What's your first memory of SFCR, originally Empire Speedway!

The orange #2 Lavernes sponsored sprint car that a Burch drove,(I don't think he ever lifted) racing Tubby, Ron Milton, Joey Nash, Tony Weyantt, Mike Thurman, Jeff Wiggs and more. Sam Halbrook battling Henry Nash, Clark Pruneau, Tommy Sr., and Gary Phillips in the Sportsman's, and the battles of Pete Koenig and Tommy Jr. in the Hobby's along with Jeff & Bruce Sweeney, Scott Stuppy and more. No concrete in turns 1 & 2, or down the back straight. Cars would run off the track and reappear just before turn 3 (if they were lucky enough to not make it to the woods). The smell of Methanol in the air would make me hungry for a cheeseburger and a soda, and it still does today.
 
My first memory of SFCR was the summer of '90 when Kenny Harris wrecked on the front straight way and demolished his car right in front of me. I became a fan of his; I thought anyone that could walk away from that crash deserved a fan base. Then, later in the summer there was the battle in the sportsman class, Worley VS Clark Perno (sp?). Now that was a BATTLE ROYAL!!!! There was Doc Propst in his Sprint; that was always interesting- to say the least. And you can't leave out Tommy Worley, Jr. in hobby stocks, he started more fights than anyone. Don't get me wrong it wasn't him fighting (well maybe), it was the fans in the stands arguing for or against him.
 
how about the old famous race "Road Runner 100" i geuss now the Queens Royal that i think came from the "Old Road Runner 100 i do not remember the last year they run it but i think it was when ron thurman and the greifs had the track maybe dave mull late 70's early 80's ?. the sprints would stop at the 50 lap mark refuel and go again for 50 more can anybody remember the the 2 hour endurance race for the street stocks and who won the first one?-------- here is a clue his nick name was Nubby, Tommy Worley i think was 2nd & Nick Macaluso 3rd it was i think how many laps in two hours (yellow flag laps counted) could you run i think it paid 1000.00 to win it. had to be a street stock class car (year 85,86)?
 
there are so many could go on for hours !!! its great to hear people talk about the old "remember whens" when it was a good time rac'in still is for the most part
 
When I was a kid, the few times I went, we never watched the races. We were to busy behind the stands, hitting on the girls and smoking.
 
NOT TO TELL MY AGE .... because i am only 29 .............

But i had Uncles that raced out there and one night one of them was in an accident and his car caught on fire ! We all was sure he was going to burn up in that car.... ( about 28 years ago ) The many different owners... Ray Marler, Willard Sales , The Griefs... flag men, Roger Collins, Terry Burns and Tom Hall .... etc.. I also remember tragedies, losing Howard Leonard. Also drivers like Tubby Black ( of course ) Clark Prenuea, Chuck Amati, Ron " The one eye bandit " Garner, Kenny Harris, Jeff Wiggs, Ronnie ( Chucka ) Sales. Tony Wyeant, Brian Tobin, Thurmo, The amazing compitition between Worley Sr and Jr. ... Amd more recentlt, My cousin Scott Kelly racing in the Hobbys class until he passed away. Chris Boyd losing his father Darrell Boyd...... Who was just out there on that race track doing what he loved before passing on. I could go on and on because i have met so many wonderful people through the years at Farmington , there have been some wonderful times, sad times but it all rounds out to be a sport that i will ALWAYS hold dear to my heart ! LD
 
harris69 the only ones that you didn't name off the i can remember racing for years was Jimmy Mohan the race that i can remember the best is the night that jimmy and dean jr. tangled on the front straight on the last lap of the sprint feature and they both went for a ride flipping both cars. it was in the late 80's mohan was in the #6 and dean was in the ABC #3 i love looking thourgh the two old paper books they gave out every week in the 70's and 80's. i have two one is from 79 and the other is from 80.

M.P.Horton x #43 drr
 
all i can say is wow!!!! look at the memories from when this thread was started till now.. the friends and loved ones that have passed, all the hard racing and rivalries that have came and gone, and how much things have changed at the track with the cars and the technolgy to go along with them... theres also lots of new drivers that one day will be the memories of the fans in the stands... god speed to those we have lost, and good luck to those still giving it their all!!! Nathan Gibson #97 B-mod
 
my first memory of sfcr is watchin deano aka dean adams jr. race and then goin to the buttom of the stands and making me a little track and act like i was him i always thought thos guys was so kool and i know what i wanted to be when i grow up i feel so happy now that i can tell ppl im living my dream
 
I havta say one of my best memories was when I was 8 or 9 and SFCR had a big sprint car show, there was all sorts of big names there. Kim Mock a driver from Beaver Dam, Wisconsin was there and stole the show and he was so happy he had won he ran up in the grandstands and was shaking people's hands.

Another time was when the All Stars were at SFCR and Tim Montgomery smoked them all! I remember walking up to Chad Kemenah to get a t-shirt and I talked to him for a min. He said SFCR was a different little race track but Tim sure knew how to get around it.
 
I was there the night Kim Mock won the feature and afterwards came up into the stands and started shaking hands with everybody. That has to be one of the best memories of SFCR I can remember, also the night Shawn King flipped his sprint car over the fence on the front straight and landed up side down almost on the front row of the bleachers. I was sitting about ten rows up with my daughter and she never even blinked an eye
 
My first memory was Sheri Worley, and Beckey grief, they were so darn cute. Racing wise, the Ronnie Milton and dean Adams jr battles, wow how they hated each other. And ray Lewis smashing the best racer ever Danny the man mossier in the side door and then his crew member jumping him from behind. And the best announcer bob grief. that's when racing was racing. And crybabies that cried got slapped.
 




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