It could trace its roots to just after the Civil War, when Gallups Grove opened as a picnic area in Agawam, nearly across the Connecticut River from the industrial city of Springfield, Mass. Ed Carroll died in 1979. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. It was a great experience., SPEEDSPORT.com is a part of the NASCAR Digital Media Network, The cars line up for the Riverside 500. There was no back gate fee. New Detour. Use THIS BUTTON to share this track's profile with your friends! By admin January 26, 2013 Riverside Park Speedway Charlie Jones, 1941 - 2013 Charles Ernest Jones, 71, lifelong Agawam resident, passed away Wednesday January 23rd at the VA Boston Healthcare in West Roxbury, MA. For all the victories the two had together at tracks from Riverside to Florida they were also, in a sense, New England racings version of Billy Martin and George Steinbrenner. The reunion will be held on Aug. 31 at the Polish Club in Agawam. Rt 305, 307 and 322 streets will detour due to an event in Forest Park. We carry brands such as Parker, Enerpac, NoShok, Daman, Hiwin, UR Robot, Robotiq, Schunk, Rechner Sensors, SICK sensors, Weidmuller, Dixon and many more! WITH FRIENDS! The drivers were characterized by maybe the best short-track announcer Ive ever heard, a guy named Tom Galon. "Riverside Park was like Daytona to me," Reggie Ruggiero recalled. NASCAR North Tour Race Recaps. The winner of the first NASCAR-sanctioned event was Bob Polverari. Drivers such as Ted Tappet, Benny Germano, Jocko Maggiacomo, Jerry Humiston, Ed Flemke and Buddy Krebs were the drivers to beat throughout the 1950s. and well maintained, and the staff was so nice and very helpful and The flathead-powered stock cars evolved into modifieds; Berggren recalls the great Eddie Flemke gunning down a field of overheads with his flathead during this period. by KyleBrinkmannRacing in KyleBrinkmanRacing, a racer from Elkhorn, WI, What a year as we transition onto dirt racing! Veteran drivers like 5 time Riverside Park Speedway Track Champion Bob Polverari and Riversides All Time winningest driver John ("Reggie"/"The Reg") Ruggiero continued to earn wins and championships throughout the decade. Party Rooms and Catering Available, Adults and Teens [1] In 2000 when the park re-opened as Six Flags New England, the race track was demolished and the DC Universe themed area (including the roller coaster Superman The Ride) was built in its place. by KyleBrinkmannRacing in KyleBrinkmanRacing, a racer from Elkhorn, WI, BMARA RACERS HELP EACH OTHER Again, thank you for your professionalism and management of K1 Speed in Sacramento. NASCAR adopted the tour-type format and Riverside was a regular stop for 200-lap modified mains. Glossary Tweet. Following the park's 1999 season, Premier Parks, Inc. made several major changes that directly affected the speedway. The 1960s were popular years for stock car racing at Riverside Park. Do you remember Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam? by KyleBrinkmannRacing in KyleBrinkmanRacing, a racer from Elkhorn, WI, Top Tips For Online Race Track Promotion legend Roland Pappy Lapierre Sr., car and engine builder Jim Jorgenson, 1987 Busch North Series champion Joey Kid Kourafas and Irene Venditti, widow of Seekonk Speedway founder D. Anthony Venditti. In its place laid out a flat 1/5-mile oval track, pit area and grandstand alongside the Connecticut River. Due to this variability, ALWAYS check with the tracks DIRECTLY via their individual websites to confirm actual racing before you travel! Western Mass. Youtube Link The facility is fabulous - lots of space to spread out, clean and well maintained, and the . In the United States, speedways have been variously located next to junkyards, jammed next to suburban sprawl and occasionally plopped in the middle of their hometowns. That place was just so exciting and so dramatic, Dr. Dick Berggren, a longtime attendee and recipient of the NASCAR Hall of Fames Squier-Hall Award, remembered. No Reservation Required by ScottKo in RacingIn News, Rivalry Renewed: Lanigan & Richards Set To Face Off In 2015 As Richards Returns To Full-Time World of Outlaws Competition This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. It was a cant-miss business proposition, until amusement rides became more profitable than packed pits and stands. We will definitely be back in the future. Internal Link . Enter your email address to subscribe to this album and receive free notifications of new posts by email. navigation, search. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. He stated to me that the race track was no longer holding its own. A / V Equipped Rooms, Franchise Info| Partner Program|Corporate Partnerships|Fundraisers & Donations|Contact|Employees, 2023 K1Speed Inc. All rights reserved. This would have been around 1984. When Riverside closed, Eddy Carroll III, the founders grandson, owned four consecutive pro stock championships. Pennsboro Speedway. I was doing things to the very best of my ability.. He started his interest in racing with Leo Matte at. Its been a long journey to get here to the NEAR Hall of Fame, said Fiore, who had been selling race photographs at Riverside while studying at Western New England College. You have set the bar pretty high, and the fun factor is off the charts!! West Virginia International Speedway. The pit area was alongside theConnecticut River with large Grandstands being built on the hill leading from the amusement park down to the race track. . The track closed at the end of the 1999 season. Click on the race number to see the results of that race. Five-time track champion Bob Polverari won the final race, after which participants started digging up pieces of the track asphalt for souvenirs. West Virginia Motor Speedway. He resided in West Springfield and, He was an avid race car fan, a member of NASCAR. Berggren recalls seeing the same stock cars that dotted garages and gas stations in his hometown of Manchester, Conn., flailing away around Riversides diminutive oval. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Due to this variability, ALWAYS check with the tracks DIRECTLY via their individual websites to confirm actual racing before you travel! I was never on a banked track, racing with that caliber of drivers before. The 1999 season featured the NAPA Modifieds as the NASCAR Winston Racing Series feature division, along with the Serv-U Auto Supply Pro Stocks, Teddy Bear Pools Trucks, Sportsman, Super Stocks and Figure 8's. The New England Antique Racers will host a 15-year reunion of the anniversary of the closing of the old Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam, Massachusetts. Born in Ludlow to Read more Barbara (Cimino) Stefanik Passes at 69 By admin December 21, 2012 Riverside Park Speedway From seventhto secondTO THE LEAD Dale Nottestad is our featured driver on this weeks Fight For The Flag for his rebound performance at the Big 8 Late Model Spring Classic at Rockford Speedway. Adults and Juniors 48 and Up, Junior Birthday Parties Our qualifying has been just terrible, Moore admitted. Jerry Marquis and ageless Bob Polverari emerged as big winners in the 1990s, with Polverari taking five titles aboard the Bill Pelly No. Jocko Jr., followed a different path, racing sportscars with the SCCA. There will be a host of Riverside events throughout EXPO, including autograph sessions. Race Date . Paved Oval located in Agawam, MA: Track Status: Razed (Opened: 1948 --- Closed: 1999) TOURING SERIES & MAJOR EVENTS ; Date Sanction Invaders that raced at "The Park" seeking NASCAR National Modified Championship points included Richie Evans, Jerry Cook, Geoff Bodine, Jim Spencer, John Blewitt Jr and "Captain Sizzle" Mark Malcuit from Ohio, some would go on to become champions in several of NASCAR's top series. Henry J. Perkins. If there were two worms crawling out of a hole, he could turn it into a race that had you on the edge of your seat. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. They had a BLAST! Matt Wiernasz is an auto racing journalist and photographer himself, and has fond memories . Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam, MA - RacingIn.com NOTE: ANY RACE DATES POSTED ON THIS PROFILE ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE BASED ON WEATHER, TRACK CONDITIONS, AND MANY OTHER THINGS. Riverside Park in Agawam was a gathering spot for fun as far back as the late 19th century when it was known as Riverside Grove (and Gallup's Grove before that). Rene Charland, affectionately known to many racing fans simply as The Champ could use some well-wishes from his fans. It was quite a ride for Fiore, who got into ownership in 1969, when he put $300 into a car purchased by a friend. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. For the 2nd consecutive week Moore was unable to crack the top-10 in qualifying, this evening he was 16th fastest among the 30-car field. Did you miss a thrilling Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte, or David Gravels Tri-City triumph? 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. The Carroll family added a speedway, brought in musical acts and added many new rides in the decades that followed. We always seemed hampered by a breakdown in communication, Fiore, of Agawam, said in his acceptance speech. The Carroll family sold out to the Six Flags chain in 1998, two years after Dodge departed and NASCARs Dave Deery became Riverside Parks final promoter. Bobby Dragon of Milton, Vt. won the first NASCAR Busch North Series event at Riverside Park Speedway on August 29, 1988. Second place finisher Chuck Bown of Portland, Ore. now drives on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series while third place finisher Dale Shaw of Center Conway, N.H. recently moved to the NASCAR Busch Series. Imagine, instead, a speedway that shared its real estate with an amusement park, giving it a constant stream of potential fans, plus a picturesque location between towering rides and a lazily flowing river. Despite the gathering fiscal clouds, the Dodge era at Riverside was spectacular, with Stan Greger, John Rosati and Mike Stefanik capturing track titles in the modifieds. accommodating. WWLP-22News 57.9K subscribers Subscribe 2.9K views 4 years ago Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam drew in racing fans from throughout the. Evonsion, Bob Polverari, Reggie Ruggiero and others. Of those six, two will never be more closely linked to one another than the driver-owner combination of Reggie Ruggiero and Mario Fiore. open to all that raced at riverside park speedway no matter what car-truck demo-enduro-figure 8 & 4 cylinder-strickly-late model-modified ya drove! Riverside Park Speedway | Agawam Massachusetts. Riverside Park in Agawam, Massachusetts began as a trolley park in 1840. (Mass Appeal) - Built in 1948, Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam was home to some of the most exciting local auto racing for more than 50 years before the track closed down in 1999. History. Riverside, both the amusement park and speedway, was an institution in its community. Just a heads up, there is a Riverside Park Speedway sponsored car show at Agawam Rotary Club on October 26th, if you're a New Englander like myself. This scenario was played out Saturday evening at Riverside Park Speedway, where Kelly Moore put on a superb display of racing enroute to a 2nd place finish. The teams decision to forgo any changes paid great dividends as the Pontiac Grand Prix ran fast and consistent on long runs throughout the evening. Truex Jr. Ends 54-Race Winless Streak At Dover, WoO LMS Notes: $50,000 To Win In Wisconsin, More Than 60 Hours Of Indy Coverage On NBC Platforms, Perez Leads Red Bull One-Two In Azerbaijan. Our staff cant stop talking about how much fun we had, and they keep asking when we are going to do it again!! NASCAR replaced the Tattersalls in 1973, following what future promoter Ben Dodge described as a drivers strike. Things were getting very stagnant at Riverside, so they decided to introduce the pro stocks as the lead division, Dodge explained, adding that the modified seemed a better fit at larger tracks than within Riversides confines. 1960's. The drivers are as listed: #12 Skip Barna, #111 Ronnie Mayer,#2x Charlie Brayton, #20 Jack Lecuyer, #98 Ray Sharron, #83 Al Jansing. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Dodge, who still announces races and owns race cars, opted to take his leave, saying now that my reign at Riverside Park was such an important part of my life that I believed it was mine. by ScottKo in Profile Tips For Users, Interest in Grassroots Racing Grows 40% in 2014 With Great Opportunities Ahead in 2015 Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Riverside Rides Again will feature fascinating displays dedicated to the proud history of Riverside, complete with race cars from every era, photos, videos, memorabilia and many of the people who raced there. To tell us about track being opened or closed, re-named, or anything else, please, If you know this track to still be in operation or under a different name, please. History By Decade Riverside Park Speedway ("The Park") was built in 1948. Rene Charland - AKA "The Champ" - won three NASCAR national Modified titles in the 1960s. Riverside Park Speedway memories abound at . The Riverside Park track expanded every time Carroll repaved it, first to an almost-quarter with a little banking. When intermission came, you hit your favorite rides, safe in the knowledge that Galon would call you back in plenty of time. He was born in West Spring-field, son of the late John and Mafalda Mich-novetz and graduated from West Springfield High School Class of 1962. BRINKMANN RECORDS BEST BMARA FINISH OF SEASON, KyleBrinkmanRacing, a racer from Elkhorn, WI. Photo courtesy of John Mahoney, USAC. Moore, the Busch North Series all-time Pole winner, has yet to display his qualifying expertise thus far in 1998. THE (Riverside) ROLLAWAY, Agawam, Massachusetts Blunk, Bill RIP 1924-2003 Oaks Park Skating Rink, Portland, Oregon Viking Roller Rink, Astoria, Oregon (1960's) . May 16, 1983 - Agawam - A newly-constructed Riverside Park roller coaster is shown from a nearby potato Farm. The popular competitor, a one time Florida racer and crew chief for noted car owner/builder Mario Fiore, would also win the last Whelen Modified Tour race at the famed Riverside Park Speedway, Agawam, MA., and claim that tracks final championship for the modified division prior to its 1999 closing. Rights Managed (RM) original photography 1983 David Allio. Stock Car Racing Wiki is a FANDOM TV Community. Another exciting development in 1997 was the acquisition of the park by Oklahoma-based Premier Parks, Inc., parent company of Six Flags, the world's largest regional theme park company. The theory was that an entertainer doesnt pay to walk on stage, he explained. When amusement park giant Six Flags took over Riverside Park in Agawam, one of the first steps it took was eliminating a local icon - the famed quarter-mile speedway. Private group 6,043 Members. It would grow to attract the Northeast's best drivers. He declined, citing his growing family, and the seat was offered to an up-and-comer from Missouri named Rusty Wallace. Beckley Speedway USA. Wisconsin. First, let me tell you how SPEED SPORTs Alan Cavanna catches you up on that and more in this weeks edition of Sealed Under Pressure Spotlight presented by Cometic Gasket. The park was shuttered during the Great Depression, but was reopened by Edward Carroll in 1940. A local entrepreneur named Ed Carroll began a family dynasty at Riverside Park by buying it in 1939. by ScottKo in RacingIn News, Fans of Fast Name Their Favorite Track of 2014 I was just a kid and my favorite was Art Rousseau out of Keene, N.H.. Looking for something special to get your mom for Mothers Day? Before I had my license, my dad would drive me to the races and the big deal on my birthday was when I would have my friends over to the house for my moms spaghetti and meatballs, and then wed go to Riverside Park and cheer for our favorites, Berggren said.
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