That pic is off my website of gene. I have movies of that car racing the roger castor car chevyII. Steve DeTar
Really like your website. Especially the tribute to your dad. Hope all is going well for you. Do you have your videos posted somewhere so maybe some of us old gearheads can relive some of the old days of drag racing?
James, I spent every weekend at the Valley from 1975 to 1978. My dad and I both raced there and since he recently passed away, I have located his boxes of slides. I am in the process of scanning those and hope to post some soon. Was out at N. Tarrant and Smithfield yesterday...still some of the staging lanes and a little of the finishline area out near New Bursey Rd. It really disheartens me every time I go by the old track that was so much of my life. I can still smell and hear the ghost of those days.
When we first moved here in 1996 I drove out by the old track. The crossover bridge was still up and all the asphalt was still in place, just very grown over with weeds and grass. No buildings or grandstands. I got out of the car and stood at the old starting line looking downtrack past the finish line to the uphill shutdown area and the sand trap before the nets. It was a chilly day and the wind was blowing so it gave me a really eerie feeling. Kinda like standing in a graveyard.......Now it is built up with all the cookie cutter houses and has no personality at all. My son and I went out to Kennedale Friday night for the BHRA Nationals. It is hosted by Bill Hieschers daughter. Bill owned Green Valley and opened Texas Raceway in Kennedale when Green Valley shut down. Bill has been gone for six years now I think. When they did the Legends of Drag Racing Parade Friday night it was led by the yellow and black Mr Bardahl Corvette of Bill's that all of us knew so well. Texas Raceway is run kinda like Green Valley was. Very fan friendly and open for spectators to roam the pits and talk to the drivers and crews. I try to get out there at least once a month. Seeing the Blue Max, Mike Burkhart, Bobby Langley, Vance Hunt, Dale Emory, The Mexican Revolution bring out all the old cars and run them down the track like they used to really brought back a lot of memories....... What car did your dad run? I may have a photo of it somewhere........ Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I went out to the valley yesterday. (That almost sounds like a religious song) and took some picture before it's all gone. Sure brought back a flood of memories. I couldn't help but look at those houses and think "I wonder if the people living there have any idea how many times I raced right thru their living rooms." Anyway, I'll post some of the pictures as soon as I resize them for posting. I found the starting line and the finish line. Everything in between is covered with houses. With all the money we spent out there, I think we should have just bought the track and preserved it as a museum. Here is a picture I made today using an old photo I downloaded here and a Google Earth picture, it shows the track then and now. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Going back a few years before Green Valley, Dad (Slats Freeland) did some early racing at the Old Eagle Mountain landing strips. That's me (with the Dr. Pepper before my older brother took it from me). Let's see, I was about 4 in those photos and that was 1956 so that makes me old enough to be bad at math. I was at my first race there when I was just 10 days old. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Flatheads forever. That is about the same time my dad took me to my first drag race at the od Big Spring airfield strip. I was 9 at the time. Big Spring was actually a real hotbed of racers at the time. The Big Spring Timing Association actually started before the NHRA Safety Safari. http://www.hdeshazo.com/geezer3/netgeezers_pg_00004.htm
Anyone remember any of these weekend regulars @ Green Valley in the 70's.... Hershel & Don Roberts (The Honkey / 67 Convette) Billy Adams (High Heaven / 69 Camaro) Wayne Anderson (Anderson Brothers / Anglia) Carroll Burnett (Boogie Rat / 55 Chevy) Eddie Richardson (Eddie's Delight / Former Gene Snow 66 Dart Funny Car) Jack Waldrop (Infinity / 64 Chevelle) Joe Wester (Blue Rat / 69 Camaro) Monk King (Black Gold / Pontiacs) Charles Frayer (Superstition / 67 Camaro) Tommy Adams (69 Camaro) Jimmy Pitt (Its Magic / Anglia) Bill Holman (Star Trek / Vega) John Brimer (AMX & Anglia) Jim & Sharon Waldrop (Its Taboo / His & Hers twin 67 Chevelles) Endicott & Blair (Red Light Bandit / 65 Chevelle) Jim Dodson (Saturday Night Special / 65 Chevelle) Cookie McCollum (69 Camaro) Carl Bell (AMX) Walker & Wells (69 Camaro) Heath & Holman (Bedlam / 66 Chevelle & 69 Camaro) Pipkins Family (Snuff Box Racing Team) There's many, many more that I'll post as they come to mind........
Any pictures of any of them???? Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
1970 Green Valley Class Champion. 1966 Buick Skylark Gran Sport. 401 V-8 with 2 speed Powerglide. My only chance was beating my competition on the lights and launch. Car launched great with posi-traction, but when I shifted at 75mph to second, they all came after me. Had some great times at the Valley and DIMS Dallas International Motor Speedway. Haven't been staged at the Christmas tree since the Musclecar Nationals in 1997. Miss it. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Those were some good times. Drive your car to the track, take the spare out of the trunk and hit the starting line. Get your trophy then load everything back up and drive it home..... I once drove this '58 Ford from Big Spring out in west Texas to Pyote airport for the drag races there. I was in a weird class and set the class record. Then my mom drove the car in the powder puff event and won it. We got back in the car and drove it the 200 miles back home. The drag strip closed shortly thereafter so I can say I still hold the strip record and have held it for over 30 years since no one beat it then or can go back and challenge it now.....Class record 17.32 seconds at 78 mph.......A real barn burner................One of my fuel altereds was a full ten seconds quicker and over 120 mph faster.........and it never set a strip record....... Image Unavailable, Please Login
Because that is exactly what it did........Launched well then just popped and the car rolled to a stop in a large puddle of oil and coolant. The track crew loved me. Took almost an hour to clean up and held up the races. Apparently the photo was shot while I was still accelerating at the exact instant the rod decided to exit the side of the block. `1/2 second later and you would have seen no smoke coming off the slicks but much more smoke off the engine and headers......
I found this on the "remember Fort Worth when.." Facebook page, the early days of Green Valley Raceway. Image Unavailable, Please Login
I was looking for info on another track I'm working on and found this at camaros.org. http://www.camaros.org/forum/index.php?topic=8789.0
That's the coolest Green Valley website I have seen. Thanks. Pedro drove an Amalie Racing Oil sponsored car, and my next door neighbor was their advertising man. Here's a couple of the Amalie cars. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
http://www.virhistory.com/beach/beach/100/latham/bandini-03.JPG http://www.virhistory.com/beach/beach/100/melton-65-01.jpg http://www.virhistory.com/beach/beach/100/Beach-Bandini-Engine.jpg http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e5/dragracers/McClures.jpg http://ardmoredragway.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=talkaboutadhistory&action=display&thread=1263 http://ardmoredragway.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=talkaboutadhistory&action=display&thread=1263 http://www.cliffreuter.com/green%20valley/62%20TURN%20ONE%20EP%20HM%20RACE.jpg http://www.texasoutsiders.com/GreenValley.html http://raceabilene.com/misc/gv_houses.jpg http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1350/952283518_8588a043c3.jpg http://www.aafueler.com/jf/GreenValley069b.jpg http://dfwmustangs.net/forums/showthread.php?t=3363 http://www.deepthrottle.com/images/ghost_tracks_green_valley.jpg http://www.channelbeemer.net/lffr_web/photos/51aff30/Jan68FirstRaceCrashGreenValleyTX.jpg
I thought I had seen some color pictures of that purple Rodriquez Mini at Flickr or some such. Did a search but couldn't find those. This turned up first: http://www.minicooperrace.com/1966-68_ARRC_Champion__Purple_People_Eater.cfm But then I found this: http://www.cliffreuter.com/etceteriniJerryMeltonSCCAPhtosPage.htm I think they'll blow you away!
I just spent the last hour looking through those. Had to look back at my pics to identify who the racers were, from his pics. Amazing site, thanks so much !
Yeah The Pipkins are still racing at Kennedale Hershel & Don Roberts (The Honkey / 67 Convette) Billy Adams (High Heaven / 69 Camaro) Wayne Anderson (Anderson Brothers / Anglia) Carroll Burnett (Boogie Rat / 55 Chevy) Eddie Richardson (Eddie's Delight / Former Gene Snow 66 Dart Funny Car) Jack Waldrop (Infinity / 64 Chevelle) Joe Wester (Blue Rat / 69 Camaro) Monk King (Black Gold / Pontiacs) Charles Frayer (Superstition / 67 Camaro) Tommy Adams (69 Camaro) Jimmy Pitt (Its Magic / Anglia) Bill Holman (Star Trek / Vega) John Brimer (AMX & Anglia) Jim & Sharon Waldrop (Its Taboo / His & Hers twin 67 Chevelles) Endicott & Blair (Red Light Bandit / 65 Chevelle) Jim Dodson (Saturday Night Special / 65 Chevelle) Cookie McCollum (69 Camaro) Carl Bell (AMX) Walker & Wells (69 Camaro) Heath & Holman (Bedlam / 66 Chevelle & 69 Camaro) Pipkins Family (Snuff Box Racing Team) There's many, many more that I'll post as they come to mind........[/QUOTE]
My dad use to work at Green Valley. He ran the Loop and occasionally worked the stating line. My mom ran the Electra writer to send the times and speed to the booth on the return road after a race. We grew up out there starting with Bill McClure then to Bill Hielscher. What great memories!
See if he has any old pics from " The Valley". I can still hear the ads, SUNDAY, SUNDAY, SUNDAY, Gene Snow and Rambunctious, Art Arfons with his Green Monster, and the wheelstanders, Hemi under Glass, and the Little Red Wagon.
I am sure that if your dad worked the starting line that I would probably recognize him if you have any pictures of that time. I pulled to the line many a time starting in 1964........Yep, great memories........... Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
