A Little Bit Of History Goes Up At Local Racing Museum

**RaceFan** · 03-15-2009, 12:28 PM

A little bit of history from the former Avilla Dragway went up on the wall of the Northeastern Indiana Racing Museum located inside the Kruse Automobile Museum Saturday. One of the Avilla Dragway signs that used to be on one of the buildings was donated by the former track Managers Tom & Pam Murphy. They now live out of state but they have donated numerous items to our museum to keep the memory of Avilla Dragway and raceway alive.
The sign is actually dark red with white lettering,but because of the lighting it made the sign look closer to a black background. If you have any items from Avilla Raceway or dragstrip you'd like to loan us or donate please contact me at 260-316-0966 or ksplace1@verizon.net

**denali** · 03-15-2009, 08:35 PM

What a blast from the past!!!! Thanks for keeping this history alive.

**troublesome one** · 03-15-2009, 08:36 PM

Cool! Great job!

Drag racing has gone through some tough times and has never been on the same level as USAC, IndyCar, CART, or NASCAR.

I'm old school so I still pine for the days of Bill Jenkins, Sox & Martin, Don Garlits, Don Schumacher, Don Prudhomme, etc.

**denali** · 03-15-2009, 08:47 PM

Originally Posted by troublesome one

Cool! Great job!

Drag racing has gone through some tough times and has never been on the same level as USAC, IndyCar, CART, or NASCAR.

I'm old school so I still pine for the days of Bill Jenkins, Sox & Martin, Don Garlits, Don Schumacher, Don Prudhomme, etc.

Hey, how about Cha Cha?

**troublesome one** · 03-15-2009, 09:26 PM

She was both Top Fuel & Funny Car. Gotta love her.

Heart Like A Wheel.

Jungle Jim Liberman, Ed McCullough, Bob Glidden, and (pre-NASCAR) Gapp & Roush.

Yes, THAT Jack Roush. Teamed with Wayne Gapp to build Pro Stock Pintos and then he built a 4-door Maverick dubbed the Tiajuana Taxi to take advantage of the small motor/long wheelbase weight break. Glidden (of Greenwoood, IN at the time) & Don Nicholson went with 1970 Mustangs to acheive the same advantage.

**RaceFan** · 03-16-2009, 11:00 AM

Lot's of us local motorheads spent alot of time at Avilla Dragway and the oval track.
But if you had a hopped up street car the dragway was the place to go and I have been scanning lots of stuff from Avilla Dragway Thanks to former track Managers Tom & Pam Murphy. If you'd like to take a trip back in time,and you might even see someone you know, go to:
http://tristateracing.freeforums.org...to-s-t314.html

After I picked up the Avilla Dragway sign Saturday morning I had to go right back past where the dragway and oval track once stood and I pulled in the drive to the commerence park and you can still see where the two lanes were for the dragstrip. Sitting there I could still see in my mind the return road and where they started from. One thing I do remember is that if you didn't get shut down in the runoff area, you were gonna go swimming.

**nathandiehl** · 03-16-2009, 11:15 AM

When was the track closed?
I don't think I ever realized there was a track there until once when I was driving my, someone pointed over and said, 'That's where the Avilla Raceway used to be.'

So you can still see the dragway strip? That would be cool. Where exactly is this strip located at?
Was it located to the east of Progress Way, or was it Progress that now sits where the raceway once ruled?

**blue adept** · 03-16-2009, 11:51 AM

I remember as a little kid in my Grandmothers woods, that I would never get lost. All I had to do was listen for the track and I would know which direction to head.

**ebbieday** · 03-16-2009, 12:59 PM

Originally Posted by nathandiehl

So you can still see the dragway strip? That would be cool. Where exactly is this strip located at?
Was it located to the east of Progress Way, or was it Progress that now sits where the raceway once ruled?

No, the strip was removed. It was just west of SR 3, I believe where McDonald's is now...back behind there. I used to work 2nd shift at Pent Plastics and we would step outside on Friday nights (at break time, of course) and listen and watch the cars fly by just down the way. We actually only attended one race there and I'm not sure exactly what year it closed down, but it had to be after 1995.

My Dad's buddy used to race a car there that he stored in our garage in Mishawaka MANY years ago. It had a long history and it's too bad they shut it down.

**kingster** · 03-16-2009, 01:48 PM

The circle track was right there and the drag strip was along the parking area to the west.

**nathandiehl** · 03-16-2009, 01:51 PM

Originally Posted by RaceFan

Lot's of us local motorheads spent alot of time at Avilla Dragway and the oval track.
But if you had a hopped up street car the dragway was the place to go and I have been scanning lots of stuff from Avilla Dragway Thanks to former track Managers Tom & Pam Murphy. If you'd like to take a trip back in time,and you might even see someone you know, go to:
http://tristateracing.freeforums.org...to-s-t314.html

Ahhh...I didn't read that close enough. Great photos there!

**RaceFan** · 03-16-2009, 05:23 PM

Originally Posted by nathandiehl

When was the track closed?
I don't think I ever realized there was a track there until once when I was driving my, someone pointed over and said, 'That's where the Avilla Raceway used to be.'

So you can still see the dragway strip? That would be cool. Where exactly is this strip located at?
Was it located to the east of Progress Way, or was it Progress that now sits where the raceway once ruled?

The asphalt is gone but you can still see where the strip was. Here is a 1992 overhead shot. The facility Opened in 1965 and closed September 15,1995.

**RaceFan** · 04-25-2009, 08:27 PM

We now have a Christmas Tree beside the Avilla Dragway sign that is a very close reproduction of the original one . We have a photo of the original tree and used that to build this one. It will be fully funtionable soon.