FEEDBACK ARTICLE:  – IT USED TO BE MY PLAYGROUND

Your reflections on Spartanburg Dragway brought back a lot of memories of that era and the tracks that built the sport that we all love.  Fortunately the tracks that influenced my teen years - Cordova Dragway Park and Union Grove (WI) - are still in operation but I have also revisited U.S. 30 (Gary, IN) and Meadowdale (IL) Raceway and viwed tree trunks of 4 inches plus springing from cracks in the racing surface.  The sight is painful, but the memories are great. - Ron Colson

FEEDBACK ARTICLE:  – IT USED TO BE MY PLAYGROUND

Your reflections on Spartanburg Dragway brought back a lot of memories of that era and the tracks that built the sport that we all love.  Fortunately the tracks that influenced my teen years - Cordova Dragway Park and Union Grove (WI) - are still in operation but I have also revisited U.S. 30 (Gary, IN) and Meadowdale (IL) Raceway and viwed tree trunks of 4 inches plus springing from cracks in the racing surface.  The sight is painful, but the memories are great. - Ron Colson

I very well remember the Sptbg. Dragway and all the great times I had there. It is a shame to see what has become of this property. I too lived right up the road from it during my marriage to my beautiful first wife. I remember Scott Duggins and his dad, Butch very well. I helped Uncle Butch work on his car a few times.

Thanks for the very well written article and all the fond memories that it brings back. - Phil Lindsay

Can remember racing “M” stock in my old 1952 Chev in the mid 1960s.  Never won my class, but I had a ball. My fondest memory of Spartanburg Dragway was as a teenager sitting on the back of Richard Petty’s trailer (the year he ran the 43 Jr.) and talking to the “King” just like we had know each other all our lives. I hated it when that track died. - Gerald W. Lawson

I felt the same way about 75-80 Dragway in Monrovia, MD. Saw my first race there in 1968 as a 9-year old and raced there from May 1979 to The Last Drag Race in October 2005.

The difference is 75-80 reopened in 2009, but it is not the same. Kind of like your favorite bar or pub changing owners. The location and name are the same, but it's never going to feel like what it was.

As one of my friends said as we were loading up on the last day in 2005:"Some people called this place a dump, but it was OUR dump." - Bill Schmidt

Boy, it was hard to read about Spartanburg. It reminded me of all the tracks that I lost. My home track when I was 14 was San Fernando Drag Strip, in the San Fernando valley of So. California. I went to my first race there in 1961 and the track closed in 1969. What's left of it is still there. The track surface is covered in dirt and what was the pit area is (or was) a swap meet for years
after the track closed. I went back once in the late 1980's and that was enough.

All the tracks that were dear to me are gone. San Fernando, Lions, Irwindale, Orange County, Carlsbad, LACR (known as Palmdale when it first opened), Ontario Motor Speedway, where Garlits ran that 5.63 at 250 MPH in 1975. All that's left from those days is Pomona. I feel bad for the racers in SoCal; not too many places left to race; Fontana, the "new" Irwindale, Barona in San Diego, Bakersfield. I live in Phoenix now, and we have 2 good tracks, Firebird and Speedworld, plus SIR in Tucson. Maybe one day there will be a new track in the Los Angeles area and some young kid will go there and dream about being a racer when he or she grows up. - Cliff Morgan

Bobby, what an awesome article you wrote! I feel the same way about my home track and it's good to know that I'm not alone. I raced there from 1972 til 1995. I'm now the track photographer and am there every chance I get, being I have to work weekends half of the time. Fortunately my track is still here, although brackets and outlaw street classes is all that's left.

Like you, I saw the greats of Modified and Super Stock come and go and it leaves unforgetable memories in your mind.

Thanks for sharing your memories. - Wayne Holland

Love the article. Can remember going to Farmington, NC in the early 80`s and had the fastest 25 Modifed Corvettes. In the day there were enough through VA, NC and SC to make quite the show. Didn`t get in the game until 1987 in SS. Learned alot there then tried Modified the last year it was around in IHRA. Played in Comp until 2007. Sitting out for a while until I can get our business charging again.

Keep up the good work. Keep as many articles, photos and video of any of that old Modified/Super Stock stuff coming. Everybody loves that stuff, it was just a little pricy for mere mortals to participate in.- Craig Smitherman

That story about Spartanburg was fantastic. My home track was Famoso. Although the track is still operating the little community on Hwy 99, as it was in the early 70's, is gone. Had breakfast at that little cafe before the March Meet in 73 and 74. Little hotel parking lot full of race cars. Started going in 72. But two tracks that I know are gone are Kingdon in Stockton, CA and Balboa eighth-mile in Eugene, OR. I went to Kingdon in 71 or 72 to look at a little dragster that was for sale. The "Church Mouse" was a little front motored car that left the starting line the old way, with the tires blazing. Their rationale was the small block Chevy made it's best power with the R's up, so they smoked the tires to keep the R's up. No, I didn't buy it. At Balboa in around '71 I was a lucky kid
that went with the Valvoline man. It was a Fuel Altered show and it was great. But something that really stood out was a 40 Ford coupe that was brand new and painted Candy Tangerine, it was beautiful. First time to the track, first time to take the green. Went sky high to the back bumper, came down and broke the whole front end out from under the car when it landed, tore the fenders off and smashed the oil pan, I was heartbroken for the guy. Now that track has housing all around it, but the last time I was there the facility property was still there, covered with grass and unused and even the concession stand was still there. I drive buy the place everytime I am in Oregon to visit the folks.- Mark Elms

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