Six of the eight people inducted Sunday into the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fames class of 2012 had some sort of ties to the old track in Agawam, which closed in 1999. Looking for Riverside Park Speedway Photos - YankeeRacer.com . Created with Sketch. While the Daytona 500 took place in Florida Sunday, racing fans in western Massachusetts remembered when racing took place on a much shorter track in Agawam at the Riverside Park Speedway. West Virginia Motor Speedway. 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. North Riverside Park Mall, Broadview Village Square Shopping Center, Immaculate Heart of Mary High School, St. Joseph High School, Oakbrook Center and Yorktown Center. Riverside Park Speedway memories abound at New England Auto - masslive Racin' with Jason: Mario Fiore and Reggie Ruggiero - masslive Much of the coaster's second half (essentially everything north of, and including, the station and entrance queue), as well as more than half of the park's "D.C. Superhero Adventures" section, now sit on land once occupied by the track's racing surface. Other tracks in the area - Century Stadium in Springfield, Mass. The great Reggie Ruggiero closed the books with 98 modified feature wins, about a quarter of his career total, leading all drivers. We were there last Wednesday, with 25 teenagers, and they all This would have been around 1984. . Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. The Rocky Hill, Conn, driver was a crowd favorite at the old Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam, where he won three track championships (1979, 1984, 1988) and a record 93 feature races over 23. Bobby Dragon of Milton, Vt. won the first NASCAR Busch North Series event at Riverside Park Speedway on August 29, 1988. . Riverside Park Speedway was a 1/4-mile oval paved race track, located at the present site of Six Flags New England in Agawam, Massachusetts, one mile north of the Massachusetts - Connecticut state line. History. We hope that this is just the first of many events we will have with K1 Speed. WITH FRIENDS! "Riverside Park was like Daytona to me," Reggie Ruggiero recalled. Ten years ago. Do you remember Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam? The spectacles lasted until the late 1970s, with Krebs leading all multiple winners with six triumphs. 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. You grabbed food from the concessions and stopped by Shany Lorenzets photo booth before heading inside. The 1998 Riverside Park Modified Champion was Jimmy Broderick, Driving the Pruchnik Motorsports #42 Modified owned By Denis Pruchnik. Auto Racing Research Assoc. 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. In no way deterred, Carroll simply brought in stock cars for Riverside Parks first full season in 1949. His sons then managed the park and speedway while becoming active in racing themselves, with a new crew of helpers. Riverside Park, Agawam, MA - History With Photos Agawam, MA Gary J. Michnovetz, 65, died suddenly on Tuesday. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. I came from a little track, Plainville Stadium in Connecticut, a quarter mile, Ruggiero remembered. The track's last decade, the 1990s, saw more racing stars earn their stripes on the high banks at Riverside Park, including Marquis, who captured 3 consecutive modified championships from 1991 to 1993, Featherlite Modified Series stars Dan Avery and Chris Kopec and NASCAR Winston/Nextel Cup star Steve Park. ", "We had what I would call one of the most successful team events at K1 Speed Austin just last night. What a year as we transition onto dirt racing! Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Auto racing legend Rene Charland, of Agawam, dies at 84. It was a cant-miss business proposition, until amusement rides became more profitable than packed pits and stands. Veteran NASCAR driver and current spotter Tim Fedewa joined this weeks episode of Fast Car 2 NASCAR with Mike Wallace to talk more about his current role. had a wonderful time. RIVERSIDE PARK SPEEDWAY - speedwayandroadracehistory by ScottKo in RacingIn News, TRACK INFO UPDATE? In addition to that, the purses were increased. Jackson County Speedway. Riverside Park Speedway - Wikipedia The fans streamed, literally, straight from the rides to the bleachers. 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). Discussion. 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. WE MAKE IT EASY TO PLAN Home page [www.triadtechnologies.com] Indoor Kart Racing | K1 Speed racing fans remember Riverside Park Speedway WWLP-22News 58.1K subscribers 12 2.4K views 4 years ago While the Daytona 500 took place in Florida Sunday, racing fans in western. 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. Born in Ludlow to Read more Barbara (Cimino) Stefanik Passes at 69 By admin December 21, 2012 Riverside Park Speedway Riverside Park Speedway - The Third Turn 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. I wouldnt be surprised if you see us renting your facility in the future. Do you remember Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam? - WWLP SITE DESIGN BY. He started his interest in racing with Leo Matte at. He was an avid race car fan, a member of NASCAR. NASCAR replaced the Tattersalls in 1973, following what future promoter Ben Dodge described as a drivers strike. | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Accessibility Statement. The future international sports car star Phil Walters, still racing under his midget pseudonym of Ted Tappett, captured 14 of the 28 features, a record that still stood when Riverside finally closed. The Serv-U Auto Supply Pro Stocks were also a feature division in the NASCAR's Winston Shortrack Series in 1999. We Thank You Very Much for making this Carlys Tracks - Racing-Reference Rights Managed (RM) original photography 1983 David Allio. 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. "Wow!!! Courchesne, Shawn (June 17, 1999) "Final Lap for Riverside Speedway", Last edited on 30 December 2022, at 17:44, Riverside International Speedway (West Memphis, Arkansas), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Riverside_Park_Speedway&oldid=1130538742, This page was last edited on 30 December 2022, at 17:44. My last year, 1996, the paid attendance in the grandstand was 143,000 people. The 79-year-old Agawam, MA native began his career at the old. 44 Modified, much like Martin was fired four times as Steinbrenners New York Yankees manager. 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. Racing-reference.info is part of the NASCAR Digital Media Network. Jerry Marquis and ageless Bob Polverari emerged as big winners in the 1990s, with Polverari taking five titles aboard the Bill Pelly No. The park was shuttered during the Great Depression, but was reopened by Edward Carroll in 1940. Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam drew in racing fans from throughout the Northeast for about 50 years. - hosted events on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, making it possible for some of Riverside Park's early stars to race in the area almost every night of the week.
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