2 3/31/63 For whatever reason (usually not enough time) this trackchasing adventure didnt get posted to my website when I first made the track visit. The lad laughed and said to me - "you knew what motor it was". FELTY, LeRoy When a caution flag was thrown the yellow lights went on alerting the drivers to slow down. After having gotten a terrible nights sleep getting up at 3 a.m. my time was terrible. Down the backstetch it was still a dead was really wound up and getting louder. Ten years later they presented their first and only double show with another organization, the RSCA. 6 HILDRETH, Elton action from the mid 70's: The Then in 1963 the inevitable occurred and Reading switched over to running weekly modified competition paying $500 to win and posting the largest weekly modified purse around. We settled into our seats under the big roof Eddie Pratt 8/9/68 [1]It featured a regular weekly series of modified, sportsman modified, and late modelstock carracing. 9/21/75 drag race to the start/finish line. A Muhlenberg Township resident for over forty years, Lindy brought back the Miss Reading Fair Pageant as well as creating the Little Miss Pageant while continuing the traditions of the annual Reading Fair. 3 1 Reading Fairgrounds Speedway Flemington Speedway, East Windsor Speedway, Bridgeport, Reading Fairgrounds, Nazareth Speedway, Harmony Speedway . Read all about Kenny Brightbill, Dick Tobias, Bobby Gerhart. 13 Jim Kirk main stands, then got back to our seats for the main event. From September 20, 1924 to June 29,1979, dirt-track racing fans crowded the 80 acre site of the Reading Fairgrounds located in Muhlenburg Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania which was home to a half-mile oval that was known as The Home of Champions Modified stock cars. OLSEN, Budd 2 3 1 GRIFFIN, Pee Wee Jay Stong I didnt begin producing my YouTube videos until 2009 (YouTube channel: RANLAY). In order to get to a 7 a.m. breakfast meeting I would need to get up at 6 a.m. eastern time or 3 a.m. California time. 4 Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. All of that, however, was a mere epilogue, like a wave in the distance. There were some sacrifices but there was a reward. 1 TIE (1st) Freddy Adam & Jackie Evans 8/13/1967 - $156.06. I hail from the sleepy little village by the sea, San Clemente, California. Ask wulliebroon about Altmuehltal-Radweg. If youve got a question, comment or whatever please leave it at the bottom of this report. In 1957, when the opportunity presented itself, Vicari moved his program to Fridays and from that day on, Reading was a Friday night raceway. But my job doesnt stop me from sharing my love of the history of the city where I was born and raised and love so very much. Could not help overhearing him, did not Shares547. Absolutely. It was the end of an era. This was during the 2000 trackchasing season. demeanor make him a favorite. The first auto racing stunts as a part of the Fair were presented in 1924. 65 Drivers 17 This was during our first time to live in California from 1975-1979. 18 We usually had 7 a.m. eastern time breakfast meetings. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. They dont. 1 14 By this time, the crowd It was the memory of it that inspired his Art . WINKS, Jimmy VOLZ, Tony Since 1911 the covered grandstand saw many generations pass and echoed the names of many champions. All the good and all the bad, more than a half-century of blood, sweat and cheers gone. Or you can visit me on Facebook. SNELLBAKER, Smokey 54 5 9 2 Will it work now? 2 The Reading Fair had it's first fair in 1854 at Penn's Commons, in what is now City Park. 1 FITZCHARLES, Paul 2 7 Date of experience: September 2012. PRATT, Eddie During this span Tommy won 11 of 26 races and soon it was known, in order to win at the Fairgrounds, you had to beat Tommy Hinnershitz. Great fair memories made every year . Health? 6/25/78 interrupt until the Fike sprinter fired up and the sound was music to my ears. Ample parking spaces were also provided for motorists. Well, one day my dad 4/30/76 With the mall becoming too crowded, the Fair moved to Kutztown while Fair organizers searched for a new site. As I came out of the theater, though, I decided that it would be fun to update a . We raced on dirt and on asphalt mainly in the tri-state 11/20/77 So many local drivers made the competition tough and exciting. 1 Thanks for the memories. Red Riegel were killed in the first turn racing sprint cars. HAGER, Tom KOCH, Paul 1 Indy champions loved to compete at The Home of Champions. Its simply a Trackchaser Report that comes from my trackchasing archives. Thats what a racechaser does. went down for some of those famous french fries to the right of the 5 Several subsequent purchases increased the area to approximately 78 acres. 7/5/70 7 Sorry. I take 35-40 of those trips each season. TV to this day. 6/19/77 Additionally, if you see a website link know that link worked when the TR was originally written. 1 1 Back in the day, beginning in 1972 I worked for a company called Richardson-Vicks (RVI). Recent Additions to our Reading Fairgrounds Memories Page. 1 Thats probably the most inconvenient location in the country for seeing tracks in the U.S. READINGER, Dan 9 8 Freddy Adam Ive just spent the past two hours reviewing the many historical articles found here and feel overwhelmingly nostalgic about my life growing up in Reading, PA. Having left in 1972 after attending Reading High (Class of 1968), the pictures and history makes me look forward to a trip back. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Ten years later they presented their first and only double show with another organization, the RSCA. 3 7 1 lives in Zephyrhills,Fl and loves to talk about the good old days. 2 Throughout the 20s and 30s Reading fans saw the likes of all the top Indianapolis 500 sprint car racing stars compete on their hometown half-mile dirt speedway. Joel Wessner What the heck does Classic mean? At the Reading Fairgrounds, we seldom missed a week of attending. 4 Sorry. I am a trackchaser. 10/15/67 3/23/74 You might have remembrances about this track. 2 62 PANTUSO, Vince Held at Pioneer Pole Buildings on Route 183 in Schuylkill Haven, Reading Fairgrounds Historical Society hosted a three-day event to honor and remember the drivers and cars that ran at the. Buzzie now 1 2 Whip Mulligan 7 And there were those who paid the ultimate price, such as Jud Larson and Red Riegel, Jackie Evans and Mike Grbac, the young New Jersey driver who died a month after the final 78 race from injuries suffered in a cartwheeling accident down the main straight halfway through that event. 6 KEPPLEY, Jim 1 PICKELL, Bobby If so, please feel free to share your memories in the comments section below. Below: Lindy Vicari, shown below with pageant winners (unable to he identified), operated the Reading Fairgrounds from 1955 to 1979. 26 These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Mike Meals 11 But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. The 80 acres of motor sports memories was being converted into a shopping mall. BRIGHTBILL, Kenny When the structure gave way, in 1979, to a multi-million dollar shopping mall, it was only memories that remained. 1 Reading Modified Top Ten Performance Index BURKHART, Barry Frank Cozze 8 From September 20, 1924 to June 29,1979, dirt-track racing fans crowded the 80 acre site of the Reading Fairgrounds located in Muhlenburg Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania which was home to a half-mile oval that was known as The Home of Champions Modified stock cars. HARWI, Otto Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Drivers such as A. J. Foyt, Roger McCluskey, Jim Hurtubise, Jud Larson, Johnny Rutherford, and Bobby Unser took over after Tommy retired in 1960. 1 Drivers flocked from all over the east coast for a share of the pie. MULLIGAN, Whip The beloved flatheads grew in popularity and stature. gold label distribution bud man. 10/18/75 5 Photo albums were sort of hit or miss during the early years of my trackchasing. 12 Thats trackchasingthe way I do it. 6/29/79 1 4/11/70 I live in southern California. who did we see - Buzzie Reutimann. were all about. SOLOMON, Larry JOHNSON, Bob 4 It was primarily a local division, but large purses and crowds forced Lindy to stay with the flatheads long after other area speedways were already running the powerful modified racing cars. Accept Read More. My grandson and I went to the World of Outlaws and 6/19/64 EPPOLITE, Frank 3 4/9/77 5/18/75 Indy champions loved to compete at The Home of Champions. 3 Description This video is compiled of segments from Eastern Seedway Classics, Open Cockpit Classics, Stock Car Classics, Sprint & Champ Car Classics, Dirt Track Memories & 70's Review will take you back the 30's with the big cars, AAA & USAC sprint action of the 50's & 60's, finishing up during . 13 There was the sight of promoter Lindy Vicari in his grader, working the track surface to the optimum of tackiness the good kind. VOSS, Larry WILLIAMS, Bill RUDY, Jack 2 1 7 RILEY, Don 1 As a racechaser my prime motivation was to go where the best racers and the best racing was happening. 1 5 48 1 7/10/64 1 6 Hundreds of photos of drivers and their car. Membership is only $15 per year or a life-time membership of $200. Prior to 1980 I was a racechaser. For almost 38 years, Myron Nealey has focused on the technical aspects of delivering water throughout the Denver metro area as a reclamation and hydraulics engineer for Denver Water. EMERICH, Bob 1 Hall of Fame Member, Thats all folks! live the memories!!!! ROHS, Steve Today, many of the fans who frequented the Fairgrounds during those heydays, as well as many of the drivers who once competed at the famed half-mile, will gather at the Fairgrounds Square Mall to relive what the memories as the 25th annual Racing Legends Reunion & Car Show opens. 2 Todays adventure was one more of the 2,000 trips that have taken me up, down and around the proverbial long and dusty trackchasing trail. McCAUGHEY, Craig 6/30/74 1 In 1922, after six years of planning, a stage complete with a theatrical unit, including dressing rooms, lounges, etc., was erected. 1 2 ALLEN, Jerre 19 9 Billy Deskovick There were those USAC sprint shows with Andretti and Unser, Foyt and Pamelli and before them, Tommy Hinnershitz, the kid from Oley, taking on all comers on his home turf. That October Sunday in 78 made it official. I went back to my favorite tracks like Ascot, Rockford, Manzanita and Santa Fe among others time and again. FELTY, Elvin 1 14 28 17 80 Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. LAST WIN In 1965, the United States Auto Club (USAC) ran its first night race and also began scheduling five shows a year. My average trip covers 5,000 miles and more. 13 Reading Fairgrounds Memories Photographer: Joe Simpkins - Provided by: Bobby Pickell Jr. We would like to thank The Reading Fairgrounds Racing Historical Society and members Mike Shaub, Ken Johnson, Alan Carter and many, many others have been very supportive of our efforts here in the Vault. http://www.readingfairgroundsracing.com/, Back Freddy Brightbill 11 GERHART, Bobby 1 10 Reading Fairgrounds Speedway (1924-1979) was a one half mile dirt/clay modified race track located in Muhlenberg Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania.The track opened September 24, 1924 and ran until June 29, 1979. 9 regarding the Bobby Marshman story you posted on Hatfield Memories, and I thank you. house for rent waldport oregon; is thanos a villain or anti hero 3 Will it work now? One story I do remember well, was the fact that I had to sit in the grandstand. There was the aroma of french fries and the roar of the modifieds mingling with the dust in the night air and the deep-throated howl from the stands. . HALDEMAN, Ed This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Shorty Kerschner KELLY, Dave 2 In 1932, three shows were held. Nealey is an accomplished musician who currently plays the saxophone with a . Brightbill running the high line and 10/22/61 1 1 Watching Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher on the screen reminded me of my age, though, once I learned how much Ford made for being in this episode, I understood the movie's story line much better. 5 Ver ms de Reading Fairgrounds Speedway Resurrection 2013 en Facebook. GREEN, Butch Or you can visit me on Facebook. WELLER, Curt During this span Tommy won 11 of 26 races and soon it was known, in order to win at the Fairgrounds, you had to beat Tommy Hinnershitz. That October Sunday in 78 made it official. 6 9/17/78 1 Jim Baker I really love the heritage of the homestead, I have a box from the 60 s Bachman Foods Inc. Its. 2 CAMERON, Alex 37 19 On April 13, 2016, Hull Property Group took over the Fairgrounds Square Mall, with plans to revitalize the mall. 3 In 1932, three shows were held. Dave Kelly won six of those 12 races, including what became known as Grand Finale II on June 29, 1979. 16 This was something about killing two birds with one stone which sounds kind of barbaric to me. 2 Tommy Hinnershitzhad wins at the track early in his career. heat as they enter turn 3-4. 7 4 The Fair included imported amusements of a carnival nature, including rides of various kinds, as well as those especially gifted in or trained for some, extraordinary activity, and animals.