Anyone know about this track Meadowdale

[SurfaceUnits]

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?2854313-Abandoned-Tracks&p=32533024&viewfull=1#post32533024

[Napoleon]

I have a million things to do today so do not have time to look through piles of magazines, but the SCCA's member magazine started running an occasional series on ghost tracks and I am almost 100% certain that they did one on this track. Perhaps it is available on-line?

[emjaya]

I think I have seen a thread on Meadowdale on Atlas F1 in the Nostalgia forum.

[opinionated ow]

i thought it was in ny?

[Napoleon]

Well lets open with this picture of the track before we get to what I found.

http://www.deepthrottle.com/images/ghost_tracks_meadowdale_then.jpg

Well I had some stuff to do in the basement so raced through a pile my old Sportscar Magazines to see if I could fined it mentioned on the cover of the magazine and I found around 10-12 articles on ghost tracks none of which mentioned this track. It appears that the oldest complete copy I have of the magazine, which I have gotten since 1986, is late 2002 (unless I have earlier ones boxed somewhere). It would be very possible that an article on a track like that was something I cut out and saved.

Anyways the earliest one on ghost tracks is in 2003 and it states it is the 3rd installment. The author is the guy who was my division director or trustee or whatever they are called when I was racing in the SCCA. I distinctly recall reading an article on the track because it looked so interesting and if it was still in existence I would have likely raced on it 20 + times, so I decided to look him up to e-mail him with a question on when the first two installments ran, if I could get a copy and if Meadowdale was one of the tracks. I found the following two links. The Meadowdale article ran in 2001. I would ask him if he could send me a copy but he has turned it into a book, and I think it would be a little rude to basically ask him to send it to me for free.

http://www.deepthrottle.com/History/ghost_tracks_book_review.shtml

Anyways, in doing my search I found this:

http://meadowdaleraceway.homestead.com/

[SurfaceUnits]

Meadowdale Raceways saw the early years of many a Car, Driver and/or Race Team. Notables in the racing community include; Carl Haas, Roger Penske, Bobby Unser, Al Unser, Lance Reventlow, Augie Pabst, Harry Heuer and the Famous and Historic Scarabs of the Meister Brauser Racing Team; Fred Lorenzen – first NASCAR driver to win $100,000 in a year; Mark Donahue, Sam Posey, Peter Revson, Jim Jeffords and the Nickey Chevrolet Racing Team, Roger Ward, Lloyd Ruby, Curtis Turner and Ricardo Rodriguez, Tony DeLorenzo, Tony Adamawicz among others.

Racers at Meadowdale inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America include: Bobby Unser, Al Unser, Roger Penske, Carl Haas, Fred Lorenzen, Peter Revson, Curtis Turner, Lloyd Ruby, Paul Goldsmith, Gary Nixon, and George Follmer.

[G.]

I don't have a lot of time right now, but I was there @two@ weeks ago for a car show. One of the posters on Cam's site is part of the MD preservation group. (bisp)

They managed to save the water tower. Lots of work being done there, with preservation/re--creation in mind. You can see more of the original track that was overgrown.

[NismoZ]

Began my race fan career there in 1958. Saw Lance Reventlow and Chuck Daigh dominate the inaugural there that September (still have the original program) and every major event held there for the next 10 years! How could I NOT have become a Scarab loving, Augie Pabst admiring road racing sports car nut!? The incredible thing about seeing this topic today is...

...I just spent the weekend driving through central/western Wisconsin with Augie, his long time friend, original driving instructor and EXCELLENT driver in his own right, Bill Weusthoff! It was the 21st running of the Kickapoo Rally, just a drive, eat, drink and talk fun weekend get-together. Yeah, Augie in his 911 Turbo, Weusthoff in his Boxter (he was a great RSK/RS-60 driver in the early '60s with guys like Penske, Ernie Ericson, Art Bunker, Bob Holbert and a bunch of others) also a few Ferraris, an XK-140 Jag, a BMW M-3, an AC Bristol even a Mustang and a Corvette '63-'66, CO-6 styling exercise called a "Rossi". Very Interesting. Oh, and ME in the only Japanese car there a MazdaSpeed3! :D Sat with Augie and Weusthoff in the House On the Rock Resort lounge after each days' run and talked about Porsches, Scarabs and MEADOWDALE!

Weusthoff was very high in his praise of the track calling it demanding and technical comparing it to the old Nurburgring, emphasizing no runoff and lots of elevation chage! Remember, it was built in 1958 and one driver was killed there at the inaugural giving the track a "killer, and too dangerous" reputation but that was the only fatality there in ten years. Most of the best drivers really liked the place!

Go to YouTube and search "Meadowdale International Raceway"... there are many old race clips, the best being, I think, "Scarab vs. Stingray" with Augie in a great duel with Dick Thompson. Penske, Holbert, Weusthoff and Ericson in RSKs, too. Check out Penske bending that little thing through the serpentine on the backside of the course. I'm in that shot SOMEwhere!:D It was a great place to watch drivers DRIVING and really hanging it out. LOVED IT! The original race commentary by Ed "20 Grand" Steinbach" is excellent as well. There is a new book about Meadowdale, just out, the best one yet. You can get it on Amazon for $37 .

Sorry, I could go WAY on...but as you can see, I DID have the time.:rofl: Yep, me and Augie charging nose to tail through the twisties of rural Wisconsin! Who'd have EVER thought THAT would happen!? Please ask me stuff about Meadowdale...I can probably give you an 8 paragraph answer!:)

[NismoZ]

Oh, you can go to www.mirpa.org also for news about what is going on there now. I was at that show last month also. Got to talk with Jim Jeffords, Tony DeLarenzo, Roy Kumnick, Bob McKee...Jeffords' 2-time BP Championship Nickey (how do you make a backwards "k" on an I-pad?:D) Purple People Eater Corvette was on display. Fun time. One of the Nickey people want to use my pictures of Dan Blocker and their "Vinegaroon Special" from RA in '65 for a book he's putting together. Been a family Chevy dealer since '29!:eek: Oh, Blocker was a part owner of the team and loved racing...Hoss, on Bonanza!:thumbup:

[NismoZ]

The book, "The Midwest Motorsport Legend Meadowdale International Raceway" is by Phil Aleo. It's on MY Christmas list!:)

[NismoZ]

Or, just go to www.aleopublications.com check out the pics and click to order the book. I could slap myself silly for not having it with me last weekend! Neither Augie nor Weusthoff had seen it yet but were looking forward to it. PS, Weusthoff also said Meadowdale was better, tougher and more fun to drive than Riverside. I framed that Road&Track cover photo (from Zanardi on the Vortex forum) of Shelby, Augie and Jeffords many years ago and still cherish it!

[cameraman]

Hey, who hacked NismoZ's account and inserted those hyperlinks:rofl:

[NismoZ]

And, dummy me, how could I have forgotten!?...Augie was just inducted into the Motorsports Hall Of Fame! Congratulations!:thumbup::thumbup:...Oh, that would be www.mshf.com I see the presenter for Augie was Roger Penske. I remember seeing them share a Ferrari GTO at the RA 500 in..uhoh, '63? ...Yep, upon further review, that was the year Pabst and Weusthoff won the 500 in an Elva/Porsche (WAY less time in the pits than Dave McDonald and Bob Holbert in the gas guzzler Cobra!) AND Augie also finished 8th with Penske in the GTO! Busy day for the future Hall Of Famer.

[High Sided]

what about mid america raceway park. i remember rumors that paul newman wanted to by it in the late 80's and reopen the road course, i think it turned out to be a cruel april fools joke...
http://www.na-motorsports.com/Tracks/MO/MidAmerica.html

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Wentzville,+MO&ll=38.845891,-90.913367&spn=0.019941,0.041381&t=h&hl=en

[opinionated ow]

I always liked Hallet in Oklahoma and thought it would be a top short Indycar road circuit.
W5oD-FvYoIM

[NismoZ]

Went to Mid-America in Wentzville Mo. Also. Nice farm country course not unlike RA, Meadowdale and another one I only attended once in Indianola Iowa. Went to Lyndale Farms a couple of times too....It was Augie's return (after his horrendous wreck at Daytona) driving a Mecom Racing Ferrari GTO and Stirling Moss was there, as a retired guest not too long after his own career ending crash, calling it "a nice little club circuit." I remember Bud Gates in a Genie-Chev easily won the main event. The rear engine revolution was well underway! Must have been '64. Yes, the Midwest was a pretty nice place to be for a road race fan in the '60s-'70s.:) And "DonnyBrook" too...Don Skogmo and Brook Doren. First saw the Owens/Corning Fiberglass racing Team Corvettes of Tony DeLarenzo and Jerry Thompson at Blackhawk Farms near Beloit Wis. and a new kid just starting out, Al Holbert in a Porsche 914...#14 too, of course. No ghost, still an active track.

[High Sided]

sadly the 60's and early 70's race viewing for me was running home from school to catch speed racer.

[Napoleon]

sadly the 60's and early 70's race viewing for me was running home from school to catch speed racer.

You are just saying that. I reality you raced home to catch:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LWlw-OKIc2w/TkCLNPCavrI/AAAAAAAAGgs/QClHeapubac/s400/Penelope-Pitstop.jpg

(just joking)

[cameraman]

Yeah, I was right there too.

http://www.search-best-cartoon.com/images/wacky-races-05.gif

[High Sided]

and then there was Speed Buggy on Saturday's.
http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs45/f/2009/126/f/a/Speed_Buggy_Commish_by_Fourpanelhero.jpg
actually this is more how i recall it
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Y8m29ZLX5ag/SabxXJsZhbI/AAAAAAAACyg/5Ukm4gaLlY4/s400/SPEED+BUGGY+BLACK+2.jpg

[Tifosi24]

Went to Mid-America in Wentzville Mo. Also. Nice farm country course not unlike RA, Meadowdale and another one I only attended once in Indianola Iowa.

You would be the second person during my life who has mentioned the old circuit near Indianola, IA. My friend's step-father raced flat track during the '70s and is a huge race fan and spent plenty of time down at the circuit. I think the name was Greenway or Greendale. I just looked it up on Google Maps and the pavement still exists. I was bored once when I was home during college or high school (would have been about 10 years ago), so I drove down to the circuit (I grew up in Des Moines). When I was down there, it looks like the current owner uses it as a large earth moving equipment storage facility or as a large equipment training facility. The amount of elevation change is very similar to Road America, it would be great if the circuit could have made it.

[NismoZ]

Also for anyone interested you can see that retro Corvette one-off from our little "rally" at www.purerossi.com It sure sounded nice as it passed me but I have to say, we passed it twice at gas stations!:D In fact I'd say we easily won the fun/mileage-price stat!:thumbup:

[SurfaceUnits]

http://weburbanist.com/2012/02/12/tired-out-spains-abandoned-sitges-terramar-racetrack/