The 79-year-old Agawam, MA native began his career at the old. 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 The fans streamed, literally, straight from the rides to the bleachers. It could trace its roots to just after the Civil War, when Gallup's Grove opened as a picnic area in Agawam, nearly across the Connecticut River from the industrial city of Springfield, Mass. Riverside Park. - Gallery - Ron Wetzler | racersreunion.com 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. Auto Racing Research Assoc. Riverside Park Speedway - Facebook Riverside, both the amusement park and speedway, was an institution in its community. There will be a host of Riverside events throughout EXPO, including autograph sessions. and the Exposition Fairgrounds in West Springfield, Mass. 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. Did you miss Kyle Buschs dramatic win at Talladega, or Brandon Overtons $50,000 triumph? I came from a little track, Plainville Stadium in Connecticut, a quarter mile, Ruggiero remembered. The tiny, flat confines forced drivers to bump and bang their way to the front, which often triggered fisticuffs in the pit area, jammed between the backstretch and the river. Paved Oval located in Agawam, MA: Track Status: Razed (Opened: 1948 --- Closed: 1999) TOURING SERIES & MAJOR EVENTS ; Date Sanction Ruggiero told a story that some knew, but others didnt, about a decision that might have changed the face of NASCAR history. In its place he built a 1/5th mile oval speedway track featuring grand stand seating. Rene Charland - AKA "The Champ" - won three NASCAR national Modified titles in the 1960s. Riverside Park Speedway Formerly Known As: Riverside Park Stadium.250 mi./0.402 km. While the focus of the auto racing world will be on Daytona Beach, Florida this weekend, there is plenty of racing heritage here in western Massachusetts. West Virginia Motor Speedway. This page is not available in other languages. In no way deterred, Carroll simply brought in stock cars for Riverside Parks first full season in 1949. Five-time track champion Bob Polverari won the final race, after which participants started digging up pieces of the track asphalt for souvenirs. All rights reserved (About Us). Fiore shared stories of how his team would often struggle to get back home after races they had won, since most payouts were made by check and no banks were open late at night. Henry J. Perkins transformed the picnic grove into an amusement park more than 100 years ago with the addition of mechanical rides like The Giant Dip, an early roller coaster. The company changed its own name to Six Flags, Inc., and rebranded the park Six Flags: New England for the opening of the 2000 season. Sun, 01/30/2022 . The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing began sanctioning events at Riverside Park Speedway in 1976. Riverside Park, Agawam, MA - History With Photos This would have been around 1984. He is eighth on the track's all-time win list. Due to this variability, ALWAYS check with the tracks DIRECTLY via their individual websites to confirm actual racing before you travel! Riverside Park Speedway Demolition Derby & Figure 8 Racing Agawam Mass We had sponsorship for every race. The Carroll family added a speedway, brought in musical acts and added many new rides in the decades that followed. 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 Gallups Grove before that). Riverside Park Speedway memories abound at . Route 322 Detour Update. Of those six, two will never be more closely linked to one another than the driver-owner combination of Reggie Ruggiero and Mario Fiore. Meet. (Dick Berggren photo), The Motorsports Authority - Copyright 2014-2023 - Turn 3 Media, LLC All Rights Reserved. Galex Fox, left, and Dave Darland, right. History By Decade Riverside Park Speedway ("The Park") was built in 1948. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. by ScottKo in RacingIn News, Bay Area Modifieds bringing IMCA Racing back to Emerald Coast NOTE: ANY RACE DATES POSTED ON THIS PROFILE ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE BASED ON WEATHER, TRACK CONDITIONS, AND MANY OTHER THINGS. It was common to have up to 60 modifieds in the pits, all vying for spots in a 50-lap feature that started only 20 cars because the track was so small. It needed help to survive. The track closed in 1999 to make. Ladies and gentlemen, tonight, Jocko Maggiacomo has a new engine in his car! I cant think of any race track where the drivers exhibited themselves as well as they did at Riverside.. "I would like to Thank You so much for making Carly's 17th birthday party GREAT!!!! SPEED SPORTs Alan Cavanna catches you up on that and more in this weeks edition of Sealed Under Pressure Spotlight presented by Cometic Gasket. 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. Riverside Park Speedway memories abound at . We had bigger numbers on a Saturday than the amusement park did. Our staff cant stop talking about how much fun we had, and they keep asking when we are going to do it again!! There was no back gate fee. We always seemed hampered by a breakdown in communication, Fiore, of Agawam, said in his acceptance speech. The park was shuttered during the Great Depression, but was reopened by Edward Carroll in 1940. Riverside Park Speedway ("The Park") was built in 1948. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Did you miss a thrilling Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte, or David Gravels Tri-City triumph? Riverside Park in Agawam, Massachusetts began as a trolley park in 1840. 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. by KyleBrinkmannRacing in KyleBrinkmanRacing, a racer from Elkhorn, WI, Top Tips For Online Race Track Promotion Agawam, MA Gary J. Michnovetz, 65, died suddenly on Tuesday. Next, widening and steepening the corners to a full quarter-mile. Riverside Park Speedway was one of the most successful short tracks in America between 1992 and 1996. NASCAR replaced the Tattersalls in 1973, following what future promoter Ben Dodge described as a drivers strike. We are going to have an extremely hard time getting our team to agree to anything else but K1 Speed for our future events. Riverside Park. The natural athlete, Gene Bergin, was another star. All rights reserved (About Us). YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Adults and Juniors 48 and Up, Junior Birthday Parties WITH FRIENDS! That was when midgets raced seven nights a week in New England. 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. 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. With his good history at the Sacramento Mile, his eyes are set on the May 13th race for another win. YOUR PARTY AND CELEBRATE 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. . You knew Rene Charland was the bad guy and Buddy Krebs was a good guy. (Republican file photo) Staff-Shot 20 / 28 Republican file photo Vintage photos:. navigation, search. The picnic grove was repurposed as an amusement park and opened its first roller coaster in 1912. Jackson County Speedway. No Reservation Required The 1970s were a decade of change for the facility, as physical and managerial changes were put into place that made the track what it was until its final season.
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