Old Time Racing (Part 1) - NASCAR at Peace Haven Speedway 1953-54

[cloverhill1947]

Yes, my Father was Bill Blair. Do you have an email address, I could email photos to you of Tri-City Speedway.

[EdwinJayLatama]

@cloverhill1947 Thanks! I've sent you a message to your youtube account.

[lmd8123]

no wonder theres no slantbacks left!

[Hammered001]

Saw two races at Peace Haven around '55 and '56. Track poorly prepared both times (see all the dust?) Also went races at Tri-City Speedway in High Point, NC back then. Tri-City was much better prepared, smoother, wider and higher banked. While there watched Fireball Roberts in M-1 start from last to first, on the rim in a helluva display of dirt track driving and run away from the field! Any films of Tri-City Speedway out there?

[EdwinJayLatama]

@Hammered001 By '55 it was inevitable rural development was gonna kill Peace Haven. It became harder to put on a big race, little/no money to keep it in shape. It's sad because it was the fastest 1/2 miler many the early yrs. Held the rec of 25.14 by Fonty Flock on 10/31/48 until Tim Flock/26.62 at Tri-City on 6/2/50. Curtis Turner made it fastest again early '52 with 23 sec run. It was a great but short lived track. You're so lucky to have seen it, even tho in bad shape at the end of it's life.

[Hammered001]

@EdwinJayLatama Your looking at record books, but I was there. Short-lived? A friend of mine, now deceased, said he raced motorcycles at Peace Haven in the 1930's. No, I'm not that old so I wasn't there. Yes, there are pics of Tri-City. I saw them at High Point Museum. Think the Lewallen family and/or Fred Harb possibly have them. I won't argue with you. You are a historian. I've lived here all my life. Where are you from?

[EdwinJayLatama]

@Hammered001 I have some photos of the motorcycle track in the 30's and early 40's. What was your friend's name? Maybe I can find a photo or mention of him in an old newspaper article. Do you remember who won the races you saw at Peace Haven? I'm from Winston and grew up near where the track was. I know the family of the man who built the track, and a few of the drivers that are still living - Hilton Hill, Ralph Harpe, and Whitey Norman. Ralph and Whitey won at Peace Haven and loved the track.

[Hammered001]

@EdwinJayLatama Just prepared you my detailed account of those old races and drivers and the damn email failed. Contact me at mwphipps@gmail.com. Maybe that will work. Are you working on a book? I was fortunate to have witnessed racing when it was truly a "poor man's" motorsport. "Junk yard Genius" and drinking just the right amount of liquor before racing is under-appreciated today. Hope to talk to you soon, before I am dead LOL!!

[EdwinJayLatama]

@Hammered001 "drinking just the right amount of liquor before racing" Yes, I've heard these stories from a couple of the drivers! I've sent you an email.

[EdwinJayLatama]

@Hammered001 I've heard many of the old timers loved Tri-City Speedway in High Point. E.H. Weddle once called it his favorite track. No films of it to my knowledge. Films of these early tracks are super rare. Heck, even photos of them are hard to find. I've never even seen a photo of Tri-City. Let me know of any if you find them.

[cloverhill1947]

@cloverhill1947 - I have some photos of Tri-City Speedway. My Daddy and my Uncle built the track in 1947. I have some photos on my facebook page.

[EdwinJayLatama]

@cloverhill1947 Your father was Bill Blair? I'd love to see the photos but I don't facebook. Are they posted anywhere else?

[pcollinsfamily]

Great and loving the music

[MartinchoDH]

@pcollinsfamily What is the first song? Thanks!

[CamCarCrusher]

back then a race it was fun now its about money

[freeman2545]

these were the good ole boys.....this was when nascar was fun....not now...its all about money.....back then...i was about fun....

[BuyAmericanRadioShow]

That was great!

It brings to light how tough it was back when my uncle, Jimmy Florian, won the very 1st NASCAR for Ford in 1950 on a dirt track. He knew all those tough racing guys. Here is a video of my 85 year old dad, Jimmy's younger brother, going 150 MPH in a Petty car 5/7/11 at Darlington! The desire for speed runs in the DNA at ANY age! Its on UTube under the title:

"Ford's 1st NASCAR win's brother racing at age 85!" These guys are truly "the greatest generation"

[EdwinJayLatama]

@BuyAmericanRadioShow I read a web page about your uncle Jimmy Florian, what a great racer story. To beat legends like Curtis Turner and Lee Petty in Grand National in 1950 with a flathead Ford says alot about how talented he was. By the way, Turner is driving the red & white #14 at the beginning of this film.

I really enjoyed the video of your father at Darlington, too. Thanks!

[BuyAmericanRadioShow]

@EdwinJayLatama

Thank you for caring! You truly need to be a media rep regarding the good old days! No laws...just like Deadwood! Make or break a fortune or a name for yourself.

Just tough men on a track...no lawsuits.

[Garinth]

Thanks for the clip and the history lesson. It looked like there was some good, close hard raceing going on. These clips are to few and far between.

[EdwinJayLatama]

@Garinth I wish there were more of this early racing footage too. It's probably out there, but in a dusty box in the attic or basement of some oldtimer that forgot they even had it. Thanks for your comments.

[asd36f]

Not e the "safety" fence at 7:00

Imagine 2011 NASCAR cars on a dirt track!

[EdwinJayLatama]

@asd36f True, there wasn't much for safety there. And to add to the danger there was a good sized creek in a gully right behind the fence that cars would occasionally roll down into after crashing through the boards.

Also, check out all the kids up in the trees at 1:30. I was told that the track owners would paint tar on the tree trunks to discourage the kids from climbing them but it didn't seem to work.

[mattpavelich1]

shit man id give anything to back to those days !!! 

[EdwinJayLatama]

@mattpavelich1 I can relate to that.

[Bondidog]

Obviously before water carts were invented :-)

[EdwinJayLatama]

@Bondidog Dusty to say the least. I was told you could see the dust cloud a mile away. Wade Beauchamp had a WWII troop transporter he converted to a water truck. He would pump water from the creek into the truck and drive it around the track for days before a big race. They even used calcium chloride on the track, but after a few laps from the racers on a hot sunny day it was a dust bowl. Race fans back then loved it and didn't mind going home rusty red.

[Sparkz49]

Color film in 1953? Someone had a big budget.

[tedj1957]

Where on Peacehaven road was the track located?

[EdwinJayLatama]

@tedj1957 It was where Peace Haven Estates is now. Lynhaven Drive was the entrance and the track was all the way down where Flyntvalley Court is. The backstretch was right up against the creek and the grandstands were at the bottom of Burkeridge Court.

[tedj1957]

@EdwinJayLatama Thank you.  I drive by that every day.

[EdwinJayLatama]

@tedj1957 I'll drive down there every now & then and imagine Curtis Turner, the Flock bros, the Myers bros, Ralph Earnhardt, Red Byron, Buck Baker, and all the other greats flying around. I'll bet most of the people living down there have no idea what used to go on thru their yards.