Luckily, during my four decades as a gypsy race announcer, a couple of my most enjoyable working stops were at Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix, Arizona.
It is a true shame that, due to the far southwestern location of "Manzy," many thousands of avid sprint car fans may never get to see one of the most exciting half-mile dirt ovals in the country. I've been lucky!
I got the chance to see some of our most legendary drivers show their talents and bravery to the utmost: Buddy Taylor; the Shuman brothers, Ronnie and Billy; Lealand McSpadden; Earl Wagner; the Boat brothers; Bubby Jones; Dean Thompson. Plus, untold dozens more who make our sprint car world one of the best. For true excitement, Manzanita Speedway will always rank with the best.
As of this writing, Manzanita had just hosted its 50th anniversary celebration, with one of the largest crowds in the track's history, and over 100 of the most outstanding veterans of racing on hand to toast the famous dirt oval and those who have operated it. That had to be an autograph hound's paradise.
A couple of great Arizona racing fans, Joe and Ellen Ellis, sent me an outstanding article on the front page of Arizona's largest newspaper's sports section. My appreciation and my thanks to motorsports editor Mark Amijo, who did the story for the Arizona Republic. That story, plus a great 50th anniversary program, and help from announcing friend Pat Nalon, helped me appreciate the storied history of one of America's great sprint car facilities even more.
There have been many outstanding articles by the legendary Windy McDonald, who has been the public relations man and announcer for most of the past 45 years-Manzy's own legend. Windy and 35-year owner Keith Hall have produced many outstanding sprint racing events over the years, but my own personal favorite has always been the annual Western World Championships.
Earl Wagner won the first Western World I was privileged to see. With many Western World titles under his belt, Ron Shuman was the first, and probably only, driver to complete the big-three sweep by winning the Pacific Coast title, the Western World title, and capped it off by winning the '79 Knoxville Nationals title. Ron's home track was Manzanita, and I firmly believe if you can win there, you can win anywhere.
Other speedways that opened up in the Phoenix area may, at times, have put a dent in Manzy's armor, but none have ever overcome the leadership demonstrated by Hall. Thirty-five years of the good and the bad have been sustained, and who knows how many more?
The beginning of Manzanita Speedway was rather unique because, during the '40s, it was a dog-racing track. After losing money racing dogs, the co-owners were talked into running a "jalopy" race and, beyond all expectations, it was a standing-room only, sell-out crowd, even though there was another jalopy track racing the same day not very far away. Stranger yet was the fact that a driver named Roe Mounts, who never won another race in his entire career, won this day's feature event.
The day was August 25, 1951. To list all the famous drivers who raced on the Manzy oval would be an impossibility, but some who come to my mind are four from the Unser clan, two Andrettis, two Swindells, four Kinsers, one Wolf, A.J. Foyt, Parnelli Jones, Bubby Jones, Dean Thompson, Wayne Weiler, Jerry McClung, Bill Cheesbourg, Hank Arnold, Larry Clark, Wayne Bennett, Rick Ferkel, Hooker and Ricky Hood, several Kaedings, and so many more.