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

[Raceready]

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.

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

[Highside Hustler25]

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

[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.

[EvelB7]

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.

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.

[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 .

[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?

[MRM]

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

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

[MRM]

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.

Exit 364. Crete Trucking located there now.

[Raceready]

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

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. !!!!!!

[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.

[Raceready]

^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.

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 !

[TerryM]

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.

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.

[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.

[Raceready]

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.

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

[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.