Buffalo Park
Buffalo Park was a flat, slightly banked quarter mile track located in Carrolton Texas, a suburb of Dallas. Owned and operated by "Smiley" Sitton, the folks there knew how to run a track and draw a crowd. For racing action, Buffalo Park never disappointed. Since they raced on Friday nights, and most other tracks raced on Saturday night, Buffalo Park usually got all the good cars. In the heat races, the fast cars were placed at the back and passing points were awarded, which were used to determine the line-up for the "feature race, otherwise known as the "A Main",
It's ironic that the cars in this picture have wings, because Buffalo Park didn't allow wings on their regular points paying nights, that is, races which paid points for the season track championship. They had special races, such as their once a month"Dr. Pepper Night", so called because that's who sponsored it, and NTRA races where wings were allowed.
Being located on prime real estate in the North Dallas area, Buffalo Park lost their lease on the property in the late eighties, and the track was no more. Racing was never the same.
It's ironic that the cars in this picture have wings, because Buffalo Park didn't allow wings on their regular points paying nights, that is, races which paid points for the season track championship. They had special races, such as their once a month"Dr. Pepper Night", so called because that's who sponsored it, and NTRA races where wings were allowed.
Being located on prime real estate in the North Dallas area, Buffalo Park lost their lease on the property in the late eighties, and the track was no more. Racing was never the same.
CowTown
Whoever came up with the term "bullring" to describe small tracks must have had Cowtown in mind. A tight quarter mile high bank located in the Ft Worth Texas suburb of Kennedale, Cowtown was a wild and wooly place. You saw things at Cowtown you just didn't see at other tracks. Built in the 1950's it always kept that old school flavor, from that twangy old time country music played over the loud speakers before the races, the crappy concession stand food, to the boards in the stands that would give you splinters in your butt if you weren't careful. There was a stand of trees in the parking lot where we could sit in the shade, drink beer and watch the cars pull in and later sitting at the top of the grandstands you would get a welcome cool breeze.
The photo shows the entrance to the track for the cars from the pits, a small strip between the stands and the track, running the length of the stands so fans could get a good look at the cars as they idled by, just like they used to do it. Even the flag stand was a throwback. Almost every track had long gone to the overhead flagman's stand such as the one seen in the Buffalo Park photo. But Cowtown still had the opening in the front stretch wall with steps down where the flagman walked out onto the track to start the race. They say they offered to build an overhead flagstand, but their flagman didn't want it. Cowtown did give way to one modern flair, they allowed wings on the cars. Cowtown is still going strong and recently had a total makeover. I don't recognize the old girl anymore from the photo's I've seen. It's been well over twenty years since I've been to Cowtown, and it feels like a relative that I'm ashamed I haven't been to see. I hope one thing that comes across here is how much I love this track.
The photo shows the entrance to the track for the cars from the pits, a small strip between the stands and the track, running the length of the stands so fans could get a good look at the cars as they idled by, just like they used to do it. Even the flag stand was a throwback. Almost every track had long gone to the overhead flagman's stand such as the one seen in the Buffalo Park photo. But Cowtown still had the opening in the front stretch wall with steps down where the flagman walked out onto the track to start the race. They say they offered to build an overhead flagstand, but their flagman didn't want it. Cowtown did give way to one modern flair, they allowed wings on the cars. Cowtown is still going strong and recently had a total makeover. I don't recognize the old girl anymore from the photo's I've seen. It's been well over twenty years since I've been to Cowtown, and it feels like a relative that I'm ashamed I haven't been to see. I hope one thing that comes across here is how much I love this track.
Sportsdrome
Another venerable old track. Located in the Dallas suburb of Grand Prarie Texas right next to Yellow Belly dragstrip, it had been around for a long time also. In the 1980's the track was being run by the Adrians. We had talked to one of them at another track one night and were impressed by what we heard, so decided to go see for ourselves. The track was well run and had a "paydown" that was hard to beat. To explain, they didn't pay as much to win, but the money was spread out more through the field. It was obvious to us that the Adrians seemed more committed to keeping the track running and taking care of their racers than most others. Like Buffalo Park, they didn't use wings on regular nights either. Sportsdrome was well loved by the fans who watched racing there for decades, but like Buffalo Park they lost their lease and the track is no more.
Boothill
Boothill was a banked 1/4 mile red clay track located just west of Shreveport Louisiana only a couple of miles past the Texas line. The regulars there were some of the very best, Doug Ingalls, Ronnie Adams, Gary Wright and Billy Melton who's car is pictured here. The racing was as hot as the steamy summer Louisiana Saturdays night's when they raced. I once spent one of those hot nights in the parking lot. We went to a two day race there, and as we lived 100 miles away in Texas, they left the cars there and about 1/2 dozen of us teenage kids to watch them. Sleeping in the back of a station wagon with the tailgate down, I woke during the night to a stray German Shepard sniffing my face. Judging by his reaction to my yelling, I scared him as bad as he scared me. We always had a love/hate relationship with Boothill, we loved to hate it. I don't really know why. It was being run in the 1980's by promoter Roxie Dancy who always did a good job. I still miss the Natchitoches meat pies and BBQ sandwiches you got at the concession stand. There was a tradition at Boothill during intermission that a couple of kids with trash bags would walk in front of the grandstands to collect soda and beer cans for the aluminum. If you sat down low in the stands you had to suffer through a rain of beer and soda cans that people would throw to the kids, with a shower of stale beer and soda to go along with it and usually getting a whack in back of the head by one or two. Sadly Boothill has recently fell to the same fate of many other tracks, not enough money coming in and have announced they were closing.
Thunderbird
A 1/4 mile located in Crandall Texas. Another old track, they've been racing at Thunderbird a long time, I was going there when I was just a little kid. Last time I was there it was cold as hell so we sat in the car drinking beer and ran to the stands when we saw the Modifieds roll on track. Billy Suggs won. The Modifieds might have died out, but last I heard they are still racing at Thunderbird.
Rosebowl
A red clay highbank located just outside of Tyler Texas. Originally built as a 1/2 mile sprint car track, it was shortened over the years to a long 1/4 mile. I started going in the mid 1970's after Jake Tull and his brother Bill Tull started running the track. Saw a lot of good racing there. One night every track in the area was rained out except RoseBowl, and they had well over 100 modifieds show up. The track has never been able to make a good go of it so it closes and reopens constantly. It was closed again last I heard.
Mt. Selman
A country bullring 1/4 mile located in Mt. Selman Texas between Tyler and Jacksonville. Closed down sometime in the late 1970's.
Devils Bowl
A 1/2 mile located in Mesquite Texas. A legendary Sprint car track known as the home track of the World of Outlaws. Originally located in downtown Dallas, it moved to it's current location in the 1960's and has been going strong ever since. Saw my first sprint car race at the old track downtown. I was about 5 years old, the cars scared the hell out of me and I spent the night hiding behind my dad peeking around when I was brave enough. Owner operator Lanny Edwards never seemed to care about the Modified class. We once showed up for a big Modified race only to find a rain out sign on the gate, but there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Seemed typical treatment of the Modified by them. As big as it is, it was a very fast place. Probably saw Keith Green go as fast as anyone ever has in a Modified there during an NTRA race.
Grayson County
A small 1/4 mile located in the sticks in where else, Grayson County Texas, down a colichie road and take a left at the hay barn, where you stopped to pay. Went there for a couple of NTRA races, the track was well run and the place packed, and the crowd loved their racing. Great concession stand food. The first time I ever had chili and cheese over fries, and the only track I've ever seen where you could get fried shrimp. Some SOB tried to steal a wheel off our car there. We didn't know it until about thirty miles down the road when the rear wheel started wobbling. Pulling over to check there were three lug nuts missing. We had to take one off the other wheel to get it bolted back down and get home. Whoever did it must have been hard up for a wheel and tire to try and steal that piece of shit.
Heart of Texas
Another 1/4 mile located just outside of Waco Texas. Went there once for an NTRA race. Hottest I've ever been at a race track. Middle of the Texas summer it was also very dry, with no rain in sight. They hadn't done a good job of preparing the track and the dust became so bad they had to stop and water the track. Before they did, the guys were cutting the corner pretty good in the number 1 turn, and they had these big tractor tires there painted white and filled with dirt to mark the corner. Ron Golden cut the corner too much once and hit the tire, which I suppose he didn't see due to the dust. The tire didn't budge. Ron kind of went up and backwards. Didn't do enough damage to end his race though. As usual in those days we just barely had enough money to buy gas and pay our way in, but during the break to water the track, my buddy announced he had enough money to buy us all a beer. Best damn beer I've ever drank.
Stateline Speedway
1/4 mile in Texarkana Texas. It straddled the state line, the pits being in Arkansas, the track and grandstands in Texas. They couldn't sell beer in Texas so you had to go to the pits to buy beer. For one dollar you could get a beer so big you had to hold it with both hands. It was about the size of those big tubs of popcorn you get at a movie theater. Stateline was the home track of Gary Wright and he was about the only attraction they had. The beer made up for the lack of action though. Needless to say, the drunkest I've ever been at a race track was at Stateline.
Big H
1/4 mile in Houston Texas. Runs a close race with Heart of Texas for the hottest place to watch a race. Never went to Big H that the toilets in the men's room didn't overflow. You had to tip toe through pissy water to use the john, but when you gotta go you gotta go. They had "hill parking" which was unique. For an extra fee you could park on a hill overlooking the backstretch and watch the race from your car. Pretty cool way to watch a race.