What year did the track open in Pevely?

F

Flying Penguin

Active Member
Has it always been called I-55 Raceway? Did the oval and drag strip open the same year?

Thanks.
 
Not sure about the drag strip but it was there for a long time before the circle track which opened in about 1977.
 
Allied raced 7-10 nights in late 1977.
79-80 was ran sporadically by I beleive Elmer Sago
Allied 81-92
Triple Track 93-95
Allied 96-Present


The "Pepsi Nationals" began as the "Modified Nationals" and was started by the late Ken Rinne in the late 80's.
 
Some time in the early 1970’s, an old Allied racer by the name of Clyde Harrison (I am almost sure, could be wrong) bought the land and started moving dirt to put in place the high banks we now know as our beloved I-55. I don’t know if Clyde ever promoted race there, though. My memory is starting to fail on some of the happenings of my youth. Clyde raced at The HILL earlier in life. His in COUPES were immaculate condition when they appeared at the track. I remember he had CHROME wheels on some of his racers—nice touch back then!!!


I ran around with Clyde a bit prior to his starting into this venture. In fact, he owned a small farm on Prairie Hollow road in Imperial Mo. The location is now the location of the Hodge Elementary school of the Fox school district. During a short period while he owned the farm, a few of us race nuts (about 6) each got and old car and ratted around in the hay field where the school now stands . We put on a helmet, put the lap belt on and got after it!!! All the cars had the windows in and there were no safety rules other then those two. The race like fun only lasted a few weeks. The old cars got tired and were parked. I believe Clyde had the junk hauled off. They were all just were to tore up to “race” again!!

During that period, I do distinctly remember Clyde telling us that his dream was to build a ‘high banked” speed way somewhere and unless I am suffering from the savages of old age and the start of dementia, I believe he sold the farm and bought the speed way property. I some how remember him selling the property to Elmer Sago of Festus Mo. , then Smotherman’s and to the present owners. I have , many many, years ago, lost track of Mr. Harrision


Maybe some of the other old timers on here could add or subtract from my mumbling!!! Please accept my apologies if I am completely off base!!!!!
 
I've been looking for a complete list of Pevely (Pepsi) Nationals winners along with all the former track champions...
 
I love it,keep'em coming! Nostalgia.........
no1drtcrfn said:
Some time in the early 1970’s, an old Allied racer by the name of Clyde Harrison (I am almost sure, could be wrong) bought the land and started moving dirt to put in place the high banks we now know as our beloved I-55. I don’t know if Clyde ever promoted race there, though. My memory is starting to fail on some of the happenings of my youth. Clyde raced at The HILL earlier in life, in COUPES which were immaculate condition when they appeared at the track. I remember he had CHROME wheels on some of his racers—nice touch back then!!!


I ran around with Clyde a bit prior to his starting into this venture. In fact, he owned a small farm on Prairie Hollow road in Imperial Mo. The location is now the location of the Hodge Elementary school of the Fox school district. During a short period while he owned the farm, a few of us race nuts (about 6) each got and old car and ratted around in the hay field where the school now stands . We put on a helmet, put the lap belt on and got after it!!! All the cars had the windows in and there were no safety rules other then those two. The race like fun only lasted a few weeks. The old cars got tired and were parked. I believe Clyde had the junk hauled off. They, were all just were to tore up to “race” again!!

During that period, I do distinctly remember Clyde telling us that his dream was to build a ‘high banked” speed way somewhere and unless I am suffering from the savages of old age and the start of dementia, I believe he sold the farm and bought the speed way property. I some how remember a him selling the property to Elmer Sago of Festus Mo. , then Smotherman’s and to the present owners.


Maybe some of the other old timers on here could add or subtract from my mumbling!!! Please accept my apologies if I am completely off base!!!!!
Click to expand...
 
RIGHT NOW,,LETS GET THIS STRIGHT ABOUT THE "NATIONALS"..WE WERE RUNNING ST.CHARLES AT THE TIME,,ONE NIGHT AFTER THE RACES I WENT TO KEN RNNIE AND TOLD HIM ABOUT A IDEA I HAD FOR A BOMBER NATIONALS TO BE HELD AFTER THE SEASON..WELL THAT IDEA MORFFED INTO THE MODIFIED NATIONALS AT I-55,,IT WAS NOT A ALLIED SHOW,IT WAS A JOINT EFFORT WITH RENNIE,ART GROSS AND A FEW OTHERS,THE SHOW WAS A 2 DAY EVENT RUNNING THE OLD ALLIED A-CARS,THE RULES WERE ABOUT AS OPEN AS YOU COULD GET,,WEDGE CARS SHOWED UP AS DID A FEW LATE MODELS,,I THINK JIM LEKA WON THE FIRST SHOW,,,CORSE NO ONE EVER GAVE ME ANY CREDIT FOR AT LEAST PLANTING THE SEED...I HAVE A BUT LOAD OF BEANS I JUST MIGHT SPILL AS I WAS ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR A TIME...IF THIS POST PIZZES SOME ONE OFF "good"
 
Not sure when Pevely opened for the first season,but I know for a fact that myself and the Medlocks drove out there in 1974 and checked it out while it was being built.I also know for a fact that my first race there was 1979.
 
I was there for the 1st night of racing. If I remember correctly it rained, poured to be more accurate and it was a real mess.

A hobby stock car that my dad worked on at the time ran down there a couple of times that year. The car had been running at Tri City and after their season ended they took off the front clip. He tig welded the required "cow catcher" bumper out of aluminum conduit tubing and they took it down there to run.
 
no1drtcrfn said:
Some time in the early 1970’s, an old Allied racer by the name of Clyde Harrison (I am almost sure, could be wrong) bought the land and started moving dirt to put in place the high banks we now know as our beloved I-55. I don’t know if Clyde ever promoted race there, though. My memory is starting to fail on some of the happenings of my youth. Clyde raced at The HILL earlier in life. His in COUPES were immaculate condition when they appeared at the track. I remember he had CHROME wheels on some of his racers—nice touch back then!!!


I ran around with Clyde a bit prior to his starting into this venture. In fact, he owned a small farm on Prairie Hollow road in Imperial Mo. The location is now the location of the Hodge Elementary school of the Fox school district. During a short period while he owned the farm, a few of us race nuts (about 6) each got and old car and ratted around in the hay field where the school now stands . We put on a helmet, put the lap belt on and got after it!!! All the cars had the windows in and there were no safety rules other then those two. The race like fun only lasted a few weeks. The old cars got tired and were parked. I believe Clyde had the junk hauled off. They were all just were to tore up to “race” again!!

During that period, I do distinctly remember Clyde telling us that his dream was to build a ‘high banked” speed way somewhere and unless I am suffering from the savages of old age and the start of dementia, I believe he sold the farm and bought the speed way property. I some how remember him selling the property to Elmer Sago of Festus Mo. , then Smotherman’s and to the present owners. I have , many many, years ago, lost track of Mr. Harrision


Maybe some of the other old timers on here could add or subtract from my mumbling!!! Please accept my apologies if I am completely off base!!!!!
Click to expand...

Dave, was my dad one of those guys.......:D
 
no1drtcrfn said:
Some time in the early 1970’s, an old Allied racer by the name of Clyde Harrison (I am almost sure, could be wrong) bought the land and started moving dirt to put in place the high banks we now know as our beloved I-55. I don’t know if Clyde ever promoted race there, though. My memory is starting to fail on some of the happenings of my youth. Clyde raced at The HILL earlier in life. His in COUPES were immaculate condition when they appeared at the track. I remember he had CHROME wheels on some of his racers—nice touch back then!!!


I ran around with Clyde a bit prior to his starting into this venture. In fact, he owned a small farm on Prairie Hollow road in Imperial Mo. The location is now the location of the Hodge Elementary school of the Fox school district. During a short period while he owned the farm, a few of us race nuts (about 6) each got and old car and ratted around in the hay field where the school now stands . We put on a helmet, put the lap belt on and got after it!!! All the cars had the windows in and there were no safety rules other then those two. The race like fun only lasted a few weeks. The old cars got tired and were parked. I believe Clyde had the junk hauled off. They were all just were to tore up to “race” again!!

During that period, I do distinctly remember Clyde telling us that his dream was to build a ‘high banked” speed way somewhere and unless I am suffering from the savages of old age and the start of dementia, I believe he sold the farm and bought the speed way property. I some how remember him selling the property to Elmer Sago of Festus Mo. , then Smotherman’s and to the present owners. I have , many many, years ago, lost track of Mr. Harrision


Maybe some of the other old timers on here could add or subtract from my mumbling!!! Please accept my apologies if I am completely off base!!!!!
Click to expand...

I'm not an old timer but I think your story is pretty accurate. My dad tells me the same stories and they are the same as my grandpa told him. My grandpa used to go to Clydes farm to race too. Now myself and my brother race at pevely. I guess it was alway in our blood. I got to meet clyde at my grandpas funeral a couple years back, he seemed like a great guy.
 
The drag strip was there well before the oval was built. I used to go the drags every Sunday with the guy that owned a grocery store that my Mom worked at in south St.Louis. When they started doing excavating for the oval we all thought that it was the dumbest move we ever heard of. The last time I remember being at the drags a guy got all drunked up and decided he was going to climb of the steep hill from the drag pits, which is now the oval outside pits. he was in an old 4wd truck of some sort. Well he soon figured out what a roll bar was for.
 
no1drtcrfn

no1drtcrfn - My Dad worked with Clyde, till they retired I believe. I made a few trips with him to the farm when I was a kid. It was long time ago, but this thread brought back some good ol' memories. Clyde ran the drag strip in the late 60's or early 70's. Dad was a mechanic who loved working on cars and racing, whether on the drag strip or on the dirt. We would go to the Pevely drag strip and always go into the pits. A lot of the guys racing were from the auto parts stores, or sponsored by them, that supplied parts to the place Dad worked. He seemed to know everybody and usually ended up helping with someones car while we were there. I vaguely remember going to Valley Park and St. Mary's as a kid also.
I don't remember what Clyde had to do with the dirt track. After I-55 dirt track was built though, Dad, myself and my brother went alot. Then as my sons came along, I started taking them too. As Dave34 said, "it must have been in our blood". My son's didn't start racing until after Dad passed away. If he were still here and able, he would be right there with us, sleeves rolled up, grease smeared on a smiling face, and a wrench in his hand.
Well , enough said, Thanks for jogging my memory.

Mike Armstrong
 
According to Ms. Waters the local racing historian, I-55 Raceway opened June 15, 1974. That is the oval and not the drag strip. She put a post on here a few years ago the listed all the race tracks that existed and dates they opened.
 
tim4j said:
Dave, was my dad one of those guys.......:D
Click to expand...

Tim, I don't quite remember your Dad being one of the racers on the old farm but hell, there are a lot of things that don't work on this old gear head and the memory is one of them!!!
I do know Dad has related stories of him and Larry "racing " up and down Seckman Rd when it was a "dirt track" :) :) :) :)

I do remember the brand and type of hot rod I ran at Clydes farm--It was a 1959 Ford -4 door auto. color -grey- no number had a 352 motor I think
. None of the cars had numbers, only good times were allowed to be had!!!
 
no1drtcrfn has most everything correct.
But if memory serves me right Clyde never owned the property, just leased or rented it.
The elderly lady that owned the place passed away and her estate rented or leased it to Elmer Sago.
Clyde made a false start on building the oval and it sat unfinished for a time, it was finished in late
'77 and a few races were ran that season.
Clyde worked with a friend of mine, in the automotive dept., at the Sears store on S. Grand and like some one said lots of cars were associated with parts stores. When my friend, Ron, left Sears he opened a parts store in Sappington. Ron was my source for updates on Clydes oval track building adventure.
I started racing there in late '79 when there was a connection between I55 and Lake Hill, with a combined track champion. At that time my neighbor was Grant Dodge and he won that Championship. If memory serves me correct that was the last season Lake Hill ran.

THANX RICH

People say I'm getting crankier as I get older. That's not it. I just find I enjoy annoying people a lot more now. Especially younger people!!!
 
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