8/7/77 DEAN, Dizzy 20 The brainchild of Jeff Hartman, Saturday's event has been over a decade in the making, with a few bumps along the way. Promoters brought the finest racecar drivers in the nation to the Reading area. VARNER, Donnie 2 Ample parking spaces were also provided for motorists. [1]It featured a regular weekly series of modified, sportsman modified, and late modelstock carracing. 6/22/75 Next, students should create a graphic organizer to categorize and organize their learning related to the text. KELLY, Mike Let's stay updated! BOTZ, Johnny I was amazed that the east coast folks scheduling these early meetings had ZERO empathy for their west coast visitors. The Reading Fairgrounds Racing Historical Society was established in 2004 with the mission to preserve and promote the memories and history of the Reading Fairgrounds Speedway and those who made it "The Home of Champions." The exhibit will run until mid-June 2019. Brightbill would win two more, finishing with 135, and Chamberlain one more, finishing with 92. There you have it. 22 This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Book Fair Blues: O Argentina! - boloji.com Below: 1966 photo showing Mario Andretti # 9 dueling with Lone Star JR Johnny Rutherford. Donnie Varner 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. 3 Reading hosted more USAC sprint car events than any race track in the country. 9 SWINEHART, Ray 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. COZZE, Frank The Reading Fair. 15 In the summer of 1915 work began on converting several fields under tillage into exposition grounds, complete with buildings and a race track, and to expand the Fairgrounds from a 25 acre spread to one almost three times that size. The purpose of the earliest fairs in Berks County was to bring farm goods to city dwellers. 11 Below: Reading Fairgrounds Grandstand. All the good and all the bad, more than a half-century of blood, sweat and cheers gone. dr patel plastic surgeon oak brook. 5 WISMER SR, Kenny Although I hated eastern time meetings and meetings in general I was tied to the corporate tit. 1 Reading Fairgrounds was in the AARN weekly and the monthly WELD, Kenny Reprinted with permission from my Pre-1980 memory! ROCHELLE, Paul 54 PLOSKI JR, Stan by a coat of paint on his bumper. 1 1 Johnny Botz The last full season of racing was held at the fairgrounds in 1978. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. 6 4 715 Back in the day, beginning in 1972 I worked for a company called Richardson-Vicks (RVI). 15 kid that the lady did not know what she was talking about. 2 DENGLER, Smokey 6 to Reading provided me with the closest, most exciting race I had 1 TILLMAN, Herbie BALOGACH, Paul An amazing life's work. DRIVER The beloved flatheads grew in popularity and stature. BITTING, Del 11 4 JOHNSON, Bob While Im homesick and now living in California since 1972, a road trip back will be soon in the cards. 4 You might have remembrances about this track. I was living in California at the time. . I was living in California at the time. STANTON, Dave 59 VAN KIRK, Billy SLEIGHT, George Whats that you ask? 2 3 qualifying lap times. 11 6/19/77 It was the memory of it that inspired his Art . Frank Sinatra performed at the Fair in 1950. 2 All the good and all the bad, more than a half-century of blood, sweat and cheers gone. 3 18 Bobby Hauer 1 RICHARDS, Harvey Women were It wasn't until 1915 that the Fair was held at it's most remembered location in Muhlenberg Township. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". 17 And when it was over, no one was surprised to find Kenny Brightbill in Victory Lane, which had become his second home since he got his first Reading victory in 1970. 1 1 From Staff Reports News-Post Staff; May 13, 2012 May 13, 2012 Updated Mar 11, 2016; 0; Facebook; This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. STONG, Jay Photo albums were sort of hit or miss during the early years of my trackchasing. SCHELL, Tim I didnt begin producing my YouTube videos until 2009 (YouTube channel: RANLAY). That October Sunday in 78 made it official. 2 8/21/77 What it DID have to do with was the Eastern time zone! 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. SEROKA, Lenny favorite # 26 Red Coffin. 1 The Reading Fairgrounds Racing Historical Society was created to preserve the. When gasoline took the place of the railroad, the Reading Transit Company brought in fleets of buses from other cities. 7 10 | See more about Best cheese, Santander and Restaurant. 1 PRATT, Eddie In 1965, the United States Auto Club (USAC) ran its first night race and also began scheduling five shows a year. Laudan Potts 1 One day Ill be in Tucson, the next in maybe Tuscaloosa and the following day in Syracuse. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". 1 there. 2 16 2 As we were reminiscing about the 6 18 Send post to email address, comma separated for multiple emails. HUBBARD, Johnny BRACKEY, Bruno 1 3 BAILEY, Charlie This was during the 2000 trackchasing season. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". This had nothing to do with the quality of the racing! 2016 Reading Fairgrounds Motorsports Show - linkedin.com clock. I know you will find it interesting. The town of Gunzenhausen is nearby and it has numerous shops, cafe's, bars and a semi permanent fun fair. feature event started and the crowd was starting to build into a 5 8 4 1 16 Dave Kelly won six of those 12 races, including what became known as Grand Finale II on June 29, 1979. Copyright 2021 GoReadingBerks | All Rights Reserved |. Mike Meals Wikipedia provided this review of the Reading Fairgrounds Speedway. Please join the RFRHS to help preserve the great memories. Tommy McAndrews BEAVERS, Sammy "I went out of the third turn upside down," he said. The ultimate irony, of course, is that it wasnt the last race. 10 Everyone came to share the moment and say goodbye. MEALS, Mike 3 1 1 4 Bill Williams There was the sight of promoter Lindy Vicari in his grader, working the track surface to the optimum of tackiness the good kind. 1 AutoRacingRecords.com 9/17/78 KWWeller 03.06.18 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. 4 The links below hold information on the association and cars. Brightbill high, Chamberlain low, coming off the 4th turn its now a 4 2019 Ted Fund Donors In 1928 the power of eminent domain was used to acquire part of the Madeira farm for a new entrance and exposition building at the fair. 1 6 The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Lifetime track #46 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. 1 The 80 acres of motor sports memories was being converted into a shopping mall. Reprinted with permission from my Pre-1980 memory! He brought in the flatheads to compete every Wednesday night. 27 COX, Dan It was a local driver named Tommy Hinnershitz that caused its beginning. 9/13/69 Feb. 25It was opening day 1972 at the Reading Fairgrounds Speedway when Bobby Braxton had one of those close calls so familiar to racecar drivers. 5/10/70 + $6.00 shipping. 5 Publisher Racing Sanctioning Corp. of America Publication date January 1, 1978 See all details Inspire a love of reading with Amazon Book Box for Kids 1 There were some sacrifices but there was a reward. 8 1 Reading Fairgrounds Speedway(19241979) was a one half mile dirt/clay modified race track located inMuhlenburg Township,Berks County,Pennsylvania. As the feature went on, both of them were working their way toward I do remember seeing something at the track that I had never seen before. 3 When you receive one of my Trackchaser Reports or find one on my website atwww.randylewis.orgI hope you will take the time to imagine in your mind what it took to make this trip from SoCal and understand the fun I had doing it. 5 Once you begin researching my trip itineraries from my website, yes you will want to do that, you will be surprised. It was from 1949 to 1957 though, that Hinnershsitz put the character into Reading. Thats trackchasingthe way I do it. YOUNG, Bruce 1 When I got to my hotel it was difficult to get to sleep with the three hour time zone change. Thanks for filling in so much nostalgia for my upbringing and the roots I am so proud of. 13 I developed goreadingberks.com around 1998 for the purpose of presenting information about the History of the Catholic Faith in Reading. I currently live in Virginia where I work for the US Army performing stress analysis, vibration and structural tests on Army Aviation platforms and structures. Tommy won his first race in 1938. TOBIAS, Ronnie Thanks! 6/27/71 It was henceforth proclaimed throughout the ranks, to win at Reading is beating the best, but it was tough. 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. Money? All of it had to be done within five months calendar time (the fair was postponed to late October in order to provide an extra month for construction). 7 4 2 4 This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. 1 I didnt think so. It was henceforth proclaimed throughout the ranks, to win at Reading is beating the best, but it was tough. RVI had a customer service operation in Ft. Washington, Pennsylvania. Your guess is as good as mine! SAUDER, Kenny MOYER, Gene A typical business trip to the customer service center would have me flying into Philadelphia the night before our meeting. Source: www.goreadingberks.com reading fairgrounds memories 1 14 VAN HORN, Carl MEAHL, Ken 3 This is what the Reading legends were made of. My memories of that trip are few. I would continue to work for P&G until my retirement in 2002. 14 1 3/25/77 WELLER, Curt 2 Remembering Reading Fairgrounds Speedway All these photos are my personal collectelion and were taken by The Speedways photographers and bought by myself or taken by myself. 62 waving and they were still side by side, as the crowd was so loud Membership is open to all who are interested in keeping the tradition and memory of the races and fair alive for the future. 4 Again, in the end of the 1962 season, another trial modified event was held. Perfect condition. exciting. Thank wulliebroon . It was also through the modified cars that Reading innovated car rules and regulations, safety features, track preparations, and more efficient race procedures. 5 10/25/75 Nevertheless, this CLASSIC Trackchaser Report has finally bubbled to the surface and is now available for everyone to see atwww.randylewis.org. below, and then scroll down 3/4's of the page, and you'll be able to start the video: CHARLES, Harry BROWN, Ralph Reading Fairgrounds Modified Memories | #429603502 Throughout the 20s and 30s Reading fans saw the likes of all the top Indianapolis 500 sprint car racing stars compete on their hometown half-mile dirt speedway. was no disappointment. LONG, Tommy 1 10 were up you did not get out of the pits. 1 Thematically, it centres on the consequences of totalitarianism, mass surveillance and repressive regimentation of people and behaviours . Students can choose an appropriate type of graphic . The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". The car is featured at the Reading Fairgrounds Racing Reunion Saturday at the Classic Auto Mall, 6180 Morgantown Road, Morgantown. 7/9/65 The first auto racing stunts as a part of the Fair were presented in 1924. Below: Car # 54 races # 76, Freddy Adam, the Kutztown Comet, who competed in more seasons than any other racer. I didnt begin writing a complete Trackchaser Report until I had seen about 425 tracks. My Reading Fairgrounds Photo Collection from 1968 to 1979!! PAULSON, Ronnie WEAVER, Mark DRIVER 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. One story I do remember well, was the fact that I had to sit in the grandstand. I live in southern California. was..Kenny Brightbill We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. * By using this form you agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website. It was henceforth proclaimed throughout the ranks, to win at Reading is beating the best, but it was tough. DICKSON, Larry HOLLAND, Eddie 16 When I got to my hotel it was difficult to get to sleep with the three hour time zone change. 7/10/77 2 MURPHY, Johnny 2 1 BUTLER, Gary Reading is a culture, the moment a youngster is exposed to someone reading in the family they are fine tuned and the concept of books and readings would be in the back of their minds. The completed Fairgrounds consisted of exhibition buildings, a racetrack with a grandstand and amusement rides. Bob Malzahn Or you can visit me on Facebook. racing at the Reading Fairgrounds. Remembering Reading Fairgrounds Speedway #2819. If youve got a question, comment or whatever please leave it at the bottom of this report. Again, in the end of the 1962 season, another trial modified event was held. 1 My best guess on the timing would have been 1976-1978. Fairgrounds Memories - Click 4/8/72 When you receive one of my Trackchaser Reports or find one on my website atwww.randylewis.orgI hope you will take the time to imagine in your mind what it took to make this trip from SoCal and understand the fun I had doing it. DeGROOT, Fred Prior to 1980 I was a racechaser. OSBORNE, Lee I do remember seeing something at the track that I had never seen before. 1 3 Ill try to include them here. For whatever reason (usually not enough time) this trackchasing adventure didnt get posted to my website when I first made the track visit. Sometimes overshadowed by his highly successful racing promotions, Lindy also rebuilt the Farmers Market, honored the community s farm family and FFA children, attracted top entertainers and conducted a class-A slate fair with a full carnival and agricultural and horticultural midway.