Remembering San Fernando (1 Viewer)

TopFuel@Lions

Nitro Member
This month, November, 52 years ago we lost Southern California's true outlaw drag strip that opened a couple of months before Lions, the very cool San Fernando Raceway. I can still see track manager Harry Hibler zipping around on a little motor cycle with a striped shirt, white pants tucked into his black boots. The tightest schedule for a Sunday track, a 3-hour unmuffled window and maybe the sports first hardcore curfew.

Brownies concessions were quite good too. Boy did ol Harry have the churches, especially the one on the other side of the trees at the finish line on his butt. Remember the Valley Home Service Special blowing the flywheel out of the car, cutting it in half and the flywheel launching itself over the trees and into the church roof. Story has it that the minister hand delivered the part to Hibler. Harry supposedly offered the entire congregation free tickets.

Another one was when Larry Tadlock va-voomed his cylinder head and header over the trees and this time thru the roof. Yikes. I believe I saw Kelly Brown set the AA/FD speed record for the track at 229mph.

San Fernando was real convenient to go to, lot's of parking, easy on Dad's wallet and a well run show. It was just different that the other tracks. When there were big meets in So Cal on a Saturday, you never knew who would show up on the way home at San Fernando, great memories at "The Pond."



TopFuel@Lions
Talladega Announcer
 
I actually was at the last race at Fernando and didn't know it. I normally went there every Sunday. Went to the race and next week, the gates were locked. Next week, same thing and finally realized the track had closed. I had an old beater '58 Ford 4 door with a Hurst Mystery Shifter in it. The joke was it's a mystery it can shift. Anyhoo, did my first racing at Fernando in 1968-69. Ran 86 MPH in that old Ford (which I bought in the Air Force). Ran the slow ET bracket. One time I was so nervous on the starting line that my left leg was shaking. HA Fernando was where I went to my first race in 1961. So long ago now.....
 
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