rarely raced in central IL (that I knew of) and I was too young for a license. When Bob got cancer, I do remember a benefit in Streator for him that included a parade of midget cars. That was pretty special.

Yes we could never forget the names Boom Boom Cannon and Bubby Jones. Nice to see you remember the rail cars. Not many do. I do remember the B-4 being towed by a Cadillac in the pits.

I did get to enjoy the Jack Tyne era. One of his mechanics owned a body shop next to our house and occasionally they brought the #89 and #189 cars to work on it. Got a close up look. Then came the Tom Reints era. Streator had some racers.

Regarding Mazon, that was quite the place. I imagine the banks were 20 degrees. Just a guess. With no walls, it was exciting to see the cars go up the banks and many times over. Loved to see the famous Chicagoland legends come to Mazon, then Morris. At least Morris paved the way for the ARTGO series.

XRACER, that is a great website. Chicagoland Auto Racing.com Plenty of old records, photos and stories.

One track I went to only once was the 1/2 mile Fisher Road Champaign Speedway. I think that is what it was called. I saw a daytime World of Outlaw show there in about 1978? Some guys on Facebook replied me the address and sometime this summer on the way to Fairbury, from Indy, I'm going to try to find it.

Nice connecting with Central IL race fans.

Dirt Clod, in conversations I had with Jack Tyne several years prior to his passing he told me that the famous B4 sprint car was owned by a fellow from Champaign-Urbana by the name of Unc Blacker. According to Jack, Blacker over the years owned some sprinters with another fellow from the Champaign area by the name of Bridges. The B4 sprinter is said to be one of the most celebrated race cars ever to compete at Fairbury. Jack Tyne also raced rail cars at Fairbury prior to their demise. My Dad said he ran 389 Pontiac engines in them.

Tom Rients! Now there's a name that Fairbury fans know well! He used to get booed mercilessly at Fairbury. Why? I don't have a clue. Tom was actually born & raised in the tiny (pop. 300) village of Long Point, IL. He raced out of Streator. Tom worked with Jack Tyne prior to his driving days. Tom was injured in an auto accident while stationed in Virginia when he was in the service. He lost most of the sight in one eye and raced all those years with limited use of it. I believe Tom holds the record for track championships (6) at FALS. To my knowledge Tom never worked his way into late models, he started out driving DLM's and never drove anything else his entire career.

The long gone track near Fisher is today indistinguishable. I would go by that place on my way to and from Champaign when I was in school. It was before my time but I've been told by a couple of drivers that raced there that it was pure badass! It only lasted just a few years.

[castone]

Winchester Speedway - Winchester Tn 1957 - Old Fair Grandstands - Flathead engines - Awesome memories with my Dad !

[B_K]

Was almost born at East Alabama Speedway in August 1976. My mom was about six weeks from her due date but went into some sort of false labor in Phenix City.

No clue what my actual first track was. First one I have memories of is Dixie.

[Cooter Davenport]

I-57 Raceway in Benton, IL (no longer there)...somewhere in the late 70's....

[JimmyOinthe20fan]

Volunteer Speedway 1975-1976, I remember Bill Morton, Chet Williams, Stick Morgan, Buddy Rogers, Little Bill Corum, Tootle Estes, Herman Goddard, H.E. Vineyard, Johnny Carr, Ernest King, Buzz Collins, Brogie Broyles, John A. Utsman, Ricky Utsman, Wayne Fielden, Red Ledford, Walter Ball, Charlie Hughes, Buck Simmons, Leon Archer, Douig Kenimer, Snooks Deford, Roscoe Smith. I was watching legends race, and didn't realize it at the time.

[Krooser]

We're not all that far from Mazon. I've heard a lot of stories about that place. It's impossible to tell it was ever there these days. My Dad said the place was banked steeper than anything he'd ever seen before. I've heard that Bob Tattersall from Streator, Illinois loved the place. I've also been told that Mazon and the old 3rd Street Speedway in Streator, IL is where Tattersall started his hall of fame career.

Wow, you got to see the fabled rail cars (supermodified's/sprint cars) at Fairbury. Norman "Bubby" Jones, who just passed away last January, and Larry "Boom-Boom" Cannon were probably still racing weekly at Fairbury in '68.

Krooser, do you remember what classes they were racing at Fairbury back in '56? I know the small track was originally built for midgets but they may have made the transition to stock cars by '56. They also raced automobiles on the old 1/2 mile horse track way before the little track was built but I don't know if it was still being used for cars in '56 or not.

Most of Spencer Bayston's family are farmers near Chatsworth.

They were running jalopies as I recall... not much different than my old Mastersbilt!

[JimBo]

My Mom and Dad took us to the Jalopy races at Dallas Fairgrounds back in the late 50's or early 60's. It was the most fun a 6 year old kid could have and I was hooked immediately. In the following years Dad took me to several drag races at Green Valley Raceway west of Dallas.