Forum: Racing From The Past (go)
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Two photos taken at almost the exact same place on a track. I assume the location is coming out of turn 2. In dispute is the track? The year has been set as 70-71 season. In these years I was going to 3 tracks a weekend. This was in my 67 Plymouth Belvedere. A former Kansas highway patrol crusier. I gave $350. I would have been 17 years old. Mainly I was going to Salthawk in Hutchinson (my home track & town) on Saturday and Golden Belt in Great Bend on Sunday. About every other weekend I might go to Salina Speedway in Salina. I need fans of the era and the tracks in the central Kansas area to Id the track. Remember we had the aforementioned tracks, and then we had 81 Speedway, Wichita, Jehu Speedway (closed) Salina, McCarty Speedway in Dodge City, Plaza Speedway in Junction City/Grandview Plaza, on top of J Hill south of I-70 ( this track was pre Whiskey Lake/Plaza down by the river and base which was built in 1985). I believe this track on the hill was known as Plaza Speedway up until 65 or 66 and then it went by J-Hill Speedway until it closed in 1970 era give or take a year.

Hopefully we have some viewers that are old enough to remember when. When judging the photo take into consideration the landscape, where each track parked tow vehicles. In the day a lot the tracks made you remove the tow vehicles to an outside area of the track? Especially on the 1/4 mile tracks.

I know nothing about the racing in the 80's, 90's 2000's but I was very much a fan through out the 70's and before. Heck I even listened to country/western music on KFDI 1070 when country wasn't cool, LOL.

If anyone cares to respond I will hold off on saying which track I think/know it is. Oh the battles in this era between Ellington 36, Hendershot 16, Petty 77, Mills 81, All but Mills was a track champion that year at a track. I'm thinking Hendershot might have been a track champion at two tracks that year. Cause they ran way out west on most Saturday nights unless it rained out and then they might cherry pick at Hutchinson? Oh and twenty or thirty others right on their bumpers. from Great Bend, Salina and Hutchinson areas. Ramble, Ramble On, LOL

Alan Combs 55Jr. and a 55 Chevy.

#77 Jack Petty in Larry Nulf's 55 Ford

Warren Vincent
Cans 4 Kansas Heroes

I don't think this is the track but do you remember the track just a ways east of the Plaza, J-Hill along side K-57 at Junction City? I think it was called Midwest Speedway. I think it was land owned by a local farmer Floyd Johnson. It ran for a year or so in the early 70's. Really small 1/4 but it gave local racers a place to run.

Windy Hill was near the current Maple Hill Exit #341 and 24/7 convience stores. That was farther east than the K57 exit. There was one in the 40's right after WWII but it didn't last long and I have no knowledge of where it was. I have always heard reference to one in Manhattan but have never found anything written on it. I have heard it east of Manhattan on 24 near the first little town you come to and there is a elevator or the south side of 24.

Plaza was exit 299 J-Hill Road. If you use your imagination you can see and hear the roar of Billy Wilson #88, Bob Peck #73, Don Hart #74 Francis Hoppenstead #18 and the Tip Top Dairy car #21 and many others in the coupes and sedans. I was only there a few times. They ran on Sunday night and rain-outs were Wednesday's.

K57 is the next exit #300. The exit to the current Whiskey Lake is #301.

In the photo below I have went op there and there is a gate and some sort of communications tower between the road and old track. You can still see the outline of the road leading up to the track. If I remember right you paid like at a drive-in theater from car and then parked?? There is a cow path that runs right through the track. This track is on top of J-Hill and it is hard to tell here but there is a valley directly behind the backstretch. You can actually look back from the interstate and see the valley.

Here is a link to the current Whiskey Lake Speedway.

View Larger Map

What is the little oval to the ne of the track of the above track?

Use your imagination on this photo below. It does appear that just maybe at the end of this road there could have been a race track????

Warren Vincent
Cans 4 Kansas Heroes

If so it was built after Plaza closed?? Or maybe some built it cause they were upset with the current track. That has happened over the years. I'm trying to find the article that discusses Bill Wilson 1st win at Plaza and the last win at Plaza.

Warren Vincent
Cans 4 Kansas Heroes

Earlier thread I found: Plaza or J-Hill Speedway near Junction City is still visible. The grandstand was where the trees are at the top on the photo.

Bill Wilson below told me he won the 1st and last race there.

I was delivering to the Alco store in Ellsworth, KS one day. I was wearing one of my screen printed shirts (that Rick Salem made for us) with the 3 cars on it. A person comes up to me and asked why he wasn't on my shirt. I about fell over when I ask who he was and it was the Salina, KS area legend Billy Wilson. He was working there.

Warren Vincent
Cans 4 Kansas Heroes

In an email from Roger Thompson he said there was a guard rail on the backstretch at Plaza in the Google above. You can actually still see what I believe is the guard rail in the trees of what would be turn 2? The grandstands would have been at the top of the photo in the other group of trees/shrubs.

This e-mail lends me to believe the photo in question is Salthawk Speedway like I mentioned on a FaceBook topic. But I was shot down by a couple of people. There was no room to park tow rigs on the back stretch at Junction City. At both Junction City tracks (in the 60's or 70's) one would have had a hill in the background and the other would have had a drop off and that guard rail. But now comes in question about the Manhattan track?

Know I question my memory of the #21 being Quality Checked Tip Top Dairy Car??? I wonder if it was the Hilebrand Dairy car now??

Warren Vincent
Cans 4 Kansas Heroes

This might be what is left of Midwest Speedway at Junction City. It is just east of the Plaza Speedway at the K57 exit. http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=39.028024,-96.776101&z=17&t=h&hl=en

Warren Vincent
Cans 4 Kansas Heroes

From what I'm gather from ole timers there was no race track operating from 1970 to 1985 in the Junction City or Manhattan area??

Warren Vincent
Cans 4 Kansas Heroes

Here is a great site for some research http://www.autoracingrecords.com/tracklist2.php?region=Kansas Heck you might have had a race track and didn't even know it.

Warren Vincent
Cans 4 Kansas Heroes

If you will scroll the map you are thinking is Midwest just to the left and down a bit (just below the two K -57 signs. That is where the track was in 1970, I get to thinking and it may have been called Flint Hills Speedway. Non the less I hot lapped a 32 Ford Sedan Jalopy there one night after the regular races. Bob Peck was the flag man. In 1980 we peeled some of the clay off the surface and hauled it over to help build the now Whiskey Lake facility.

I see, the owner was Johnson and the road Johnson Ct. makes sense. When you get to looking at Google your imagination can go wild and it is like your in the desert. You see anything that even resembles an oval, LOL.

This thread all started cause I'm sure the two photos at the top of Petty and Combs are coming off turn 2 at Salthawk. The wind row of trees off in the distants and the tow rigs parked off of the backstretch and then Salt Creek right behind them. If it was dark you could walk right into the creek and not see it. It was a drop off.

Warren Vincent
Cans 4 Kansas Heroes

The 69/70s were some of the best memories for me. Dad's envolvement with 16, Hendershot, Erskin, and the rest of the 16 team was certainly a blast. The racing people are a great bunch. Nothing Like it. A few Great Bend'rs also shown