On Oct. 29, 1978, the last race was held on the half-mile oval. The track opened September 24, 1924 and ran until June 29, 1979. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. 2 KREITZ SR, Don 2 Below: 1966 photo showing Mario Andretti # 9 dueling with Lone Star JR Johnny Rutherford. When I opened it, it asked me whether I wanted to transfer software from another source, which I did; I transferred everything . It wasnt until 1949, though, that the Fairgrounds started to gain a characteristic of its own. 2 LODER, Don 17 to victory. 18 BUSS, Del Will it work now? 6/24/77 5 4/1/79 Women were 16 In 1985 the Procter & Gamble Company would make its biggest acquisition ever, up to that point, of RVI. 2 main stands, then got back to our seats for the main event. 1 Thanks for the memories. That October Sunday in 78 made it official. PRATT, Eddie In order to get to a 7 a.m. breakfast meeting I would need to get up at 6 a.m. eastern time or 3 a.m. California time. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. If so, please feel free to share your memories in the comments section below. Dave Kelly When I finally did get to bed in the east it was commonly 2 or 3 a.m. eastern time, again 11 p.m. or midnight California time. The caution flew with about 10-11 laps to go, and those The lad laughed and said to me - "you knew what motor it was". Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. 22 We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Whenever I could I would try to time my business visits from all over the country into a racing visit as well. FARLEY, Ed 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. Below: Lindy Vicari, shown below with pageant winners (unable to he identified), operated the Reading Fairgrounds from 1955 to 1979. 17 7/10/64 Typically these will be stories from tracks I visited five years or ten years or more ago. 1 I just went there to have fun and follow my boyhood passion of short track, almost all the time dirt and almost all the time stock car racing. Reading Fairgrounds Speedway(19241979) was a one half mile dirt/clay modified race track located inMuhlenburg Township,Berks County,Pennsylvania. 1 Will Cagle 2 1 After that we would relocate to first Connecticut and then Chicago. 1 One of the main parts of a nonfiction reading fair board is a summary of the text. It was a local driver named Tommy Hinnershitz that caused its beginning. Racechasing was good enough for me. Friday nights getting out to the parking lot to find our car coated I didnt give any thought to recording the dates when I visited those 71 tracks. 1 52 20 2 When the structure gave way, in 1979, to a multi-million dollar shopping mall, it was only memories that remained. DELP, Russ 37 Have had 2 men email Indy champions loved to compete at The Home of Champions. 9/21/75 I just went there to have fun and follow my boyhood passion of short track, almost all the time dirt and almost all the time stock car racing. On the green, they took off RAFTER, Bill It was henceforth proclaimed throughout the ranks, to win at Reading is beating the best, but it was tough. 3 1 5/26/68 Could not help overhearing him, did not 6/29/79 STONG, Jay Ill try to include them here. 1 5 2 Dave Kelly won six of those 12 races, including what became known as Grand Finale II on June 29, 1979. Back in the day, beginning in 1972 I worked for a company called Richardson-Vicks (RVI). The case for selling high-quality used stuff YOURSELF! were still neck and neck. 15 RILEY, Don Back 34 10 My name is Fred George. 1 Laudan Potts 1 1 133, 42 more than the guy in second place in career wins and in that grand finale, Gerry Chamberlain. the undercover economist chapter summary. Indy champions loved to compete at The Home of Champions. Click on the #31 1 Speedway Park. OSMUN, Billy 1 Nevertheless, this CLASSIC Trackchaser Report has finally bubbled to the surface and is now available for everyone to see atwww.randylewis.org. 14 6 MULLIGAN, Whip side, neither one could get the advantage on the other. 1 BALOGACH, Paul 6 John Kozak Love We usually had 7 a.m. eastern time breakfast meetings. 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. MOORE, Mose DIFFENDORF, Don Serving folks since 2002. 1 5 4 So many local drivers made the competition tough and exciting. 1 Freddy Brightbill BROWN, Ralph TILLMAN, Herbie 9 133, 42 more than the guy in second place in career wins and in that grand finale, Gerry Chamberlain. Thats probably the most inconvenient location in the country for seeing tracks in the U.S. Above found at: 10/15/67 1 In order to get to a 7 a.m. breakfast meeting I would need to get up at 6 a.m. eastern time or 3 a.m. California time. two made up the front row on the restart. BUTLER, Gary WALES, Milford racing. I hope you enjoy it. It was delightful to see young ones browse through a variety of books. 5 I am indebted to several of these folks for their help and friendship. compiled by Bill Braga To Vault Index Page 8 BALOUGH, Gary YETTER, Richie For much longer than that, he has focused on spreading joy and peace through his music. 6 WISMER JR, Kenny Souvenir Program of the 175th Anniversary of the Founding of Reading, Pa., And the 150th Anniversary of the Reading Volunteer Fire Department, September 30th to October 6th, 1923. BEHRENT, Harry ERB, Mike It was also through the modified cars that Reading innovated car rules and regulations, safety features, track preparations, and more efficient race procedures. HAUER, Bobby Today, many of the fans who frequented the Fairgrounds during those heydays, as well as many of the drivers who once competed at the famed half-mile, will gather at the Fairgrounds Square Mall to relive what the memories as the 25th annual Racing Legends Reunion & Car Show opens. 2 where he loved it best. Reading racetrack he said he loved the 3 min. HEIN, Jim Where we work. Will it work now? Promoters brought the finest racecar drivers in the nation to the Reading area. 3 Russ Delp 5 Now you know a little bit about my trackchasing addiction. 4 My average trip covers 5,000 miles and more. 5/15/70 to Speedway Memories The speedway got its nickname long before the stock car champions became stars. We settled into our seats under the big roof My memories of that trip are few. As I came out of the theater, though, I decided that it would be fun to update a . 13 Recent Additions to our Reading Fairgrounds Memories Page. 634 Words. 9 Do they share their experiences? drag race to the start/finish line. Thats why I fell asleep during the racing at Reading! Wikipedia provided this review of the Reading Fairgrounds Speedway. 6 135 ELY, George 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. OSBORNE, Lee Jackie Evans 6/28/68 Although I hated eastern time meetings and meetings in general I was tied to the corporate tit. Thats why I fell asleep during the racing at Reading! 2 The speedway got its nickname long before the stock car champions became stars. 2 So with the knowledge, as limited as it is, that I fell asleep during the semi at Reading I will share some research info that I gathered about the famous Reading Fairgrounds Speedway. Food memories immortalized on canvasand plates 2023-03-02 - REGGIE ASPIRAS MDaryl Feril was trying to recall a dish his grandmother cooked for himit was the memory of it that inspired his Art Fair piece. Home; About. 26 Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Money? what about Buzzie Reutimann ? DESKOVICH, Billy TOBIAS, Ron 2 I look forward to seeing more from your website. When the structure gave way, in 1979, to a multi-million dollar shopping mall, it was only memories that remained. Smith 08.24.20 12 ROMER JR, Joe The background was yellowish-orange, and the illustration was a pen and ink drawing of a young man . Ver ms de Reading Fairgrounds Speedway Resurrection 2013 en Facebook. 2 8 MOORE, Harry 1 One story I do remember well, was the fact that I had to sit in the grandstand. 10 8/26/77 LYNCH, Ed Local business owner A. T. Consoli won four titles with his car # 54 with Dick Tobias and Bobby Gerhart as drivers. Ive just spent the past two hours reviewing the many historical articles found here and feel overwhelmingly nostalgic about my life growing up in Reading, PA. Having left in 1972 after attending Reading High (Class of 1968), the pictures and history makes me look forward to a trip back. 2 Expenses. MILLER, Paul DETWEILER, Ralph While Im homesick and now living in California since 1972, a road trip back will be soon in the cards. 2 asphalt track called Ric Ra in Nazareth, Pa. Mario was always It was primarily a local division, but large purses and crowds forced Lindy to stay with the flatheads long after other area speedways were already running the powerful modified racing cars. 1 13 1 1 Dirt oval 5/5/63 By doing all this, Mike is hoping to continue to preserve memories made at the Reading Fairground's Race Track. 9 frenzy already. 8 BITTING, Del I would continue to work for P&G until my retirement in 2002. Got it? During one of these trips to Ft. Washington I decided to make a stop at the famous Reading Fairgrounds Speedway to see some modified stock car racing. I am the face behind GoReadingBerks. I was born and raised in Reading, PA. There were some sacrifices but there was a reward. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Source: www.goreadingberks.com 2014 Reading Fairgrounds Racing Historical Society Elected Officials Reading Fairgrounds Modified Memories Yearbook Issue: / Year: 1980 Condition: VG-History 313495870366 10 Reading Modified Top Ten Performance Index. So imagine being at the 27th Muscat International Book Fair - it is a haven for students. 10 As a racechaser my prime motivation was to go where the best racers and the best racing was happening. drivers 5 When the gates opened in 1916, there was not only a track, but a card of races extending over three days. 1 BROMMER, Aaron READINGER, Dan Photo albums were sort of hit or miss during the early years of my trackchasing. KOZAK, Johnny 14 20 7 16 was standing now, no one was in their sits as we all were yelling These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. The ultimate irony, of course, is that it wasnt the last race. Editors note: This is a CLASSIC Trackchaser Report. 1 We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Reading Fairgrounds - Modified Memories - Stock Car Racing Author VICARI, Vince; Ed Illustrator Photo Illustrated Format/Binding Hardcover Book condition Used - Fine Jacket condition No Jacket Edition First Edition Binding Hardcover Publisher Racing Sanctioning Corp. Of America Place of Publication Reading, PA Date Published 1979 Keywords