No, you're not imagining things,...
No, you're not imagining things, that's a '69 Mustang late model racecar.
In some areas of the country, local short tracks are an endangered species. With urban development and sprawl spreading across once-rural areas, the large pieces of land racetracks are built on are becoming million-dollar prizes to be had by developers. After years of fighting for survival, Hialeah Speedway has become the latest victim. August 13, 2005, marked the last time race cars would run on the historic oval.
The track, located on US 27 just east of Palmetto Expressway in Hialeah, was built in 1953-'54 by the Greater Miami Racing Association (GMRA), hosting its first event in July 1954. Local driver Herb Tillman took First-Place honors driving George Nelson's '34 Ford modified coupe, kicking off a 51-year legacy for the southernmost short track in the United States. As the old pre-war race cars gave way to '50s era race cars, Hialeah soldiered on as a hotbed of South Florida racing.
With storm clouds looming...
With storm clouds looming on the horizon, racers began pouring into the pit area at Hialeah for the night's racing action. One of the fun things about racing in South Florida is dodging the contestant afternoon showers and thunderstorms. During the summers it's not a matter of if it rains but when.
Over the years, famous drivers from different racing organizations have taken laps on the Hialeah oval. NASCAR legends Bobbie and Donnie Allison cut their teeth on the 1/3-mile oval before moving on to the bigger tracks and spotlight of stock car racing. Some Hialeah veterans would say that Donnie learned how to fight at Hialeah, giving him the edge over Cale Yarborough in the famous encounter between the two at Daytona in 1979.
In 1957, former Formula One champion Juan Manual Fangio of Argentina made his only laps in an American Midget racer at Hialeah. Over the years, well-known short-track racers such as Dick Anderson, Gary Balough, and Bobby Brack ran at Hialeah. The track has been a great place for racers and fans over the years. One driver mentioned: "I learned how to race here, drink here, and fight here!"
Through all the hard-core racing, Hialeah only had one fatality in its 51-year history. In 1956, Don Campbell died of head injuries several days after he flipped his midget racer in a private test session.
From local racers towing open...
From local racers towing open trailers to pro-rig driving Fastruck racers, everyone was out for the last race at Hialeah. 161 cars showed up for the last night of racing, forcing some racers to park in the grass field parking lot. In recent years the track would be lucky to pull in 75 cars for a normal Saturday race schedule.
Being an anti-NASCAR organization was tough for the GMRA as it ran the track. In 1995, GMRA hit hard financial times and could no longer pay the nearly $100,000 property tax bill on the track. The track's landlord came to the rescue, setting up agreements with a series of promoters to step up and manage the racing on a weekly basis. In 2000 the track fell on hard times, opening the door for the land to be sold to developers. Plans call for demolishment of the track sometime in 2006 and construction of a Lowe's and a Target store shortly after.
The last night of racing started that afternoon with a torrential monsoon as racers and fans were pouring into the track. It was typical summer weather for South Florida, rain and lightning for half an hour, then clearing skies and sunshine. Besides being flooded with water, the pits were flooded with racers--161 cars showed up to run the various events that night at the speedway. Some ended up in the parking lot because no pit stalls were left.
Adding to the racer turnout was the massive crowd. Over 5,000 fans, former racers, and locals showed up, with a huge line at both gates even at 9:30 when racing was starting. The irony was not lost on the Hialeah regulars, everyone joking, "if they had a big turnout like this every Saturday, the speedway wouldn't be closing!"
This battle scarred bus race...
This battle scarred bus race veteran was parked forlornly next to a fence at the backside of track. Part of the night's action was a Crazy 8 bus race.
Famous racers Jerry and Darrell Gwynn showed up for the festivities. Known more for their exploits on the quarter-mile straight track, both South Florida natives spent time racing on the Hialeah pavement. Despite being severely injured and incapacitated in a horrific accident while making an exhibition run in England during 1990, Darrell always has a smile on his face.
The Florida Fastruck and Fastkids series visited the Hialeah oval, along with the usual Limited Late Model, Street Stock, Mini-Stock, and Cyclone classes. The crowd wasn't disappointed, with tons of door-slamming, paint-swapping action in the various classes. In the Mini-Stock class, Hialeah veteran and multi-time track champion S.C. Klinger took the checkered flag, but failed post-race inspection, passing the win and last winner honors to Ricky Thorpe. The Jeff Dufresne Memorial race went to Joe Winchell, who was greeted in Victory Lane by Herb Tillman, the first winner at Hialeah 51 years ago.
After the monsoon stopped,...
After the monsoon stopped, racers kept driving (and swimming) into the pits to find one of the few dry pit stalls left for racecars.
Tommy King
Limited Late Model: Joe Winchell
Street Stock: Corey Crisafulli
Mini Stock: Ricky Thorpe
Cyclone: Victor Leo
Fastkids: Patrick Starpoli
School Bus Figure-8: Steve Godlewski
Demolition Derby: Drew Ogden
Even though the track will be gone soon, its history will live forever in the memories and pictures of racers who made laps on its asphalt and the fans who watched them. Long after the Lowe's and Target stores open on the property, racers will still walk the aisles and tell customers and store employees, "I used to race right here."
If you have any intersting stories about Hialeah Speedway, e-mail them to us at patrick.hill@primedia.com. Be sure to put "Hialeah Story" in the subject line, and include your name, where you're from, and when the story happened. If possible e-mail a photo or two with the story. Watch for all the stories in a future web posting on stockcarracing.com!
Sprinting through a heavy...
Sprinting through a heavy downpour with lightning bolts cracking around you is never fun! My brother and I watched the monsoon from my truck for over an hour before the skies finally cleared.
Famous drag racer Darrell...
Famous drag racer Darrell Gwynn was out to see the last night of action at Hialeah. Darrell paid for a limo to bring former driver and first ever winner at Hialeah Herb Tillman to the track that night.
One of the great things about...
One of the great things about short track racing is how up-close the action is. You can't watch this close to the fence at a super-speedway.
Local racer John Carlson of...
Local racer John Carlson of West Palm Beach had his '69 Mustang out for some fun. John originally bought the car to restore, but there was too much cancerous rust. Instead, he decided to turn it into a late-model racer powered by a 351C! The first few times John would race the car people would question his sanity for racing the vintage Mustang.
Through the torrential downpour,...
Through the torrential downpour, people stayed in line to get tickets for the race. Those are hardcore racing fans for you!
Nothing beats the hard core,...
Nothing beats the hard core, door banging action of short track racing, as evidenced by this Hialeah veteran.
The sun sets for the last...
The sun sets for the last time over a night of racing at Hialeah. The old track, with all of its history, stories, and memories for countless racers will soon bow to the wrecking ball in the name of urban sprawl and "progress".
Throughout its history, you...
Throughout its history, you never knew what you'd see in the pits at Hialeah on a Saturday night. One racer told the story, "I learned how to race here, how to drink here, and how to fight here!"
From family cruiser to demo...
From family cruiser to demo derby sacrifice, this old Country Squire wagon was painted up for its last dance before the crusher.
Everywhere a person could...
Everywhere a person could stand to get a view of the action on the track was full.
This group of racefans decided...
This group of racefans decided to watch the night's action from this perch on the side on an industrial building across the street from the track.
At 9:30 people were still...
At 9:30 people were still pouring into the track to watch the races. For the first time in a long while the Hialeah grandstands were filled to capacity, with the concession (and beer) lines growing to alarming lengths.
With storm clouds threatening,...
With storm clouds threatening, the pits at hialeah begin ti fill quickly for the last night of racing. Pit space was at a premium, with every nook and cranny of asphault being used for pit space.
Herb Tillman (center) won...
Herb Tillman (center) won the first race at hialeah in 1954. He's shown with longtime track promoter Marty Little (right) and Richard Bowser (left).
These hardcore fans found...
These hardcore fans found a good perch across the street to watch the racing from.