While I went for the overall action at U.S. 30, the biggest draw for me on numerous Saturdays or Sundays were the barnstorming drivers who’d match race down its quarter mile. I recall seeing “Big Daddy” Don Garlits, Don “Snake” Prudhomme, Tom “Mongoose” McEwen, Raymond “The Blue Max” Beadle, Don “The Shoe” Schumacher, Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins, Sox & Martin (my favorite team because of their red, white and blue paint scheme), local Chicago area favorite Chris “The Greek” Karamesines and Gene “The Snowman” Snow, among other luminaries. I can’t recall, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a then-fledgling and virtually unknown Funny Car barnstorming driver raced there. You may have heard of him, the guy who would go on to rewrite drag racing history: John “Brute” Force (as he was known back in the 1970s and 80s).
U.S. 30 – or as my friends called it simply “30” — existed for about 30 years, opening in the early 1950s and sadly, finally closing after the 1984 racing season. While countless other drag strips around the country have also been closed and the surroundings paved over for office buildings, homes or industrial parks, U.S. 30’s surroundings have barely been touched. There’s a small industrial building that’s located where the U.S. 30 starting line was, but other than that, all other vestiges of the track are gone and nothing has replaced them other than weeds.
That’s sad because about maybe seven or eight years ago, I went looking for U.S. 30 – and found it! And, believe it or not, while the grandstands and the orange painted timing and scoring tower were gone, much of the track surface was still there. Sure, it was overgrown with weeds and waist-high grass, but I actually was able to step foot on the original racing surface and it brought back the sounds and smells that I’ve been following in the drag racing world now for over 50 years.
Since finding the track several years ago, I haven’t been back – but I owe it to myself one day soon to go back to where it used to be, stop at the driveway entrance, get out of my car, close my eyes and once again hear all the roaring engine sounds when the green “go” light came on at the Christmas tree, inhale all the past smells that gas-powered and early version nitro machines spewed out into the atmosphere, and all the incredible colors on the vehicles that lined up to compete against each other side-by-side.
Say what you want about places like Pomona, Route 66, Gainesville or others, but to a 15-year-old kid at the time, U.S. 30 was my first drag strip and will always remain the best strip I’ve ever seen.
Ironically, while several other “U.S. 30 Drag Strips” (in name only) have popped up around the country since the original track, but none will ever be able to hold a candle to the best U.S. 30 Drag Strip – Where the Great Ones (Used to) RUNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!
JERRY BONKOWSKI: IF YOU MISSED U.S. 30, YOU MISSED A GREAT DRAG RACING VENUE
I cannot help but feel bad for young folks who never experienced one of the best drag racing facilities ever: the legendary U.S. 30 Dragstrip.
I always hated that the track billed itself as being in Gary, Indiana, Gary wasn’t even close: it’s roughly 10 miles away.
U.S. 30 actually was located on the border of the Chicago suburbs of Merrillville and Hobart, Indiana. I’ve heard rumors that the south grandstands were in Merrillville and the north stands were in Hobart.
But I digress. U.S. 30 was where I first was exposed to drag racing. Living on the south side of Chicago, U.S. 30 was about 30 miles away from my home.
I’ll never forget the first time I went to U.S. 30 (the first drag race I had ever seen in person) – the first of probably several dozen visits I made to what I liked to call “The Little Track That Could.” While a lot of other people would go to church on Sunday, my church became U.S. 30. While folks my age would oftentimes grumble about being dragged to church, I would be full of anticipation the whole week before Sunday would dawn and I’d be on my way to U.S. 30.
Unlike today, where most drag strips align themselves with either the NHRA or IHRA sanctioning bodies, U.S. 30 welcomed all series to race there. Most notably at the time was the American Drag Racing Association (ADRA), formerly American Hot Rod Association.
While I went to the track for the first time back in 1973, I was baptized by horsepower, hundreds of sportsman racers that literally parked on every inch of the drag strip property. But the biggest thing that hooked me for what would become a lifelong love affair was the sound, the roar of cars doing burnouts to heat their tires, followed by making incredible passes down the track.
One of the biggest lures for U.S. 30 were the radio commercials that used to play on every major radio station in Chicago, most notably WLS-AM. And those commercials are legendary, with the excited voice of Jan Gabriel.
“Sunday, Sunday, Sunday, at the beautiful U.S. 30 Dragstrip, where the great ones ruuunnnnnnnnn (usually with echo-like effects for added emphasis),” was Gabriel’s verbal tagline that became known not just in the Chicago metro area but around the U.S. and even into Canada (I have friends north of the border who’ve heard Gabriel’s passionate voice).
RELATED STORY – DALE CREASY JR. REMEMBERS RACING U.S. 30
“U.S. 30 Dragstrip – Where the Great Ones Ruuuunnnnnnnn!!!!
If you’re a veteran drag racing fan — ok, that means you have a few years of mileage — and love grassroots drag racing, surely you must have heard legendary announcer Jan Gabriel tout what was one of the best drag racing palaces in the Midwest, U.S. 30 Dragstrip.
Sadly, after roughly 30 years of operation starting in the 1950s, the legendary track closed in 1984. Sure, it’s been 41 years since the roar of engines were heard at the Hobart, Indiana
facility (and no, it was NOT in nearby Gary, Ind., which is about five or more miles away), but memories are forever.
READ THE FULL STORY
While I went for the overall action at U.S. 30, the biggest draw for me on numerous Saturdays or Sundays were the barnstorming drivers who’d match race down its quarter mile. I recall seeing “Big Daddy” Don Garlits, Don “Snake” Prudhomme, Tom “Mongoose” McEwen, Raymond “The Blue Max” Beadle, Don “The Shoe” Schumacher, Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins, Sox & Martin (my favorite team because of their red, white and blue paint scheme), local Chicago area favorite Chris “The Greek” Karamesines and Gene “The Snowman” Snow, among other luminaries. I can’t recall, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a then-fledgling and virtually unknown Funny Car barnstorming driver raced there. You may have heard of him, the guy who would go on to rewrite drag racing history: John “Brute” Force (as he was known back in the 1970s and 80s).
U.S. 30 – or as my friends called it simply “30” — existed for about 30 years, opening in the early 1950s and sadly, finally closing after the 1984 racing season. While countless other drag strips around the country have also been closed and the surroundings paved over for office buildings, homes or industrial parks, U.S. 30’s surroundings have barely been touched. There’s a small industrial building that’s located where the U.S. 30 starting line was, but other than that, all other vestiges of the track are gone and nothing has replaced them other than weeds.
That’s sad because about maybe seven or eight years ago, I went looking for U.S. 30 – and found it! And, believe it or not, while the grandstands and the orange painted timing and scoring tower were gone, much of the track surface was still there. Sure, it was overgrown with weeds and waist-high grass, but I actually was able to step foot on the original racing surface and it brought back the sounds and smells that I’ve been following in the drag racing world now for over 50 years.
Since finding the track several years ago, I haven’t been back – but I owe it to myself one day soon to go back to where it used to be, stop at the driveway entrance, get out of my car, close my eyes and once again hear all the roaring engine sounds when the green “go” light came on at the Christmas tree, inhale all the past smells that gas-powered and early version nitro machines spewed out into the atmosphere, and all the incredible colors on the vehicles that lined up to compete against each other side-by-side.
Say what you want about places like Pomona, Route 66, Gainesville or others, but to a 15-year-old kid at the time, U.S. 30 was my first drag strip and will always remain the best strip I’ve ever seen.
Ironically, while several other “U.S. 30 Drag Strips” (in name only) have popped up around the country since the original track, but none will ever be able to hold a candle to the best U.S. 30 Drag Strip – Where the Great Ones (Used to) RUNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!
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JERRY BONKOWSKI: IF YOU MISSED U.S. 30, YOU MISSED A GREAT DRAG RACING VENUE
I cannot help but feel bad for young folks who never experienced one of the best drag racing facilities ever: the legendary U.S. 30 Dragstrip.
I always hated that the track billed itself as being in Gary, Indiana, Gary wasn’t even close: it’s roughly 10 miles away.
U.S. 30 actually was located on the border of the Chicago suburbs of Merrillville and Hobart, Indiana. I’ve heard rumors that the south grandstands were in Merrillville and the north stands were in Hobart.
But I digress. U.S. 30 was where I first was exposed to drag racing. Living on the south side of Chicago, U.S. 30 was about 30 miles away from my home.
I’ll never forget the first time I went to U.S. 30 (the first drag race I had ever seen in person) – the first of probably several dozen visits I made to what I liked to call “The Little Track That Could.” While a lot of other people would go to church on Sunday, my church became U.S. 30. While folks my age would oftentimes grumble about being dragged to church, I would be full of anticipation the whole week before Sunday would dawn and I’d be on my way to U.S. 30.
Unlike today, where most drag strips align themselves with either the NHRA or IHRA sanctioning bodies, U.S. 30 welcomed all series to race there. Most notably at the time was the American Drag Racing Association (ADRA), formerly American Hot Rod Association.
While I went to the track for the first time back in 1973, I was baptized by horsepower, hundreds of sportsman racers that literally parked on every inch of the drag strip property. But the biggest thing that hooked me for what would become a lifelong love affair was the sound, the roar of cars doing burnouts to heat their tires, followed by making incredible passes down the track.
One of the biggest lures for U.S. 30 were the radio commercials that used to play on every major radio station in Chicago, most notably WLS-AM. And those commercials are legendary, with the excited voice of Jan Gabriel.
“Sunday, Sunday, Sunday, at the beautiful U.S. 30 Dragstrip, where the great ones ruuunnnnnnnnn (usually with echo-like effects for added emphasis),” was Gabriel’s verbal tagline that became known not just in the Chicago metro area but around the U.S. and even into Canada (I have friends north of the border who’ve heard Gabriel’s passionate voice).
RELATED STORY – DALE CREASY JR. REMEMBERS RACING U.S. 30
“U.S. 30 Dragstrip – Where the Great Ones Ruuuunnnnnnnn!!!!
If you’re a veteran drag racing fan — ok, that means you have a few years of mileage — and love grassroots drag racing, surely you must have heard legendary announcer Jan Gabriel tout what was one of the best drag racing palaces in the Midwest, U.S. 30 Dragstrip.
Sadly, after roughly 30 years of operation starting in the 1950s, the legendary track closed in 1984. Sure, it’s been 41 years since the roar of engines were heard at the Hobart, Indiana
facility (and no, it was NOT in nearby Gary, Ind., which is about five or more miles away), but memories are forever.
READ THE FULL STORY
While I went for the overall action at U.S. 30, the biggest draw for me on numerous Saturdays or Sundays were the barnstorming drivers who’d match race down its quarter mile. I recall seeing “Big Daddy” Don Garlits, Don “Snake” Prudhomme, Tom “Mongoose” McEwen, Raymond “The Blue Max” Beadle, Don “The Shoe” Schumacher, Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins, Sox & Martin (my favorite team because of their red, white and blue paint scheme), local Chicago area favorite Chris “The Greek” Karamesines and Gene “The Snowman” Snow, among other luminaries. I can’t recall, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a then-fledgling and virtually unknown Funny Car barnstorming driver raced there. You may have heard of him, the guy who would go on to rewrite drag racing history: John “Brute” Force (as he was known back in the 1970s and 80s).
U.S. 30 – or as my friends called it simply “30” — existed for about 30 years, opening in the early 1950s and sadly, finally closing after the 1984 racing season. While countless other drag strips around the country have also been closed and the surroundings paved over for office buildings, homes or industrial parks, U.S. 30’s surroundings have barely been touched. There’s a small industrial building that’s located where the U.S. 30 starting line was, but other than that, all other vestiges of the track are gone and nothing has replaced them other than weeds.
That’s sad because about maybe seven or eight years ago, I went looking for U.S. 30 – and found it! And, believe it or not, while the grandstands and the orange painted timing and scoring tower were gone, much of the track surface was still there. Sure, it was overgrown with weeds and waist-high grass, but I actually was able to step foot on the original racing surface and it brought back the sounds and smells that I’ve been following in the drag racing world now for over 50 years.
Since finding the track several years ago, I haven’t been back – but I owe it to myself one day soon to go back to where it used to be, stop at the driveway entrance, get out of my car, close my eyes and once again hear all the roaring engine sounds when the green “go” light came on at the Christmas tree, inhale all the past smells that gas-powered and early version nitro machines spewed out into the atmosphere, and all the incredible colors on the vehicles that lined up to compete against each other side-by-side.
Say what you want about places like Pomona, Route 66, Gainesville or others, but to a 15-year-old kid at the time, U.S. 30 was my first drag strip and will always remain the best strip I’ve ever seen.
Ironically, while several other “U.S. 30 Drag Strips” (in name only) have popped up around the country since the original track, but none will ever be able to hold a candle to the best U.S. 30 Drag Strip – Where the Great Ones (Used to) RUNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!
John Doe
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JERRY BONKOWSKI: IF YOU MISSED U.S. 30, YOU MISSED A GREAT DRAG RACING VENUE
I cannot help but feel bad for young folks who never experienced one of the best drag racing facilities ever: the legendary U.S. 30 Dragstrip.