Seems Casey was doing well at Riverside too. That's where I misspent my youth. Riverside Amusement park had a 1/5th mile paved oval track, which is great for spectators. To short to go really fast, so they'd have to duke it out through traffic. In Casey's day they were averaging about 40 for 25 laps, in mine they were closer to 50. If that sounds awfully slow, try in in a local parking lot, it's like doing 15 mph through the grocery store with your shopping cart.
The cars were latter '30s coupes, gutted out with roll cages and no glass. Minimum weight was around 1200 lbs. Any V-8 engine(mostly Chevy and Ford) under 301 cubic inches, as modified as you could afford, with a single carburetor, open headers, and no blowers. Burning a racing fuel that made exhaust which smelled sickeningly sweet from the nitromethane.
Every Saturday afternoon we'd go to the park, slip into the woods behind the Rollercoaster and hang out for awhile. Then when the race teams started arriving we'd stroll into the pits and hang out with the drivers and crews. Then just before the racing started, we'd walk across the track and up into the stands. The only thing we had to do is make sure to get our hand stamped with the invisible ink that glowed under the blacklight, when going to the toilet or refreshment stand. If we forgot, it was pay to get back in, which usually wasn't an option, or hang outside until whoever drove came out. The woods/pits route was out after they started racing. A lot of time invested, but every Saturday night for five months, times seven years, adds up to about $600. Shit, you could buy several running used cars for that kind of money, if we had it.
The feature race was 25 laps with a 50 now and then. Then once a year came the 500, not miles, laps, which was 100 miles. That was the biggie, the one you missed family shit and cancelled dates to see, Riverside's superbowl. And like the NFL's superbowl, more often than not it was boring. It's a long race, don't break something, and don't dice it up with other drivers because there's plenty of time. Ho hum. But sometimes two or three cars would get into a serious battle.
Every single one in our crowd rooted for Gene Dixon's M-6 sponsored by Walkers Motors who supplied our school busses... except me. No surprise there. I liked Buddy Krebb's flying 0. If Dixon won, the ride home was rough with everyone breaking my balls. If Krebbs won, I couldn't return the abuse being seriously outnumbered, so I would take the high road... I could be gloating smugly just as well up there.
