How many of you guys got your start at Hialeah Speedway??? Growing up in the Keyes I spent every weekend there… Although I drove my first race car at Auburndale. I ran my first race at Hialeah…:ernaehrung004:
Sure did! I started going there when I was a kid in 1974 or so, and finally started racing there in 1981.
What a blast that place was! The craziest drivers, the fastest cars, the prettiest girls and no shortage of on-track action. Ahhh, the good old days!
What car did you drive?
Yep!
That place was fun. Way too much favoritism,way too much dirty driving,but fun nevertheless - and isn’t that what local racing is supposed to be about?
Driving there was different for sure. Those flat corners made it feel as if you were driving off the end of the earth. The first time I drove on a banked track I thought “Damn,I never knew a car could stick like this!”.
My first races where there back in the early 90’s. I raced enduro’s there. When I moved from the Keys to Sarasota, I started racing at Desoto.
My dad started in 1981 in Street Stocks, but retired in 1983 when my brother started running the car. I started in 1984. My brother won the 1989 Street Stock Championship. Back then we had up to 30 cars every race. We ran Street Stocks up to the end of 1990, when we moved to Thunder Cars. In 1994, my brother moved up to Late Model and was the Rookie of the Year. I continued in Thunder Car, and the division changed rules just about every year until they finally became Limited Late Models. We would go to Speedweeks each year, and some Florida Pro races here and there when it did not conflict with Hialeah’s schedule. Hialeah closed in August of 2005, and two weeks after the last race, I ran my first race at Punta Gorda, and have run there every race since. I finished second in points five times at Hialeah, but in 2010, I finally got the championship I missed, at Punta Gorda. My brother would run when he could, at what ever track he could, but this year he will be running just Punta Gorda. This marks our 30th year in racing, (1981-2011). We loved our years at Hialeah. The thing we miss most is running every week, and only having to tow 5 miles to the track.
David Weaver - LLM #11
Started there in 1958/9 with Ply 6cly coupe sportsman then a Hudson #57 and run about every class there was from time to time and $ would let me. Great bunch to race with. The shape of the track forced the drivers and builders to know handling a bit more so then banked tracks.
We started out there, and at Palm Beach (PB on Friday, Hialeah on Saturday); and we started at the top: in the Late Models. Ran there from about '75 to '78 or so, when we started towing to Tampa, St. Pete, and Bradenton.
Down south, we had Don Denney, Charlie Reagan, Paul Connors, and John Passett in our cars at one time or another. Ran a few All-Pro races at Hialeah in the mid-'80s with Daniel Keene and Donnie Strickland (my dad was the crew chief); even won a 200-lapper there with Keene in '88. In '87 or so, we took our own car to Hialeah with Pletcher driving.
The first picture is Don Denney in our car in about 1976 or '77.
The second picture is a picture of Clifford Allison in about '87 at an All-Pro race; our car is on the right (the black car).
The third picture is Donnie Strickland’s #57, the team we traveled with in All-Pro, in 1986.
The fourth picture is us winning a 200-lapper with All-Pro with Daniel Keene; I’m on the left in the back row next to Daniel; my dad is on the far right, back row.
Awesome
I started watching there in the late 70,s. With My step dad George Sands, and step brother Randy Sands… Due to divoce I moved to Lakeland with my real dad as a teen . where I went to work for Steve Fransisco… And learned to drive at A,DALE… After graduation I moved back to the Keyes where I got involved with the Outlaw Modifieds driving and crewing… It was a awesome track… BOBBY ALLISON spoke of Hialeah and West Palm monday night in his hall of fame inductee speach… It was a great track with allot of HISTORY FLAT BUT FUN …:ernaehrung004:
Man I wish I could say I lived in the keys! You’re very lucky sideways.
I raced my first race at Hialeah 1975 I believe it was. It was with the AMA Shower of Stars. We ran on the asphalt on the straights and then we ran on the dirt banked corners that was inside of the asphalt corners. If you went down in the corners you could fly off the banking and land on the asphalt and it did happen.
Later we ran mini stock there for years trying to catch Klinger. He was the mini stock man. I did that until my son started driving Fastruck.
My son ran his very first lap in a full size stock car at Hialeah about 5-6 years ago. We met a lot of good people there that we are still good friends with to day.
I have to say that the last night that Hialeah was open was one of the funnest nights I ever had at a racetrack. My son had some problems with a cracked head but we still go a top 5. One of the guys that I had with me won the 50/50 drawing. Over $1500. He also got a picture with the first late model winner and the last late model winner. If I remember correctly it was Joe Winchell.
It is where I grew up at, although I never drove a race car until I moved to N.C. I did get to crew on a couple of cars there. I have been to over 160 tracks, and Hialeah will ALWAYS be my favorite. I was not able to go down for the final night, and I will always kick myself for that…
Sideways, I always got a kick out of your dad and Randy. They were fun guys: race all night and go diving and boating the following day.
Hialeah reunion
I have a DVD available for $10 that we shot last Nov. that has a lot of the old
Drivers interviewed along with a ton of pictures of all that were there. It’ll bring back a lot of memories. Bob…
It was Awesome growing up there Iwould not trade it for anything… I lived there a total of 28 years. I just could not afford it anymore… I do fiberglass and paint work for a living… Down there if your not $RICH$ you better be a jack of all trades. I commercial fished ,fiberglass and boat repair, bartended, and anything else I could to put money in my pocket… Its changed allot it went from paredise to a TOURIST TRAP… I still visit every chance I get with one of my boats… I still have a notebook full of GPS numbers to catch anything and everything under the sea… ISLAMORADA FL I STILL CALL IT HOME.
George and Randy are great guys. If your not smiling or laughing when your around them your dead… George would do whatever it took to make shure every Outlaw took the green flag…If you needed a part that was in his hauler to make the show you got it… I begged him to keep racing but they had both had enough fun with it…They are both building hod rods and restoring old cars. George is still in the Keyes. Randy lives in south Georgia.
Thats neat. We try to down for a week or so every summer to Marathon. Going down 6/11 to 6/18. Hope its not to windy so we can get out. Do a lot of trolling.
I talked to one of my freinds the other day 20 dolphin and 2 sails… O,yeah 1 remora… I,m going down in mid July cant wait. I,m hopen to fill the freezer.
Dance club
Okay who got a job at the dance club that they built outside the race track??? Not Me but know a few who have. Too funny!
Will not miss the next celebration reunion of Hialeah, I promise!!
Lots of stories and photo’s…yes Lori W. we had really big Hair back then.
LoL!!:huepfen024:
Are you talking about the strip bar that used to be by the turn 4 area? Here is a trivia question for you: what was the name of the star performer there in the '70’s and early '80’s?
Bfa
big fannie annie