Six of the eight people inducted Sunday into the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame's class of 2012 had some sort of ties. Truex Jr. Ends 54-Race Winless Streak At Dover, WoO LMS Notes: $50,000 To Win In Wisconsin, More Than 60 Hours Of Indy Coverage On NBC Platforms, Perez Leads Red Bull One-Two In Azerbaijan. It needed help to survive. 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. This would have been around 1984. Use THIS BUTTON to share this track's profile with your friends! History. The Carroll family added a speedway, brought in musical acts and added many new rides in the decades that followed. Route 322 Detour Update. Twitter Link Riverside Park Speedway Formerly Known As: Riverside Park Stadium.250 mi./0.402 km. It was quite a ride for Fiore, who got into ownership in 1969, when he put $300 into a car purchased by a friend. He declined, citing his growing family, and the seat was offered to an up-and-comer from Missouri named Rusty Wallace. Everything was perfect and from the bottom EAST WINDSOR, Conn. - The legacy of Riverside Park Speedway lives on. Riverside Park Speedway memories abound at . Ruggiero told a story that some knew, but others didnt, about a decision that might have changed the face of NASCAR history. Agawam, MA Racing on a tight track for 150 laps with 25 veteran competitors can sometimes be an unmistakable comparison to a championship boxing match, toe-to-toe for 15 rounds. History By Decade Riverside Park Speedway ("The Park") was built in 1948. In both cases, few could argue with the results. I was never on a banked track, racing with that caliber of drivers before. That place was just so exciting and so dramatic, Dr. Dick Berggren, a longtime attendee and recipient of the NASCAR Hall of Fames Squier-Hall Award, remembered. He started his interest in racing with Leo Matte at. The facility is fabulous - lots of space to spread out, clean and well maintained, and the . Ten years ago. 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 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. BRINKMANN RECORDS BEST BMARA FINISH OF SEASON Thank you, K1 Speed!!!! West Virginia International Speedway. Dodge, who still announces races and owns race cars, opted to take his leave, saying now that my reign at Riverside Park was such an important part of my life that I believed it was mine. 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. 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. We hope that this is just the first of many events we will have with K1 Speed. Again, thank you for your professionalism and management of K1 Speed in Sacramento. Matts father, Mark Wiernasz was a track announcer there, in addition to working for decades as our assignment manager here at 22News. Another exciting development in 1997 was the acquisition of the park by Oklahoma-based Premier Parks, Inc., parent company of Six Flags, the world's largest regional theme park company. The Riverside Park track expanded every time Carroll repaved it, first to an almost-quarter with a little banking. It was like going from a Volkswagen to a Cadillac; Riverside Park was like Daytona to me. Agawam, MA Gary J. Michnovetz, 65, died suddenly on Tuesday. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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The great Reggie Ruggiero closed the books with 98 modified feature wins, about a quarter of his career total, leading all drivers. Stafford Motor Speedway in Connecticut and Monadnock Speedway in New Hampshire are just some of the local options within driving distance. The track's final reconfiguration and repaving to15 degree banking would be added in the mid 1980s. He resided in West Springfield and Agawam all his life. Rene Charland - AKA "The Champ" - won three NASCAR national Modified titles in the 1960s. Photo courtesy of John Mahoney, USAC. A team rich in winning was, as he said, cash poor.. He was currently employed at Boardwalk Auto Sales in South Windsor, CT. Do you remember Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam? YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. After a rowdy drivers' strike, it became clear that UNITED could no longer hold its own at Riverside Park, and that organization cleared the path for another popular organization to take charge of the track. KGM Video has been the leader in Racing Video Productions since 1981 and has a vast library of videos from 1980's, 1990's to the Present, plus Vintage Videos dating to the 1950's.KGM Video has produced videos of racing action at the Riverside Park Speedway, Stafford Motor Speedway, Thompson Speedway and others. You grabbed food from the concessions and stopped by Shany Lorenzets photo booth before heading inside. open to all that raced at riverside park speedway no matter what car-truck demo-enduro-figure 8 & 4 cylinder-strickly-late model-modified ya drove! Riverside was a fifth back then. navigation, search. I was just a kid and my favorite was Art Rousseau out of Keene, N.H.. The popular competitor, a one time Florida racer and crew chief for noted car owner/builder Mario Fiore, would also win the last Whelen Modified Tour race at the famed Riverside Park Speedway, Agawam, MA., and claim that tracks final championship for the modified division prior to its 1999 closing. 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. Ruggiero, who drove for 19 different car owners in a career that began in the late 1960s, noted the special bond the two will have as driver and owner and as Hall of Famers. Veteran drivers like 5 time Riverside Park Speedway Track Champion Bob Polverari and Riversides All Time winningest driver John ("Reggie"/"The Reg") Ruggiero continued to earn wins and championships throughout the decade. Gary J. Michnovetz, 65, died suddenly on Tuesday. But it's been 15 years since Riverside Park Speedway disappeared from the Southern New England Racing landscape. The speedway was closed, and razed, after Polverari copped the final modified feature in 1999. 711. Riverside Park Speedway was one of the most successful short tracks in America between 1992 and 1996. View source. 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. Ed Carroll died in 1979. David Allio | Racing Photography Archives, Original motorsports photos from historic archives by David Allio, Riverside Park Speedway | Agawam Massachusetts Sun, 01/30/2022 . 77 Peros Dr., Agawam, Mass. 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. The facility was incredible, the staff was engaging, and our entire group had a blast! It was more like an adventure.. by ScottKo in RacingIn News, TRACK INFO UPDATE? By admin January 26, 2013 Riverside Park Speedway Charlie Jones, 1941 - 2013 Charles Ernest Jones, 71, lifelong Agawam resident, passed away Wednesday January 23rd at the VA Boston Healthcare in West Roxbury, MA. The theory was that an entertainer doesnt pay to walk on stage, he explained. 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. "I would like to Thank You so much for making Carly's 17th birthday party GREAT!!!! Rights Managed (RM) original photography 1983 David Allio. 1948 - RIVERSIDE PARK SPEEDWAY To capitalize on the nations new found attraction to Auto Racing following the 2nd World War, Riverside Amusement Park owner Richard J Caroll demolished a dance hall in 1948. 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. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 4/4/2023), Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/26/2023). The teams decision to forgo any changes paid great dividends as the Pontiac Grand Prix ran fast and consistent on long runs throughout the evening. Bay Area Modifieds bringing IMCA Racing back to Emerald Coast, Rivalry Renewed: Lanigan & Richards Set To Face Off In 2015 As Richards Returns To Full-Time World of Outlaws Competition, Track Promoters Get FREE Promotion with RacingIn.com's Track Directory and Race Dates Page, Interest in Grassroots Racing Grows 40% in 2014 With Great Opportunities Ahead in 2015, Fans of Fast Name Their Favorite Track of 2014. We never pushed the back gate because you didnt go in through the back gate.. . We are going to have an extremely hard time getting our team to agree to anything else but K1 Speed for our future events. Western Mass. Reigning AFT Singles champion Kody Kopp is trying to hit a grand slam this season.
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