New Smryna 2/8/80  

In the 70's and 80's, we split our nights (in the same year) going to Barberville (Volusia Co) and then maybe the next night, going to New Smyrna.  Kind of strange in that being a dirt fan, you would think New Smyrna wouldn't be on our playlist, but there was always something about the cars and the track that even though it was paved, we always wanted to split up our nights between the two tracks (Barberville on a Wed... New Smyrna on Thursday... then maybe back to Barberville on Friday, etc.,.)

I'm not sure about this, but I think I remember Dick Trickle at New Smyrna in a purple Mustang #99 probably sometime around the mid 70's.  As soon as I saw the #99 in Jack's picture above I figured it was Trickle, but for some reason I don't remember that particular car.

I doubt if anyone else would remember this but in the very early 70's they had "The DeLand Dirt Track Classics" held just west of Deland in what was basically a whole dug down into the ground with spectators parked around the upper rim.  I don't think there were stands.  Definitely something some locals threw together knowing that there were thousands of racefans in town looking for something to do.  (We stayed at the Hotel Putnam in '71... right around this same time... what a dive!)

Right around that same time (1970 or 1971) they had drag races at the airport on Rt 92, between Deland and Daytona... (Maybe near Deltona?)  I remember it being kind of the same deal as I don't remember it feeling like a real permanent racing facility, but doing what racefans do, while in Florida for all of speedweeks, we were going to find somewhere to go watch fast cars.