San Fernando Raceway

[Dibbons]

When Drag Strips were King

https://www.nhra.com/news/2008/they-left-their-hearts-san-fernando

 

[Budnicks]

Cool, interesting article, about the good ol' days
California use to have some 25 or more dragstrips/racetracks

I went with my stepdad Bob, to San Fernando about 1967-68-ish
I was 8-9 y/o, loved the AA/FA & gassers
I remember him racing at a different track almost every 2 weeks
all up & down California
& him going to either Vacavalley 1/8th mile
or Fremont/Baylands or Sacramento (Wed. night or weekends) 1/4 mile
or Sears Point (Thurs. night or weekends) 1/4 mile
on off weeks, like 40+ weeks a year
sometimes 3-4+ days a week,
IIRC G/S 64 GTO, until like 1973-74 at some
we started losing them fast after that...

It made me the gearhead I am today

 

[IQ52]

Bare with me 'cause my memory might be a little fuzzy, but as a ten year old in 1958 I seem to remember San Fernando running the stock classes on a wet track in the RAIN. I remember being there that day and Dad complaining about how badly he had to feather the throttle of his '57 Dodge at the start due to a lack of traction on the wet track. I don't remember much of my life at that age except when Pop took me to the races. At eleven years old I got to go to Bonneville speed trials!

 

[69SportSatellite]

We took our two sons to Sacramento Raceway when they were younger (15-20 years ago) whenever the Jet Dragsters were there - if you have never seen one of those in person, it is a sight to behold! The boys loved going every year - I think 2020 may be the final year for Sacramento?

Same thing for the local 1/4 mile and 3/8 mile stock car tracks. What were once the "boonies" are now someone's backyard and non-car people hate the noise.

My kids loved watching the "bomber" class the best - street-ish cars sliding all over the track, colliding, the occasional engine fire etc. so much more fun than looking at a screen. All American Speedway in Roseville, CA had a "family section" where alcohol (beer was sold at the track) smoking and cursing was not allowed!

 

[Budnicks]

(excuse the spelling/names errors going off memory)

San Diego
San Fernando
Barona (IIRC 1/8th mile)
Ramona
Carlsbad
Riverside
Irwindale (old & new)
Santa Ana
LACR
*Ontario IMS (one of these 2 was 4 lane way before it's time)
*Orange Co. IRW
Long Beach
Lions
San Gabrial
Pomona
Fontana (old & new)
Vacavalley (1/8 mile)
Sears Point/Infinion
Fremont/Baylands
Famoso/Bakersfield
Oroville
Sacramento
Redding
Halfmoon Bay
Oakland Estuary bypass/Alameda (more of an org. street deal)
Cantata
Cotati
Santa Rosa
San Rafael
Lodi/Kingdon (old & new airport strip)

a couple of dry lakes too SCTA

I'm sure I missed a few

 

[Dibbons]

My first boss, manager of Zeke's Chevron in Chualar, California, used to tell me they ran drag races in nearby Salinas at the Salinas Airport.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCStory.asp?ID=321649

 

[Budnicks]

I think Watsonville had a track too

I know there's even more...

I watched an ol' 50's Movie with TV Tommy Ivo
about kids in the early 50's drag racing, before it was really mainstream
sort of greasers, gearheads leather-bound & slicked back hair etc.
IIRC it was called Hot Rod
they raced at someplace in so-cal
in that movie that's not on my list too, I think it was an Airport
I can't remember the name

Terminal Island is another,
International Brotherhood of Street Racers ran it,
at the old prison facilities

 

[Dibbons]

It was called "Hot Rod Girl":

 

[Dibbons]

There is an abandoned 1/8 mile strip about one kilometer from my place here in Baja California Sur. I found a video where it was being used recently.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

Samoa Dragstrip... Baylands, formerly Fremont.... Crows Landing... Vernalis... I'm sure there were allot more..

 

[IQ52]

Didn't Santa Rosa have those giant eucalyptus trees down the right side of the track? Or was that someplace else? Remember, this was 60 years ago. Those trees kicked the sound back and it sounded like no other track I ever was at. The time I was there a '59 Dodge blew the clutch and took out the dash and windshield but never hurt the driver!

 

[33 IMP]

I raced or watched at about a third of those. The only ones i know of not on that list were the first two places i ran my cortina. Both were on small airport runways, temporarily leased for the day, at Banning airport, and Rialto airport, both here in socal, and not lasting very long at all. Banning was talking about building a permanent strip, but nothing ever came of it. I think the addition of dragstrips in the parking lot at irwindale and fontana killed it.
Now that im in arizona, im hoping something comes of the attempt to get a track in Havasu, but im not holding my breath.
Still got an original riverside drags shirt from '88, somewhere, and a banning drags shirt that i wear to other drag strips. I get funny looks.
I grew up probably five minutes fron san gabriel, but i think it was gone before i was old enough to get into dragracing. I used to sneak in at the old irwindale after work, for the last hour or so of racing on wednesday nights. The gate people quit about an hour and a half before closing.

 

[Budnicks]

Didn't Santa Rosa have those giant eucalyptus trees down the right side of the track? Or was that someplace else? Remember, this was 60 years ago. Those trees kicked the sound back and it sounded like to other track I ever was at. The time I was there a '59 Dodge blew the clutch and took out the dash and windshield but never hurt the driver!

Jim, I'm not sure
maybe an older member from here may know better
all I saw of it was old photos
I was too young to attend or not even born yet

it very well could have been
lots of Eucalyptus trees in that area

most of my memories of tracks started about 1965-ish
I was 6 just about to turn 7 y/o
when my mom married my stepdad, Bob
he was a diehard drag racer early on
Had a cool 57 Ranch Wagon with a hoped up FE
had a cool 53 Ford PU with another FE
had a very cool 35 Ford PU hotrod/street rod Buick powered
& his 64 GTO 389 4speed 4.11:1
(with M&H (?) pie-cut ribbed sidewall cheater-slicks)
ran it's 'the best pass' with worn out front shocks, so it would lift
transfer the weight & actually finally get traction
(IIRC) G/S ran hi-mid 12's IIRC

 

[IQ52]

Palmdale 1/4 mile drag strip. I was sitting in the stands in the 1960's when a red glow came over the San Bernardino mountains.....Riots.....Watts was burning.