Grassroots Motorsports

Register Log in to GRM
- Community

Birthdays
Recently on the Classic Motorsports forums

Subscribe get a full year for only $23.95 Sample Free Test Drive—no strings attached

Login to post Forums » Grassroots Motorsports » Any Articles on Ghost Tracks?

1 2

Oct. 26, 2011 4:29 p.m. carguy123 SuperDork

Sunday! Sunday! SUNDAY @ Green Valley Raceway!!!

Those ads ran for years. I watched a couple of historic Trans Am races there.

One time I talked with Ol Shel' at what he said was the very first outing of the Cobra. It tore everything else up! I'm sure I'd heard of the Cobra by then so I don't know what he meant by first outing. First outing there? in the series?

I saw his twin turbo, or was it twin supercharged?, 427 Cobra around town too.

Now Green Valley Raceway a housing development in the middle of mid-cities DFW. They say there's a short stretch of the pavement left but I can't get close enough to see.

Interestingly the city it's located in has a 30 mph speed limit everywhere so instead of going fast there you have to really work at going that slow.

This is also the very first track I got seat time on. A bathtub Porsche and an XK120 Jag. I didn't have a clue they were more than just old cars.
Oct. 26, 2011 5:30 p.m. monark192 Reader

donalson wrote:

there was a show with James may where he setup a slot car race on an old no longer complete track in england... was a good show... had old race footage and stuff for the back story

That was Brooklands. Parts still stand - parts are now houses. He re-created the entire track using Scalextric and then raced a lap.
Oct. 26, 2011 5:36 p.m. Woody SuperDork

Not really a ghost track, but the original plan for Lime Rock included a long course.

I have a book that shows aerial photos of the construction. You can't really see it in the current Google Maps photo, but I imagine that you might see the outline of it when the leaves fall off the trees.

The long course was a continuation of the straight that bypassed Big Bend and then rejoined the existing track just past the esses.
Oct. 26, 2011 9:23 p.m. noddaz New Reader

Here is a good one...

Paramount Ranch

And another that you can still see the outline of... Vaca Valley http://g.co/maps/nbkrs
Oct. 26, 2011 9:35 p.m. N Sperlo SuperDork

Maroon92 wrote:

N Sperlo wrote:

In reply to Maroon92:

I'll keep you in the loop. I plan on starting closer to home, but the wife just got a job as a flight attendant which means free flights

Who are you? Peter Griffin?

("I'm Winston Churchill. I like Tea and Crumpets")

No, I'm just a big ole'
Oct. 27, 2011 10:40 a.m. Hal Dork

aeronca65t wrote: I remember going to Marlboro as a high school kid. Penske and Donahue would run there.

I spent a lot of time at Marlboro in the late 60's crewing for a guy that ran a Mini in B Sedan. Very interesting track. The transitions in and out of the oval were interesting to say the least.
Oct. 27, 2011 11:45 a.m. Keith SuperDork

You know, "ghost tracks" would make a great regular feature in Classic Motorsports.
Oct. 27, 2011 12:00 p.m. Javelin SuperDork

Keith wrote:

You know, "ghost tracks" would make a great regular feature in Classic Motorsports.

Great enough to get me to subscribe, actually.
Oct. 27, 2011 12:00 p.m. Jerry From LA HalfDork

noddaz wrote:

Here is a good one...

Paramount Ranch

Been there, walked it with my wife. Absolutely beautiful setting. A good friend of mine lived there as the ranger. His house was an actual part of the Doctor Quinn: Medicine Woman set not too far from the remains of the track.
Oct. 27, 2011 12:05 p.m. ultraclyde HalfDork

Middle Georgia Raceway was a local paved banked oval track that hosted a lot of big races in the 60s / 70s - NASCAR, etc etc - and some memorable concerts. Last I heard there were trees growing up through the banks on turns 3&4 but in the satellite shot from the link you can see a few cars parked on it. I've never investigated, but I drive by it all the time and you can easily see the back of the banks from Hwy 41. In the last 5 years they've started hosting a Racer's Reunion car show and swap meet there with the plan of perhaps restoring or preserving the track. We rent one of our locations from the guy that owns the property - I should get permission to go take some pics.

If someone is doing magazine stories and wants to get a look, let me know. I might be able to set something up

Track History from RacersReunion.com
Oct. 27, 2011 12:33 p.m. a401cj Reader

well, VIR was a ghost track. Fortunately now it isn't
Oct. 27, 2011 2:30 p.m. Rusted_Busted_Spit SuperDork

Javelin wrote:

Keith wrote:

You know, "ghost tracks" would make a great regular feature in Classic Motorsports.

Great enough to get me to subscribe, actually.

Yes Yes Yes.
Oct. 27, 2011 3:01 p.m. donalson SuperDork

Keith wrote:

You know, "ghost tracks" would make a great regular feature in Classic Motorsports.

prob could make for a nice "reader submitted photo" type of thing...
Oct. 27, 2011 3:18 p.m. pstrbrc New Reader

Oh, golly. Continental Divide Raceway. Colorado Springs, Colorado. The drag strip kept it operational, but the track was Awesome! I remember when it closed, I was, what? late 20's? Sad. Nothing left. It was bought for development, still mostly empty, but somewhere along the line an owner "plowed it up" so it could never be reopened as a race track. Damn libtards!
Oct. 27, 2011 3:29 p.m. nderwater SuperDork

I found out recently that there was a ghost track in Augusta, Georgia, the town I grew up in. Not only were NASCAR races held there, but Jim Hall and Don Yenko raced USRRC races there. I had no idea!

http://www.historicmustang.com/augustainternational.html
http://www.augustainternationalraceway.org
Oct. 27, 2011 3:34 p.m. fasted58 SuperDork

SCCA Sportscar magazine did a monthly series on ghost tracks some years ago (5+ yrs IIRC). Lotta old tracks, pics and history... thorough as they usually are.
Oct. 27, 2011 3:36 p.m. redstack New Reader

A friend lent me a copy of the Nov 1959 Road & Track. In it was a listing for most of the tracks in America. Included were tons of old airport tracks. I just scanned a pdf of the one that contained our local (Pensacola) Navy airfield track. Corry field. Our retired RA for Gulf Coast region SCCA talked about how he ran races and such there in the 60's. I will see if I can somehow post that pdf. Umm anyone have any thoughts on copyright rules?
Oct. 29, 2011 4:24 p.m. Jerry From LA HalfDork

nderwater wrote:

I found out recently that there was a ghost track in Augusta, Georgia, the town I grew up in. Not only were NASCAR races held there, but Jim Hall and Don Yenko raced USRRC races there. I had no idea!

http://www.historicmustang.com/augustainternational.html
http://www.augustainternationalraceway.org

This one is fun to find on Google Earth. The whole track is still there as well as the dragstrip. Orient yourself by finding the hairpin turn in the upper left near the baseball / softball complex.
Oct. 29, 2011 4:26 p.m. Jerry From LA HalfDork

pstrbrc wrote:

Oh, golly. Continental Divide Raceway. Colorado Springs, Colorado. The drag strip kept it operational, but the track was Awesome! I remember when it closed, I was, what? late 20's? Sad. Nothing left. It was bought for development, still mostly empty, but somewhere along the line an owner "plowed it up" so it could never be reopened as a race track. Damn libtards!

More likely a real estate speculator trying to pick up the land for a song.
Oct. 29, 2011 7:06 p.m. iceracer SuperDork

The Saratoga Auto Museum holds a get together every fall to have people talk about dead race tracks mostly in upstate NY. Interesting speakers, some who had raced at these tracks. Pictures and videos abound.
Oct. 29, 2011 10:25 p.m. gamby SuperDork

Lof8 wrote:

What a cool topic!

Indeed. Good stuff here.

I'd love to putt around hte track int he OP on my mountainbike for the helluvit.
Oct. 30, 2011 6:49 a.m. mr2peak Reader

redstack wrote:

A friend lent me a copy of the Nov 1959 Road & Track. I will see if I can somehow post that pdf. Umm anyone have any thoughts on copyright rules?

As long as you post it for our enjoyment and list a source, you're fine, nobody is benefitting from it more than Road & Track. Unless you can still buy a back copy..

If the magazine (GRM) were to run that story, things would be different.
Oct. 30, 2011 7:38 a.m. DeadSkunk Dork

Harewood Acres (http://www.canadianracer.com/harewood.asp) ran in the 50s,and 60s in southern Ontario.

1 2

You'll need to log in to post.