Fontana (?) Drags
Clearing out the in-box of my old d_allen e-mail before the account expires, here's a query from Richard Nunez of Pomona:
"A friend and I were talking about the upcoming Pomona Drags at the Fairplex. [No longer upcoming. -- DA]
"Then he said, Do you remember the Lions dragstrip? Yeah, sure do. Then he said, Do you remember the Fontana Drags? My mind went blank for just a moment. Yeah, I do. My folks would take us kids by there to hear them and see them race.
"OK, I was wondering if you can tell me when they started and when they stopped racing. It was on Foothill, I believe it was just past Vineyard going east on Foothill on the north side."
So the Fontana Drags were in Cucamonga? Hmm. Anybody able to shed some light on this?
* UPDATE: The dragstrip was in the present-day Village of Heritage neighborhood (see comments section for more) far, far east of Richard's memory. Sports Editor Lou Brewster gives extra details: "The strip ran north by east, east of East Avenue, by the San Sevaine flood control channel. The worst thing that happened there was a guy literally losing his head...Races usually ran on Sunday. It was part of a circuit that included Lions (Long Beach), Irwindale and Orange County."
I memory serves, they held drag races at the old California Speedway during the '70s. Could those be the Fontana drags of which Richard speaks?
["The old California Speedway"? Now I'm getting more confused. -- DA]
Oops - make that the old Ontario Motor Speedway.
[Got it. -- DA]
The Fontana drag strip was located about a mile east of Etiwanda Blvd on the north side of Foothill.
[That makes much more sense than "east of Vineyard." -- DA]
The Village of Heritage is built on at least part the old site. Just east of East Ave. on the east bank of Etiwanda Creek, roughly parallel to the power lines.
I've got a pdf of a flood control map that seems to be from the early '80s or late '70s. Dating clues are:
The 15 Fwy ends at Philadelphia, north of the 60.
The Ontario Motor Speedway is still shown.
The only new houses in Rancho east of Haven are the Rochester tract.
There is a little cluster of buildings at Rochester and Foothill - I presume the warehouse that now houses Omaha Jack's and of course the all-pink Cowgirl.
Anyway, the drag strip is labeled "Fontana International Raceway" on this map.
[Fontana International Raceway! It seems like the grander the name, the less impressive the actual facility. Thanks for the help, Steve. -- DA]
How disappointing. I was expecting an article about crossdressers on Sierra Ave. :(
Oh how I remember the Fontana Dragstrip. We used to race there on Saturday nights in the early '60s. Cost us $2.50 each car -- $1 admission, $1 to race and a $.50 pit pass. It was an IHRA certified track. I used to race my '56 Ford and my friend raced his '55 Buick Century. Never could beat him.
A club we knew used to bring their '55 Chevy with Buick V-8, '39 Ford trans (with Lincoln gears). Also used to race at the L.A. Fairgrounds on Sunday mornings. Of course in the late '60s, it was grudge night at the old Irwindale Dragstrip. Think we paid around $5 to race. I raced my '68 Road Runner (still have it). Never could get into the 13's. Oh well. Dave, thanks for the great memories!
[Hey, thank YOU for sharing yours. -- DA]
I remember Fontana well. It was my second home, and we raced our old 455 Olds dragster there. I also was there the night the guy lost his head in a bad crash. That was Les Richy, he drove a '65 or '66 orange Mustang for Russ Davis Ford in Covina. I have some old pictures also when Connie Kalitta, Art Arfong (Green Machine) jet rail and his brother Walt in the Calif. Kid ran there. Remember Dick Landy?