Abandoned drag srtip east of Phoenix

[427TJ]

Kingdon drag strip, just southwest of Lodi, California was built as an military auxiliary landing airfield during WWII. As with so many such airstrips, Kingdon lapsed into disuse after the war and then became a public airport and a drag strip by the early 1950s. Racing ended at Kingdon in 1978 but in 2007 Kingdon was host to a reunion drag event so perhaps one of the old strips will be back in use, if only on rare occasions.

Located north of Stockton, southwest of Lodi:



Very little has changed since WWII:



Looking west:



The Sacramento-based "Glass Slipper" made appearances at Kingdon in the late '50s:





As did Garlits in '59 on his first trip to California:



Even car customizer Gene Winfield tried his hand at the Kingdon drags in the early '50s:



Back in those much simpler times when any working man could race a car as a weekend hobby and not go broke just trying to have some fun:





Tommy Ivo at Kingdon c1970 with one of his Cadillac push cars:

[427TJ]

Great photo of the staring area not long after the track opened in 1957:



At the '64 HRM Drags Danny Ongais had to push his rail through the 1/4 after his car quit on the line:



Wild Willie crossed-up (!!!) in the lights trying to stay out of the weeds. Photo taken by Steve Reyes from the old pedestrian bridge across the top end of the track. What's he doing--about 150?--with the front wheels cranked hard left! Friggin' unbelievable!:

[Dog427435]

[b] Islip Speedway was Long Islands 1/8 mile drag strip from 1961 until 1972. But Islip was around much
longer then that, built on the Islip Airport site in 1947 it's 2/10 mile 18 degree banked oval lasted until
1984. It was the home of the first demo race, the first figure 8 race and the NASCAR great's even raced
there until the "Modern Era".
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Way back when
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Islip Speedway today
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Back in the fifties and sixties you could go to the races practically every night! The drags were
Friday at Islip and Sunday at Hampton or National.
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Johnny Rocco was a racer and long time Flagman
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Steve Park got his start at Islip
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The drag strip ran from the back edge of the property down between the concession stands
and the oval track. There were no concessions at the drags! The 1/8 ended at the oval racers pit
entrance and the shut down area ran out into the dirt parking lot.
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Tommy Ivo in the pits and coming between the stands and concessions.
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The starting line
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