Mike Eddy 88 and Dick Trickle 99, 42 years ago today on February 8, 1980, at New Smyrna Speedway during Daytona Speedweeks.

Damn...that brings back memories! So many great drivers and cool cars that up to then we'd only see in the pages of Stock Car Racing magazine....Jr Hanley, Bob Sennecker, Alan Kulwicki, Mark Martin and Gary Balough to name a few. Plus, all the northern modified stars were there to start their season. Thanks Jack!

The speed they went then is just a tad slower that today. But that little bit of speed doubled the cost of racing.

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.

Or Nova Road go karts!

Go Kart City!!!!

We didn't find that place until the late 80's, but once we did, it was tough to stay away.  I remember Mark B and me bumping into you there one night way back when.

Lots of fun at Go Kart City.

Joe - The drag racing you mentioned was at the DeLand airport on Highway 92 on the north side of DeLand. This was ideal because it had a long runway originally used during WWII for pilot training. My uncle was in pilot school there back in the 40s. They drag raced cars (until 1967) and motorcycles (were still going on in 2009). During the time it was used, the airport was servicing mostly small planes and skydivers making it easy to fit in the racing. Deltona is actually 10+ miles south of DeLand along I4. Also the Spruce Creek Fly-In airport hosted NASCAR/NHRA dual sanctioned events in Feb 1963, then NASCAR (headed by Ed Otto) promoted drags on the backstretch at Daytona International Speedway before they moved it over to the DeLand Airport. This link shows all of the sites in Florida used for drag racing: Florida Drag Strip History (dragstriplist.com)

Thanks Tom. I'm not sure why I thought of the name Deltona other than there might have been a sign or a development along 92 on the way from DeLand to Daytona that had "Deltona" on it.  The track was definitely between Deland and Daytona.

I guess it was 1970 (first year that I went to Daytona) that I saw the Drag Races there during speedweek.  According to the website you provided:

"Then in 1970, the DeLand International Dragways group, led by Ray Bryant, got the city to approve a 3-day event that they held on February 19-21."

My Pics

Arkansas' Mark Martin #2 runs the high side of Gary Balough #112

Jim Bickerstaff #1 leads Joe Shear #36

Ohio's Mark Malcuit #70 tries the high line around Jim Bickerstaff #1

Starter Dick Brooks presents the Checkered Flag to Gary Balough

Lol, Brooksie looks scared shi* in that photo.  Is that Mario Rossi to his left?

Driving the Brady Brothers 00. New Smyrna 1988. The next lap was not pretty.

Kevin to the inside holding his line as he makes the clean pass on Trickle!

I heard the guy in the "2" car always tried harder, and still does.  Scott Ely

From left to right not sure of first person but then driver Bobby Henry, Jack StClair, Eddie Labertone, Rich Marinelli, other side I think John Marendino (car 84) , and Mike Sanchelli.