Abandoned drag srtip east of Phoenix

[427TJ]

If you have the DVD of "Bullitt" you have probably watched the back story on the making of the movie and seen the part where McQueen and the Charger driver (can't remember his name at the moment) are up at Cotati Raceway "practicing" for the chase scenes filmed in San Francisco. Cotati is about 25 miles north of SF along highway 101 and was originally built as a WWII Navy OLF (outlying field) for training pilots. Cotati is just north of Petaluma where George Lucas filmed some of American Graffitti, but I digress. Cotati had a road course and a drag strip and Carroll Shelby won the first road race held there in 1957. Being in California, Cotati Raceway was consumed by suburban development and nothing of the former OLF/track ramains today except a street named "Airport Way."

1965 aerial image:



Today:



Circa-1945 as a Navy OLF:



Found a neat website with Cotati pics from the late 50s:

http://wediditforlove.com/Birky.html







LOVE THAT '55!!!