Does anyone remember the indoor drag races at the Amphitheatre? I think that was the only indoor races I have ever seen. I don't think you could get away with that today. OSHA would be going into cardiac arrest.

[b]That's for sure. We dragged on 43rd st. between Marshfield and the tracks. Also at Ford City Drive before the mall was there. That was in the 50's[/b]



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/16/2012 06:05PM by Richard Stachowski.

They also used to race behind the old A&P bakery around 43rd & use the docks as pit areas.I remember HillBilly Bobs chevy & I believe Blue Bandit -also Shake Rattle & RuN at the indoor drags.Also where a lot of races on Archer ave that were instigated out of Henrys drive in on Archer & Cicero.

I don't remember the races there, but I read about it on line this week about the Amphitheatre. I think I am a little to young for that. I am from the north side and in the mid 70's the hot spot to race was along the road just east of Lake Shore Drive at between Wilson Ave. and Foster Ave. Get there by 10:00 pm or you would have to park some where else to watch. The police just looked the other way.

What about these monster truck events that they have inside at the All State Areana? There are all gas engines and OSHA allows that. I have never been to one, but it must be loud and the exhaust has to smell no matter how well the HVAC works. I like drag races but at US 30 or some where like that.

Also, Skips on North Ave. just east of Cumberland Ave..



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/27/2012 11:59PM by rjmachon.

rjmachon-I think the issue would be with the fact that, even in the slower classes, a drag car is going much faster than a typical monster truck gets up to. A car crashing at 100 mph or more will spread a debris field for quite a distance (for a better picture, look up the LeMans disaster of 1955. Most of the carnage was caused by bits of flaming car hitting bystanders). Monster trucks don't get up to those sorts of speeds, and lose a lot of momentum when they go over obstacles.

-WDH

WDH74-I never even thought of that. I wonder how many cars crashed drag racing on the streets?

I just remembered my friend hit the viaduct on Ridge Ave. back in 1981 drag racing.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/28/2012 10:18PM by rjmachon.

I recall going to Clybourn Avenue northwest of Southport back in the late '60s to watch the street drags on Friday and Saturday nights. Racing began around 9 or 10 PM, IIRC, and the local police would pick up $10 per racer to not interfere. Only in retrospect do I now realize how dangerous it was but Clybourn was all industrial in those days and almost deserted by anyone but racers and spectators, not a yuppified residential area as it is now.

I grew up on Central PK and Peterson, and the drag races there were legendary. Heading west on Peterson from Central Pk to Pulaski. It'd keep us up at night. Incredibly loud. Eventually in front of the Felician College driveway they left a ramp, like a rise in the street of a foot or two, which sort of curtailed it.

Otherwise there was also Chicago and Kilpatrick which we'd venture to and watch "the races."

[b]93rd & wolf rd willow springs. Santa fea Park?[/b]

Does anyone remember drag racing on the Kennedy expressway near Nagle Ave in the early 60's ? There would be several cars that would stop traffic (very little back then) and then pairs would face off. Spectators would line the overpass to watch. Kinda crazy but it was fun. Eventually cops caught on and that ended that! Had a lot of drags on North Ave outside of Skip's. Those were the days!!!

The traffic lights on North Ave in Melrose Park were timed to make drivers stop nearly every light, to hurt the street racers.

That seem to be in a lot of places around Chicago about the traffic lights.

By Rosehill Cemetery, on the south side on Bowmanville Ave. they used to race there as well in the mid 70's. That was also a popular spot for abandon autos as well.

rjmachon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ..... I am from
> the north side and in the mid 70's the hot spot to
> race was along the road just east of Lake Shore
> Drive at between Wilson Ave. and Foster Ave. Get
> there by 10:00 pm or you would have to park some
> where else to watch. The police just looked the
> other way.
> ......
>

I remember that area ..... it turned into party central in the late 70's but there would still be races with people and parked cars lining the road. Saw some nasty sights one night when one of the racers lost control and hit some parked cars and spectators. Never went back after that, I recall that was very near the end for the place as a party mecca.

The Chicago Skyway in the mid 70's was another hot spot. It was little used then, due to toll price, and since Calumet 'freeway' opened [I-94]. Wasn't until NW Indiana Borman [I-80/94] Expy traffic got so bad that drivers started using Skwy more to avoid it.

Anyone know about racing on fulton back in the day?

YOU CANT SAY DRAG RACE WITHOUT SAYING
CHRIS THE GOLDEN GREEK KARAMESINES
AND HE IS STILL GOING AS OF DECEMBER 8TH 2012 WOW.

I found this online about racing at the Amphitheatre?


http://sbctango.activeboard.com/t42172077/indoor-drag-racing-at-the-62-southside-winternationals/

[b][/b]I WASNT A DRAG RACER BUT A BUNCH OFMY FRIENDS WOULD DRIVE DOWN THERE AND WATCH THE RACES. THEN LATER THE COPS WOULD WATER DOWN THE STREET SO WE COULDNT RACE NO MORE :( AND WE ALL WENT HOME. THAT WAS ON FULTONSTREET AND I CANT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHERE. SORRY.

Back in the 70's, every Friday night there was drag racing on Forest Preserve Dr going west from Cumberland. This was of course weather permitting. I believe it was approximately 1/4 mile till the curve. We used to be partying in the woods and could hear them clearly.

I also remember before they widened Forest Preserve Dr and added the curve, there would be cars that ended up in the Des Plaines River at Belmont. This was when Forest Preserve Dr met Belmont just east of the river and west of the ranger station. I was very young back then but I'd bet they were racing too.

Im about a year late on this topic Drag Racing Yes I remember drag racing down 43rd st with my 55 chevy also what we called the woods 87th & western the stockyards on Racine, Ford city drive, West of cicero just noth of state rd, between the warehouses off of Archer and























kedzie. I also remember Hill BillY Bobs gas station off 79th & Damen The Greek when he worked out of his garage until he open up a speed shop on 69th st off Damen The Ryan gas station on 49th & Damen lot of racers hung out at I work there part time back in the late 50,s. Anybody remember The NOMAD Racing Team or Gerry Davis who was killed out at US30 in a dragster crash in Sept 1964.