1 the tracks that are now gone. 7/5/70 We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. 6 OPPERMAN, Jan 4 1 ROCHELLE, Paul In 1999 construction began at the present-day Fairgrounds on 60 acres in Bern Township off County Welfare Road. 4 live the memories!!!! SHEETZ, Tommy 8 Dick Quallio Reading hosted more USAC sprint car events than any race track in the country. SMITH, Russ 10 Jim Kirk 1 2 qualifying lap times. 5/6/66 Seeing many of the locals race with the best of USAC was always BOTTCHER, Bobby At the Reading Fairgrounds, we seldom missed a week of attending. 1 1 RAFTER, Bill 1 Dad did not talk to me the rest of the race and certainly, did not 4 Randys Complete Track List I am a trackchaser. 4 A minor bit of sfuffing to extremes, but overall, a much nicer copy than usually encountered. 8/8/71 2 2 13 Local business owner A. T. Consoli won four titles with his car # 54 with Dick Tobias and Bobby Gerhart as drivers. 2 YETTER, Richie 8/6/71 FORRETTE, Maynard 2 59 Since that time the site has grown to provide information about historical sites, landmarks, museums, parks, hotels and more. 1 Will it work now? When the structure gave way, in 1979, to a multi-million dollar shopping mall, it was only memories that remained. interrupt until the Fike sprinter fired up and the sound was music to my ears. 20 HUBBARD, Johnny . Facebook Twitter Google+ YouTube. Reading Fairgrounds Memories Photographer: Joe Simpkins - Provided by: Bobby Pickell Jr. We would like to thank The Reading Fairgrounds Racing Historical Society and members Mike Shaub, Ken Johnson, Alan Carter and many, many others have been very supportive of our efforts here in the Vault. SHIRK, Darryl 6 CHAMBERLAIN, Gerald It was a local driver named Tommy Hinnershitz that caused its beginning. chief mechanic on the race car, came to the fence and motioned for me to bring him the EPRIGHT, Fritz was..Kenny Brightbill 90 1 He brought in the flatheads to compete every Wednesday night. Enter your email address to subscribe to GoReadingBerks and receive notifications of new posts by email. It was henceforth proclaimed throughout the ranks, to win at Reading is beating the best, but it was tough. 4 2 4 21 6/25/78 2 5 GEMENDEN, Phil the Vault, and of the Reading Fairgrounds to join their great organization and support 3 Thats probably the most inconvenient location in the country for seeing tracks in the U.S. 1 2 Ver ms de Reading Fairgrounds Speedway Resurrection 2013 en Facebook. In 1955, apromoter named Lindy Vicari took over a tract of land and began weekly racing for the first time at the Reading Fairgrounds. Ample parking spaces were also provided for motorists. DESKOVICH, Billy You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. 1 1 Bob Pickell 9/17/78 Below: Lindy Vicari, shown below with pageant winners (unable to he identified), operated the Reading Fairgrounds from 1955 to 1979. During this span Tommy won 11 of 26 races and soon it was known, in order to win at the Fairgrounds, you had to beat Tommy Hinnershitz. It will run through Feb. 27. Editors note: This is a CLASSIC Trackchaser Report. 1 I really love the heritage of the homestead, I have a box from the 60 s Bachman Foods Inc. Its. 2 And there were those who paid the ultimate price, such as Jud Larson and Red Riegel, Jackie Evans and Mike Grbac, the young New Jersey driver who died a month after the final 78 race from injuries suffered in a cartwheeling accident down the main straight halfway through that event. Click here for more information on: ALLEN, Jerre 1 8 In 1961, Reading ran its first special modified event in which Bob Malzahn went home the victor. Thanks! BITTING, Del The track opened September 24, 1924 and ran until June 29, 1979. DRIVER Bob Siedel 2 Copyright 2021 GoReadingBerks | All Rights Reserved |. Here or email us at 3wide@optonline.net and 6 DUNSTAN, Ronnie I went back to my favorite tracks like Ascot, Rockford, Manzanita and Santa Fe among others time and again. Reprinted with permission from my Pre-1980 memory! 14 I do have one memory of looking at the cover of a paperback book. PAULSON, Ronnie Gerald Chamberlain 1 1 2 1 1 After having gotten a terrible nights sleep getting up at 3 a.m. my time was terrible. Peggy Snyder 01/31/07 17 Often a classic TR will not have a video and/or photo album attached. Since 1911 the covered grandstand saw many generations pass and echoed the names of many champions. 1 KENNEDY, Beader Don Kreitz I didnt begin producing my YouTube videos until 2009 (YouTube channel: RANLAY). DERR, Earl 4 1 PROMOTING EDUCATION ON THE READING FAIRGROUNDS RACING BY DISPLAYING MEMORABILIA AND PROVIDING A DISCUSSION PLACE WHERE RACE FANS CAN TEACH AND REMINISCE. There you have it. 1 front. GEORGE, Del 1 It went like this lap after lap after lap. When a caution flag was thrown the yellow lights went on alerting the drivers to slow down. 8 Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Remember, this was only the 46, Reading Fairgrounds Speedway, the Home of Champions, Below: Reading Fairgrounds located in Muhlenburg Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, Since 1911 the covered grandstand saw many generations pass and echoed the names of many champions. 18 More than 18,000 people in the stands and more than 100 modified stock cars in the pits gathered in the united belief that dirt-track racing just doesnt get any better than this. Via Tert.am The memories of Armenian Genocide survivors will play a crucial role in achieving the fair solution of the Armenian cause, ethnographer Vergine Svazlyan finds. 2 I remember on those dry summer 1 All these photos are my personal collectelion and were taken by The Speedways photographers and bought by myself or taken by myself. and got through the heats and consolations. + $6.00 shipping. 9 By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data. 1 Your guess is as good as mine! Copyright 2021 GoReadingBerks | All Rights Reserved |. 4 were here. 4/24/64 main stands, then got back to our seats for the main event. 10 Additionally, if you see a website link know that link worked when the TR was originally written. 1 The flag Born in 1897, he witnessed the growth and expansion of the city which was once the 4th largest city in Pennsylvania with a population close to 130,000 not including unnaturalized citizens. Thanks for the memories. The beloved flatheads grew in popularity and stature. 10/22/61 Often a classic TR will not have a video and/or photo album attached. In 1979 a limited racing series was held at the Fairgrounds as legal entanglements delayed development of the mall. In 1985 the Procter & Gamble Company would make its biggest acquisition ever, up to that point, of RVI. 11 drivers Watching Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher on the screen reminded me of my age, though, once I learned how much Ford made for being in this episode, I understood the movie's story line much better. 27 4 The crowd went crazy as they had 9/3/65 1977 Reading Fairgrounds RSCA Modifieds Program Kenny Brightbill. 6/27/71 3 WARREN, Smokey 3 Wide's Picture Vault is Brought to You With the Support of: ..Remembering Our Area's Auto Racing From the Past. 2 As we were reminiscing about the 17 Prior to 1980 I was a racechaser. VARNER, Donnie There was the sight of promoter Lindy Vicari in his grader, working the track surface to the optimum of tackiness the good kind. Click on the link below to see the video production from the racing action today. Russ Delp My best guess on the timing would have been 1976-1978. 14 frenzy already. 16 9 92 This was win no. When I got to my hotel it was difficult to get to sleep with the three hour time zone change. 7/9/78 This was during our first time to live in California from 1975-1979. I think I may have come up with a meaningful analogy--let me try it out here:I bought a new computer last week. Thank you for reading! Tommy McAndrews 3/24/68 By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Todays adventure was one more of the 2,000 trips that have taken me up, down and around the proverbial long and dusty trackchasing trail. 7 8 The Heritage of Reading: 1813-1847: Canals, Heavy Industry, and the Railroad, Mount Laurel Furnace and Temple Iron Company, History of Holy Guardian Angels, Hyde Park, Independence Island along the Schuylkill River, Reading, PA Outlet Capital of the World, History of the former Bachman Pretzel Company, Organized Crimes Infiltration of The Pizza and Cheese Industry in Pennsylvania, Lancaster Avenue Covered Bridge and Bingaman Street Bridge, Beautiful photographs of Reading's Catholic churches with their altar rails and sanctuaries, Very awesome in history. Everyone came to share the moment and say goodbye. 10 But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. 11/20/77 to Homepage, More interesting info 1 of about Reading PA from. 5/26/68 I dont mind to much. I really love the heritage of the homestead, I have a box from the 60 s Bachman Foods Inc. Its. It was also through the modified cars that Reading innovated car rules and regulations, safety features, track preparations, and more efficient race procedures. 4 I was amazed that the east coast folks scheduling these early meetings had ZERO empathy for their west coast visitors. The site was ideal since it was served by two railroads (the Reading and the Pennsylvania), a branch of the Reading Street Railway Companys lines, and two main highways, the Pottsville and the Allentown Pikes. SHARP, Henry HORTON JR, Jimmy BURKHART, Barry www.goreadingberks.com website, including a video capturing racing MIKOSZ, Junior Photo albums were sort of hit or miss during the early years of my trackchasing. Home; About. From September 20, 1924 to June 29,1979, dirt-track racing fans crowded the 80 acre site of the Reading Fairgrounds located in Muhlenburg Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania which was home to a half-mile oval that was known as "The Home of Champions" Modified stock cars. 10/18/75 Welcome to trackchasing's most popular website. Then in 1963 the inevitable occurred and Reading switched over to running weekly modified competition paying $500 to win and posting the largest weekly modified purse around.