Jim Hale

Dwight Southerland · 03-22-2011, 09:45 AM

RE: Little Rock Drag Strip

Bill - The shutdown area was completely paved in 1965. Actually, only the last 100 feet or so was gravel. The end of the dragstrip intersected a county road and there was originally concern about race cars running off the end and into passing traffic because the shutdown was a little short. Mostly that was just talk because how much traffic do you have on a Sunday afternoon in the 1960s on a county road? I saw somebody run 191 mph in a fuel dragster there and stop before the end, so it wasn't too short. If they had been able to cut down the trees on the other side of the county road, that would have made it a lot safer because there was an open field beyond the tree line. The farmer may have lost a cow or two, but what the hey - fresh meat for the concession stand!

That was the first place I saw S.E. Buchanan. He was driving a '50 model Ford with a blown SBC backed by a four-speed that was owned by two guys in LR who owned a foreign car repair shop - Elrod & Roper. That is our buddy Bobby Roper who raced the A/SA Camaro for years in recent times.

I saw lots of SS match races there and lots of fuel cars. Vance Hines, Bobby Langley, Eddie Hill, etc. There were two locals with AA/FA cars, Mike Heim and O.D. Brazil, who regularly put on wild match races. O.D. later had a Top Fuel car that did reasonable well for such a low funded effort

The track was shut down around 1970 because of business developments and encroaching population. Tom Parker leased it and opened in in 1973 or 74 as an 1/8 mile track. It became one of my "home" tracks along with Carlisle. I personally love the 1/8 mile racing. It tests your concentration in a four-speed car though. Lots less wear and tear on the engine and the races happen with such frequency that the spectator excitement is easy to maintain. In the late 1970s and early 1980s there were several Pro Stock match races there, including Reher & Morrison, the Marriott Bros., etc.

03-22-2011, 09:45 AM	#16
Dwight Southerland VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Arkansas - In the middle of everything. Posts: 2,001 Likes: 64 Liked 778 Times in 193 Posts	Re: Jim Hale RE: Little Rock Drag Strip Bill - The shutdown area was completely paved in 1965. Actually, only the last 100 feet or so was gravel. The end of the dragstrip intersected a county road and there was originally concern about race cars running off the end and into passing traffic because the shutdown was a little short. Mostly that was just talk because how much traffic do you have on a Sunday afternoon in the 1960s on a county road? I saw somebody run 191 mph in a fuel dragster there and stop before the end, so it wasn't too short. If they had been able to cut down the trees on the other side of the county road, that would have made it a lot safer because there was an open field beyond the tree line. The farmer may have lost a cow or two, but what the hey - fresh meat for the concession stand! That was the first place I saw S.E. Buchanan. He was driving a '50 model Ford with a blown SBC backed by a four-speed that was owned by two guys in LR who owned a foreign car repair shop - Elrod & Roper. That is our buddy Bobby Roper who raced the A/SA Camaro for years in recent times. I saw lots of SS match races there and lots of fuel cars. Vance Hines, Bobby Langley, Eddie Hill, etc. There were two locals with AA/FA cars, Mike Heim and O.D. Brazil, who regularly put on wild match races. O.D. later had a Top Fuel car that did reasonable well for such a low funded effort The track was shut down around 1970 because of business developments and encroaching population. Tom Parker leased it and opened in in 1973 or 74 as an 1/8 mile track. It became one of my "home" tracks along with Carlisle. I personally love the 1/8 mile racing. It tests your concentration in a four-speed car though. Lots less wear and tear on the engine and the races happen with such frequency that the spectator excitement is easy to maintain. In the late 1970s and early 1980s there were several Pro Stock match races there, including Reher & Morrison, the Marriott Bros., etc.