(DFW) Old Pics from Green Valley Raceway | FerrariChat

(DFW) Old Pics from Green Valley Raceway

Discussion in 'Texas' started by DIGMAN52, Apr 2, 2007.

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  1. DIGMAN52

    DIGMAN52 F1 Rookie
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    #1 DIGMAN52, Apr 2, 2007
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    We cleaned out an old trailer with family stuff in it the other day, and came across my photos taken in the mid 60's when I was an aspiring assistant photographer on the Jr. High paper. My next door neighbor was the advertising rep for Amalie PRO Racing Oil, and they fielded a 2 car Team with Jerry Titus and Fred Van Buren (Mexico City) driving mustangs in the Trans Am Series. Back then the pits were just a bunch of station wagons and trucks pulling open trailers, no big rig setups like today. This race was in 1967, and it was a defining moment in my car history. I walked by a towncar, and the back door was open, and there was Dan Gurney sitting there. He could not have been nicer, and took the time with a kid, to tell me how he got started in racing. I of course joined his All American Racer's as soon as he started that club. The last pics is a professional one showing it as the closest race that year in Trans-Am, with Gurney beating teammate Parnelli Jones in their team Cougars. I am throwing in a couple of pics from the many drag races I attended there also. It was a no frills place where you walked across a narrow metal bridge to get in the pits. Crossing when the fuelers or funny cars were underneath was the best! I especially miss the radio ads spouting "SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY_ GREEN VALLEY RACEWAY"
    Did anyone else here frequent the "Valley".
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  2. B.Ratcliff

    B.Ratcliff Formula 3
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    Cool pics.

    I raced at Greenvalley a few times in the 80s before the real estate developers bought it.
     
  3. WJHMH

    WJHMH Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Amazing photos, I always wanted to go there when I was a kid but never made it out. My parents were never motorheads or racing fans. I remember those radio ads from KZEW, Q102, etc.. from the early 1980's as well.
     
  4. The Godmother

    The Godmother Formula Junior

    Nov 5, 2003
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    In 1992, I lived in North Richland Hills for a year. I drove around and found what was left of Green Valley. There was a housing development built on the road course, so that was gone.

    But the drag strip, stands, and bridge were all there. There wasn't anyone there, so I just parked my car and wandered around. Guess I should have taken some pictures.
     
  5. WJHMH

    WJHMH Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #5 WJHMH, Apr 2, 2007
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    This is all that's left of it from Google earth, I'm sure it's all long gone by now,looks to be an old photo. I'm sure James Dunne also has some interesting tails to tell.
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  6. AnotherDunneDeal

    AnotherDunneDeal F1 Veteran

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    James Dunne
    Raced there (drag racing) many times. I first visited there in 1964 for the AHRA Spring Nationals. I put some old 8mm home movies onto DVD from a bunch of races from the 60's, 70's and early 80's. The color quality has deteriorated greatly but I still have 45 year old videos.

    I watched such legends race there as Don Garlits, Bobby Langley, Stone-Woods-Cook, Hemi Under Glass, Little Red Wagon, Dick Harrell, Sox and Martin, Dick Landy, Don Nicholson, Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins and many, many more. Green Valley was a fun track to compete at. I really liked the treed area in the pits where you could actually park in the shade if you got there early enough.

    Anyone remember the old DIMS (Dallas International Motor Speedway) up around Lewisville? It was ahead of its time for a track but unfortunately shortlived.

    I live about three miles south of the old Green Valley site. Any semblance of the track is gone now as the developers have put in all the streets and started the homes now.

    Going a long way back in my memory now. I believe the two top fuel cars you show were Bennie Osborne from OKC on the left and the Carrol Bros and Oxman from Dallas on the right. Not sure on the car being push started down the pit road........

    Sunday, Sunday, Sunday at Green Valley Raceway see the fire breathin', ground shakin. fuel dragsters go head to head at speeds over 200 mph for a purse of $1,000. Sunday at Green Valley Raceway.......Be there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    And remember Mr. Bardahl, Bill Heilscher???? We lost him a couple of years ago but he was a driving force there and then in Kennedale at Texas Raceway. Kennedale is still a fun place when the Outlaw cars and the True 10.5's are there.
     
  7. DIGMAN52

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    #7 DIGMAN52, Apr 4, 2007
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    I have a 1/18th Model of Heilscher's Mr. Bardahl Camaro. Also remember Yancy-Camp. They were real estate developers with a racing hobby on the side. Also saw Art Arfons and the Green Monster Jet Car race at the Valley. Mart Higginbothom who raced the Doran Chevrolet Funny Car was a brother of a fellow Hillcrest "Street Racer's Club" member Ralph H. He built a Ranchero with a side oiler 427, only to get it stolen, stripped and burned 2 weeks later. At the Valley, I liked that part of the road course went under the treed area also. I got to do 30 laps in a Formula Ford there in the early 80's when some guys were trying to sell a arrive and drive deal.

    I raced at Dallas International Motor Speedway a lot my Sr. year of High School and freshman year at SMU. Won my ET bracket 2 weekends in a row, because my 1966 Buick GS was so consistent. It was a 14.9 car that I would dial in at 15.0, and it was always right there. Found an old ET slip where I ran my mom's '67 T-Bird 390 at a 17.82. We have econocars now that will do that.

    Pics from Dallas International. Wasn't allowed to go there in 1969 for their "Woodstock" event.
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  8. AnotherDunneDeal

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    If you will go into the archives to the 4-21-2004 post of mine titled "Pictures of my old altered" you will see several pictures of some of the cars I have raced over the years. Those were the good old days......until a transmission went away...........

    In my second drag race I ran a '58 Ford with a 352 cubic inch engine with a 2 barrel carburetor. I ran a 17.90 and set the strip record for my class. The strip closed down a year later and no one had beat the record (at least in that AHRA class, Formula 7 D/SA). Since no one beat the record for that dragstrip, I guess you could say I have held the record for 41 years.........Besides that, no one else would want to run such a monstrosity as that. By best in my last A/EA '23 Ford t-bucket was 8.97 @ 168 mph. 454 big block Keith Black built Chevy engine with a single 900 cfm carb. Never lost an engine in this car but fried the transmission about every three meets. Boy that got expensive. Sold the car after two seasons. Got married a few years later and the only things I have left are the memories.....

    Had a couple of gasoline powered supercharged cars along the way but the carbureted car was almost as fast with the technological changes that evolved over the years. The supercharged cars looked cool and were a real handful to drive, being so short wheelbased and all but the carbed car was much more dependable and easier to drive.
     
  9. hplug

    hplug Karting

    Sep 23, 2005
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    I love these pictures Phil. Maybe you can get the restored, one of these days my garage will be fully of interesting vintage racing pictures. I am real sick of all the same ol stuff everyone has. These are priceless,
    H
     
  10. AnotherDunneDeal

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    Seeing those old pics got me to thinking back to those days so I got in the car and drove up to the old track area. If you did not know it had been there you would not be able to find the place. All kinds of new streets criss-crossing the old pit area and a bunch of cookie cutter 2 story homes with plantation windows. Just looks like the rest of that area of the metroplex.

    Having witnessed the demise of many of the old "legend" tracks makes a person sad indeed.......Green Valley, DIMS, Lions in California, Ontario, Half Moon Bay and so many more........Gotta keep the ones we have now. Don't want to lose any more tracks to urban sprawl........
     
  11. ronr

    ronr Formula Junior

    Oct 30, 2002
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    Very cool pictures, Phil! I went out there some in my very young days. In 79-80, I was driving my '70 Cutlass out there to drag race, and it died in the traffic getting out there, so I never did get to race there.
     
  12. B.Ratcliff

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    #12 B.Ratcliff, Apr 9, 2007
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  13. DIGMAN52

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    Brian, anything in the 12's was very fast. Were you on slicks? Which big block, and what else did it have? Let's split a historic drag car.
     
  14. B.Ratcliff

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    Phil,

    The 12.85 was on street tires, no nitrous.

    The car ran a 12.06 on slicks, no nitrous.

    We never ran it down the track with nitrous and slicks. The nitrous system was a 150 hp system, it probably would have turned mid-high 11s with the nitrous and slicks.

    The drivetrain was a Kim Barr 396cid with a muncie m22 4spd and a 411 rear gear.
     
  15. B.Ratcliff

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    #16 B.Ratcliff, Apr 9, 2007
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    This was my next car at cedar creek dragway in about 1986. It was a pro street car with a 468 cid big block, 690 lift roller cam, reher morrison aluminum heads, a tunnel ram with (2) 660 holleys. Very Very fast!!!
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  16. DIGMAN52

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    I love that front wheel just coming off the ground. Was it a 10 second car, and is it a Vega? Good use of one!
     
  17. B.Ratcliff

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    Yep its a Vega. The worst car Chevy ever built but it was also Chevy's gift to the drag racing community, light and cheap. By the time we were done building this thing it wasnt really a Vega anymore.

    That picture was its debut run. We bent the ladder bars and trashed the motor later that day.

    The car ran 10s before it was dialed in. After it was dialed in, I lost interest before I made it back to the track. Probably a 9.50 + - without the nitrous.
     
  18. DIGMAN52

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    #19 DIGMAN52, Apr 30, 2007
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    After seeing the pics James posted of his altered, I pulled out my faded color shots from Green Valley. Also, there is a pic of my bedroom wall in 1967, with car magazine pages pasted on the wall. Everything from the drags, to a Chapparral, a Cheetah, a T-bucket, and some road racing pics. It wasn't until 1969 that I hung Christmas lights around the ceiling, and put on the Hendrix. Anyone remember these cars?
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  19. AnotherDunneDeal

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    #20 AnotherDunneDeal, May 1, 2007
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    Kelly Chadwick, the teacher from Floydada, Texas. Moved up to Don Hardy chassied flip-top funny cars.

    I knew a couple of the cars you picture. Man, does that bring back the memories.

    I put up a photo of Eddie Hills engine going up at Ennis and also his twin-engine pontiac powered rail that ran in the 8's in the late 1950's
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  20. AnotherDunneDeal

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    #21 AnotherDunneDeal, May 1, 2007
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    And a real closeup of Eddies huge explosion that knocked him unconscious at Dallas. Another happened later at Houston and he retired after it cracking a vertabra in is upper back.......

    I have known him since 1958 when he ran just about anything that had wheels on it.....
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  21. AnotherDunneDeal

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    #22 AnotherDunneDeal, May 1, 2007
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  22. AnotherDunneDeal

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    #23 AnotherDunneDeal, May 1, 2007
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  23. of2worlds

    of2worlds F1 World Champ
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    James and others thanks for all the old pictures. Really like that shot of da Grump carrying those 'super trick' wheels. Jenkins used a subtle little adjustment in that the front fenders were tilted downward from stock location. Black painted motors and white painted gas tank were other Jenkins' tricks. That Camaro never really worked that well though; even when Dave Strickler drove it. I wonder who will buy it?
    What ever happened to 'Big Mike' Burkhart who ran the Camaro F/C?
    Richard Tharp had his moments to. Always fun when you get to run off with the trophy Queen!
    CH
     
  24. AnotherDunneDeal

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    #25 AnotherDunneDeal, May 2, 2007
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    I will attach a few more that I ran across. I hope you enjoy them. Green Valley really hosted the cream of the crop in funny car match racers back in the 60's

    1. Nicest funny car driver of all time, Dick Harrell. He was a real crowd favorite and a genuinely nice guy. Arguably one of the greatest Chevrolet drivers of all time.
    2. Gene Snow of Fort Worth (Rambunctious) and Pete Seaton (Seatons Shaker) at Green Valley
    3. Don Gay of Houston. He was 17 at the time this photo was taken. His dad owned the track in Houston.
    4. Gene Snow and Kelly Chadwick backing up after doing a burnout at Green Valley.
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