Where was your first race you attended, and —--

[EvelB7]

Mid 70's, West Liberty, Ia. - 'Big' John Moss, 'The flying Dutchman' Mike Niffenegger, and Darrel Dake are probably the first names I remembered.

[ftfiowa]

knoxville raceway before i was 1

[Henry Every]

Lavonia Speedway
1977 or 78'
7 or 8 years old
Buck Simmons, D!ck Mills and Tim Headen

[4Barrel]

Before I was school aged, I went to Isom, Kentucky to Mountain Motor Speedway. I remember Tom Shuffler #SJ7 in a light blue Ford Falcon in the street stock class.

[golddirt]

34 raceway Burlington Iowa 69/70. 9 yo. Guy from Blandinsville Illinois jim heap. I think Jim still lives in Blandinsville.

[HoosierDirtFan]

FALL 1984

Age - 2 1/2 -3

First 2 Races - Southlake Speedway (Crown Point, Indiana) & Kankakee Speedway (Kankakee, Illinois)

Limited Late Model Division - #78 Mike Hollifield (Buzzard Race Cars - Wheeler, Indiana)

[One Man Gang]

Mid 70's, West Liberty, Ia. - 'Big' John Moss, 'The flying Dutchman' Mike Niffenegger, and Darrel Dake are probably the first names I remembered.

Niffenegger….Be real easy to get a couple vowels mixed up trying to pronounce that one

[bleedblue55]

Brennan's, Serks, Interstate Speedway in W.Va. Probably 1960 at 5 yrs. old.

[Dirt Clod]

1967 or 68
11 or 12

Mazon Speed Bowl, Mazon, IL
Ray Young & Lee Schuler

Fairbury, IL
Larry "Boom Boom" Cannon - midgets called rails
Jack Tyne - 8-cylinder stock cars

[lokwaidid]

1955. cincinnati race bowl, i was 5. sprint car track and i have read that it closed in a few year because of a death

[cubcadet31]

Where: Windber Speedway in Pennsylvania, very small track around a high school football field

When: probably 88 or 89 woulda been 5 or 6, ended up playing high school football on the field about 10 years later

Driver: 83r Scott Rhodes

[CIRF]

[QUOTE=Dirt Clod;n1693234]1967 or 68
11 or 12

Mazon Speed Bowl, Mazon, IL
Ray Young & Lee Schuler

Fairbury, IL
Larry "Boom Boom" Cannon - midgets called rails
Jack Tyne - 8-cylinder stock cars
[/QUOTE

The open wheel cars that were the top division at Fairbury in '67-'68 were not midgets. They were what was generally known at the time as super modified's. At Fairbury, for whatever reason, they were referred to as rail-cars. Some were actually sprint cars. For instance, the #B4, owned by Wink Bridges, crew chiefed by Unc Blacker and driven by Danville, IL residents Larry Cannon and Norman "Bubby" Jones was in fact a full house sprint car. Several others including Jerry Blundy, Bobby Carrigan and Dean Shirley also ran genuine sprint cars. Most of the local guys, including Jack Tyne of Streator, IL, drove home built super modified's. Jack Tyne didn't drive stock cars at FALS until Fairbury eliminated the "rail cars"/super modifieds/sprint cars following the 1970 season.

Midgets were raced at FALS semi-regularly after WW II when the 1/5th mile track was built in 1946 but during the late 1950's through the 1970 season the V-8 powered rail cars/super modified's/sprint cars were the top division with pure stock and modified stock cars were the support classes. Later years midgets made yearly appearances at FALS generally during the Fairbury Fair.

I'll bet you and my dad crossed paths at Fairbury back in '67 or '68. Dad says he didn't miss many summer Saturday nights at FALS in those days.

[crow]

Highland Speedway 1985. Grew up 10 miles from there.

I don’t think anyone from that year is still racing. Mark Faust, Bill Faust, Dennis Sellars

Kevin Gundaker was track champion the following season.

[Buford.Justice]

West Baden Speedway in Indiana. Now gone with a Kimballs piano plant setting there instead.

[EvelB7]

34 raceway Burlington Iowa 69/70. 9 yo. Guy from Blandinsville Illinois jim heap. I think Jim still lives in Blandinsville.

34 Raceway would have been the second track I remember. Manny Rockhold (sprint car) was one of my early favorites there, Ron Jackson probably in the late model. I remember meeting 'Injun' Joe Merryfield there and listening to him tell about the World 100, couldn't wait until I was old enough to go.