An email about the Willie's Pie Wagon kicked in my mental time machine...
Back in the 1960s with it's grand opening in 1963 and operating until 1966, Ramona Drag Strip was the place to race in San Diego. It was called San Diego Raceway and drew nationally known drag racers to run the strip. The venture was put together by Paul and Bob Darrough who leased the land next to the Ramona Airport, Lou Castenagna and Ray Richards also came in as managing partners. This was an effort to get kids racing on the streets like El Cajon Boulevard in San Diego to take it to a track.
The effort was successful as attendance varied into the thousands as kids came to watch or take part in the racing with special events, such as match racing with well know drivers or jet-engined cars drawing as many as 7,000 spectators. A new track in Carlsbad, called Carlsbad Raceway basically closed the doors on Ramona's strip.
This was nostalgia racing at it's best, no line-locks or computers doing the work. If you ran an automatic, belly up to the line, plant one foot on the brakes, the other on the accelerator, watch the count down on the Christmas tree and let her rip.
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A fan favorite was the Willie's Pie Wagon running a flathead.
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| Two Hemi Rails. Image via Schneider Cams |
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| San Diego Raceway. Image via Schneider Cams |
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| San Diego Raceway. Image via Schneider Cams |
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| In the later years the name was changed to San Diego Dragway. Notice the Drew Ford sign from La Mesa, CA. |
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San Diego Raceway. Image via Schneider Cams
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Cool blog! When I was about 7 I had a brother-in-law who helped build the rear-engined roadster shown above. He was a good guy who picked me up super early in the morning, then we went down to the shop on 35th and University where the car was worked on, loaded it up and out we went to Ramona where it ran like a top throughout the day. I still remember Joaquin Arnette's name as the main guy on the team and can see his name listed on the car. Jim Weir was my B-I-L. Hope he's still out there doing his high-horsepower thing. Good times.
ReplyDeleteThanks Gary...I'm always looking for cool ol' photos.
DeleteHere's one for ya'. Can you remember the Dodge Chargers Racing Team? Charlie Allen brought one of the 3 cars that were built to my high school in '65. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10201349629126037&set=a.3410800152097.2161414.1332797390&type=1&relevant_count=1&ref=nf
DeleteThat's a very cool shot at Ramona!
DeleteWillies Pie Wagon was my dads race car along with his partner Willy Wilson.They owned T&W Garage in Vista. They also had the Twister. Ive been looking for old photos of his car for years.
DeleteThank you for the post
Rick Lopez
willy was the first person I met in drag racing when he was with the twisters. Also raced against his flathead fueler with my supercharged chevy gas dragster many times especially at ramona
DeleteVery cool part of local racing history. I remember hearing the roar of the engines at the dragstrip when I was a young kid. My father-in-law ran a Willys Coupe there in 1965 I think. I knew Paul and Bob Darrough but was too young to go (according to my dad). My wife's uncle took a lot of photos there when he was running a 1966 427 Chevy Biscayne.
ReplyDeleteMy father, Richard Brady Mears started the Romona drag strip in 1959-1960 as he owned the property. He owned the Eagle Ranch and the Monticeto Ranch next to that property which he owned. He had 2000 acres total not including the lots where he built small houses in downtown Romona. He also sponsored local rodeos on the Eagle Ranch property in 1958. He also owned the property next to it that was a cinder bock building where he had a business called Thermo Manufacturing where he built English sports car tops. That didn't work out so well as none of the top every perfectly fit the English car that were hand built and no 2 were alike. Later it became a egg processing plant. My brother Paul Mears still lives in the SD area and he can confirm all of this data. you can reach him at pmears@roadrunner.com I hope this adding to the history. brianmears@hotmail.com
ReplyDeletemy dad and i owned willies pie wagon back in the mid 90s early 2000s.
ReplyDeleteAny chance of a record of winners or participants at these races? I recently bought a " barn find " which has a San Diego raceway sticker on the window. Would love to know if the owner had any luck there.
ReplyDeleteMaybe someone will know....
DeleteJohn
Looking for info about a dragster oned by dick Lachine and Lee drake
ReplyDeleteMy dad wayne shadinger helped with the team they raced at Ramona calif
Went to Ramona a couple times while I was in the Navy at North Island. Saw some really cool stuff. One motorcycle with a chain saw engine no clutch. Partner held the rear wheel off the ground at the line then dropped the spinning machine when the light came on. WOW it went 105 mph every time.
ReplyDelete