The HIDDEN HISTORY of 411 Dragway - Abandoned Drag Strip in Seymour, TN
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- Опубліковано 18 лис 2023
- Tragedy, lawsuits and management issues...411 Dragway was riddled with conflict, starting literally on its first day of operation in May of 1969. It was on that day Floyd James crashed his nitro-burning front engine dragster at more than 165 miles per hour. The crash on opening night took Floyd's life and his wife later sued the track. Less than one month after the track opened, local neighbors filed charges against the track owners because the track "lowered their property value". Neighbors would continue to complain, and the track was "permanently" closed in 1971...only to reopen a few days later and then host an IHRA points race later in the same month. The fact that this track didn't close within its first 5 years is astonishing.
Numerous ownership and management changes caused issues throughout the round track and drag strip's historic run. 411 Motor Speedway was a 3/8-mile dirt oval, which was paved in the '90s and went back to dirt about 15 years later. 411 Motor Speedway opened in 1963, and 411 Dragway opened in 1969. The drag strip weathered all sorts of conflict and bad fortune, but remained in business until it was closed in 2014. The McCarter family had purchased the facility a few years before, and the primary focus was on the dirt track. When the drag strip closed, its property was used as additional pit parking for dirt track cars.
Many locally legends raced at 411 Dragway...some were known by their names, and some were known by their car's name, because back then, most drag cars had big personalities. Cars like the Grey Ghost, Jus' Ta Boogie'n, Sneaky Snake, Branded Rat, ROHO, Renegade, Vibration, Rapid Rat, and many more are etched into the memories of local racers and fans.
411 Motor Speedway is rumored to be sold to Copart, and the property will likely be leveled and turned into a junkyard. It's a sad ending to this track's long history in East Tennessee but it's a modern day epidemic for racetracks all around the United States.
#dragracing #history #abandoned - Авто та транспорт
Thank you for putting this together. I worked there for over 20years. It was my life for so long.
Cool nostalgic look! Here in England we only have 1 legal dragstrip remaining...for the entire country!
Oh wow that’s pretty crazy! I guess we’re pretty lucky.
We have one here in Scotland.
Good ol' Santa Pod🎉
Shameful. Happy Thanksgiving to Y'all in England. Adios from the Ozarks Missouri Arkansas 🌄🦌☕
I was brought up at 411 and never knew about the fatal crash on opening night. Very interesting! Thanks for sharing this!
We lost our track this month it is most likely going to become a sub division. Solong Sacramento Raceway you had a good run from 1964-2023.
It's sad man. Seems like 100 or more tracks have closed in recent years.
That’s unfortunate. I hate to hear that.
It's so disheartening all the drag strips that have closed. I'm in San Antonio and ours closed a few years ago. 😢
Get in a group line up across all lanes get out on 410 and run😆
Yeah it’s a tough situation. These older tracks definitely have some life left in them but the property owners sometimes just want to cash out.
Yo I'm actually serious you can do it as a protest get out there and basically slow down traffic to make a point to get a track back before that becomes the only reality. Don't race really just drive slow one lap around 410 😃 that city needs a drag strip trust me I know I lived there from 04-17 and seen alot of fast an furious want to bees trying to act up on 2 lane residential roads😆 I never pushed my luck though
Used to hang out there in the mid 70's with a guy that ran a 68/69 Torino GT 428 SCJ called "Sneaky Snake" in the factory Super Stock class. And it shows up in this video. Super Cool!! I remember the Great Ghost Camaro as well.
Keep up the great work! Now that I'm an old fart it's a fun little trip down memory lane. I remember back in the late 70's when I was in the Air Force stationed in Louisiana and late one night when I was just out for a drive near a little hole in the wall "town" that I think was called Forest Hill or something like that and saw a partially covered faded sign that said Cenla Raceway or something like that and being a motorhead from California I had to see if I could find it, right? Well, first off I remember the old road to get there was just your typical rutty dirt back road and I wondered how anyone would get a car on a trailer up there with my 69 Nova SS hitting bottoming out a few times on the way but after a short time I turned the corner and there it was, a little two story "timing tower" and two lanes of asphalt with a 3 ft tall cyclone fence on both sides. Well, of course I had to make a quick run down t track like any teenager with a hot rod would do. But as I was giving it all I had, suddenly up ahead there was a cyclone fence running across the lanes! Yeow, what the heck is going on? Well, being a CA guy I didn't even think about this track being an 1/8 mile instead of the 1/4 mile tracks I grew up on...lol Fortunately I was able to get it slowed down every in time and decided to come check it out another time during the day to get a better look. About a month later I decided to go check it out again with a couple of buddies and, to my amazement, when we got there, there was probably about 50 cars up there racing! But when we got a little closer to find a place to park, you could tell by the looks we we were getting from the locals that we weren't welcome there so unfortunately we didn't get to watch any racing or talk to anyone, which sucked. You have to remember that, back in the late 70's and Disco going strong, our short military haircuts (and no mutton chop sideburns😔) were a big red flag in a lot of places so even though we were all car guys we weren't always welcomed with open arms, especially with Vietnam still being a sore subject for a lot of people. Does anyone out there remember that track and have any info on the history of it? About 10 years ago, my teenage son and I took a cross-country road trip and we passed through the area so I could show him some of the places where I may have possibly misbehaved (and to deny everything if anyone asked) but even though I knew where the main road was I couldn't figure out where the dirt road to the track was and didn't want to spend a bunch of time looking for it so I have no idea what happened to it. I do remember that there was also a dirt oval track on the main road passing through Forest Hill that I went to a few times when I was there that ran Modifieds and I think held the State Championships there but sadly, it too was gone as well. Thanks for letting me bore y'all with my misadventures!
Great video! I lost my local 1/8th mile track many years back now, it sat grown up with the buildings falling in until a little over a year ago when the grading started for a neighborhood, I miss it as much today as when it first closed, the shocker was when Commerce was sold and closed, now my yearly trip to the Southern Nationals is gone, progress really stinks at time. I guess I'll have to go Paradise next year to a couple races, that's the closest track to my house.
Another outstanding video Tommy. Great pictures and videos.
Another great video on old racing and old drag strips can't get enough of it i sttill lookk at pictures on the Internet of my old drag strip i raced at back in the early 70s
Thank you for watching!
I raced a 65 falcon there in 1977. 289 with 514 gear. Great track !!!
That's awesome! I bet that thing was screaming going through the traps.
Love all your content thank you for all the hard work and dedication you put into each video. Mad respect
Thank you for the kind words, I love this stuff!
Loved all the really cool photos and newspaper clippings. Thank you for all the work that went into this great video my friend. 👍💪
Awesome seeing some more drag racing history. The cars and vibe was so much cooler back in the heyday. I live close to Beech Bend Dragstrip in Bowling Green Ky. It has a lot of history as well. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! Beech Bend is one of my favorite tracks...I get up there a few times a year for various events. Great place!
DAMN THAT WAS AWESOME LOVE ALL THE OLD PICTURES
Thanks man!
Thank you for the shout out and for finding that gap in operations that I couldn't. Lol
You wouldn’t believe how many hours I’ve spent going down rabbit holes. My subscription to the Newspapers website comes in handy for this type of project.
Thanks for sharing this. You do such a great job with the history and story telling. I live just a few miles down the road from the track.
I raced my Honda 500 there in the mid 70`s. It was fun. I also raced 411 Speedway in my dirt track car when Smoky mtn got rained out, 411 was asphalt then. But I had fun. Used to go to the Maryville dragway until it closed down. The Maryville strip was also the last scene in "Two Lane Blacktop", where they crashed the 55 Chevy.
I live a couple of hills over from it and always was curious on why the drag strip had closed. Thanks for the great video and a history lesson.
Young Thomas, that was one hell of a great musical selection about half way through the video. Great pick!
Another great video, too many tracks are facing the same situations, it’s sad !
Definitely a tough situation for drag strips or basically any racing facility. Property values are so crazy right now.
Loved it, Thank you soo much for sharing . Love the history!
Thanks for watching!
whats crazy is a good friend of mine and one of his friends had a deal to purchase it back and save it but the owners wife wouldnt let him sell it
Thanks for the history of 411 Dragway. Thank you !
💯👍
Thank you for watching!
The closing segment was really fun to watch and appreciated. Good luck to you and yours 🤓
Thanks for watching Steve!
Copart bought our local track. I30 speedway. Amazing track
That’s unfortunate…seems to be a trend.
The closest strip to me closed in like 1973, remember going once as a kid and done. Sad but true
Sad days indeed . Thanks for sharing the content )
Went there once for a rat rod rumble neat old track. Thanks for sharing.
Tommy I think it's crazy that you don't have hundreds of thousands of subscribers, your good Tommy and I just think that there should be a lot more supporting you. Just saying and thanks for your dedication to hot 🔥 rodding and racing 🏁
Big Willie had thought about him in a long time.
Sounds like he could be pretty intimidating.
I grew up watching my dad and uncle race here. I always heard about the crash. I remember all the pictures on the wall before you go upstairs to the booth. I remember as a kid watching a car wreck into the tree in the left lane had to be late 90s.
More on Harriman please. Please!
I want to go up to the site of Harriman Dragstrip and do some exploring. One day I’ll do a history video on it as well.
Same thing is happening at Huntsville dragway in North Alabama. Bunch of ownership changes & lawsuits from those changes have had it shutdown this entire year of 2023. Not looking good for 2024 either
Yeah, typically when that happens it causes big problems. Hard to believe this track stayed open as long as it did.
Great video remember a lot of them cars run there in early 80s as part of the Sneaky Snake race team. Still got my car Lil Snake and the Sneaky Snake Jr cars at my house.
That’s awesome that you still have those two!
I moved to Knoxville in 2014. Never got the chance to go there. I live about 15 minutes away. All we have left is Knoxville Dragway up on the Maynardville hwy.
Yes sir, Knoxville Dragway is a great place. Wes is doing a great job with it.
Thank you for this terrific history lesson! What a great track which really had a good long run. I can't believe I never visited it in my travels the last 50 yrs, man I regret that!
WOW!! Been there many times, thanks for the memories 😊
I live close to Brainerd Drag Strip in Ringgold and luckily it’s still operational. My father raced there every week through the 70’s. He still has the trophies lining his garage. He raced a 1968 GTO & a 4 speed orbit orange 70 Judge. He still has a automatic 1970 Judge (orbit orange) that was his daily driver, but unfortunately the 4 speed (race) car was sold in the 80’s. The Judge he still was frame offed in 2007 and still is very very close to perfect
Hey bud. This year was the last year for Eastside as well. Thanks for the videos
Thank you for watching!
Here in Arkansas, I think there is one operating in West Memphis. I think we used to have one in Hot Springs too, but that one closed quite a few years back. That's probably why we see a lot of street racing coming back; there's no place to race anymore. Very interesting history! Thanks for sharing!! 👍😎🏁🏁🏁🏁
For sure, street racing is hot right now.
Check out George Rays wildcat dragstrip in arkansas
So cool. Sorry to see places like this disappearing. Its tragic. 😢
It’s hard to watch them fall by the wayside but neat to look back at the history.
Unfortunately in nj we lost raceway park and atco dragway so now we only have one track leaft in nj
We got zero for drag racing in The Netherlands. Only Zandvoort for Formula 1, and TT Assen for motorcycle racing. But nothing for drag...
But I guess we don't do so bad, considering how small this country is.
Very cool video. This video can make that place live on. I think ita terrible that we can't save these tracks. Hope little Carly is doing well and your little boy too. Happy holidays to you and your loved ones. Thank you again for preserving our history, just please everyone, show your kids these videos so that one day when we are gone, little kids like Carly can say ..."my dad showed me all of this stuff when I was little and it was cool" her generation maybe the last to experience hot rods and racing.
That's my dad Randy Mayes is in this video @4:04 with his '68 Barracuda.
My home track, State Capitol Raceway in Baton Rouge, La. Was opened in 1969 and is still operating. Although with the economy heading down I’m not sure how long it will be able to stay in the black, especially due to the housing needs in this area.
Wonder how many of those old race cars are still in the area just waiting to hit the track again with just a little bit of work
Oh I’m betting a lot of them are still stashed away somewhere.
Very cool
Sad to see another piece of car culture history disappear 😢
Very cool video, I loved that place
Thats about the only dragstrip within a 100 miles of me i never went to.
It really sucks when a dragstrip dies
Great history champion. Thanks 👍🇦🇺
Back in the 80' s it was an NHRA track under the centerline / forestone et bracket series.
I didn't realize that! Thanks for the info.
@@HotRodHoarder Danny Sluder and Dan Burnett also owned English Mountain Dragway in Newport ,TN. back in those days...
Really enjoyed that sad to see another one gone
Hey man, I have always been under the impression that the drag strip up on hwy. 33, right at the Knox./Union co. line was Knoxville dragway. That's what I've always heard it called. We call it that as well. My family owns land just a couple of miles from there, and you can hear them running from the property. So anyway, what gives? I believe a man named Eddie Arnold was heavily involved in the early years of it. Running cars, and in ownership. This is the infamous, legendary Eddie from Eddie's Auto Parts. "Home of the Ass Whoopers." In Knoxville. My dad told me once that he had killed a man. I wish I had paid closer attention, because I can't remember the circumstances. But I do know that this guy was crazy, and didn't take any shit from anyone. Unfortunately, both Eddie and my dad are gone now, so can't ask him again. Any info would be greatly appreciated. 👊🤘💯🏁
🏁Great vid!!!!!!!🏁
Thanks man!
@@HotRodHoarder 🤜🤛
Great job saw a lot of old racers I new
Thank you for watching!
Great story, and excellent photos from an era of drag racing that's never coming back. Go to the used car lot, buy a first gen Camaro for $1000 or less. Drop in a 427, a 4 speed and a 12 bolt rear and maybe put a name or some lettering on the car and you're racing.
Definitely the good ol days!
Because God forbid anyone having fun with cars here in the UK.
Neighbors will do that. Those subdivisions are right close, damn.
Yes the surrounding houses are crazy close. When I drove to the Rat Rod Rumble in the Corvette, I saw that the pits literally connected into someone's front yard. Pretty wild.
Ill never forget the trip we took! Me in the 57 Townwagon and Dad in the Kool Aid Kid!
I know of a probable nostalgia drag car that is located in Tennessee from back in the 60s. It’s an Anglia. If you are interested.
I live in the greatest place on earth. The mountains of E. TN.
And they wonder why there is so much street racing going on it's because they keep taking are drag strips!! Its sad
Sacramento Raceway just closed a few weeks ago
IHRA. AHRA. Homemade Racing. Maybe the Retired racers could restore these Tracks, like Dale Jr is doing with Stock Car tracks.🇺🇸🏁
I live rite down the road from here I hate to here this is happening.
It's a sad situation, but it's happening all over the country right now. Property prices are outrageous.
Everything good is gone anymore
Neat story.🥰
It's a shame that is happening to it
It really is unfortunate but it’s happening all across the country.
Was the track their before the neiborhood is the question and all the local racers should have got houses near the track that would have been awsome . we have a track in lousiana by baton rouge called state capitol raceway been their along time and still running and my dad is a mopar local racer and the name of the car is the blue knight 69 blown dodge charger his carrer ant over yet still breaking records for a all metal track and street car his name is tommy spell mabe you can piece state capitol and some of our racers here in lousiana to if u havent yet i watch ur videos amazing cars and storys i want to share my story my dad is a mopar guy so am i and the charger will be mine some day but that ant all we are about to get a chance to get a car from another racer from back in the day before my dad started we got a supercharger that was on it now in the process of getting the car hes holding it for us which is awsome i would like to show u the car soon
i live 2 miles from this track go by it daily it’s actually located in Seymour Tenn
As I was reviewing the video before I posted it I couldn't believe that I never mentioned it was in Seymour, TN. Must've slipped my mind, or maybe I edited out part of the VoiceOver that said Seymour. Oh well, no turning back now haha.
It's defiantly sad to see places like this going away... these kids these days are doing dum shit on the roads these days.. tracks like this don't need to go away.. you would think to bring them back and keep them going to give these kids these days sumwere to go to race...
Yeah I agree. I would think drag strips would give young people a place to get some of that energy out.
Closed Sacramento Raceway after "53rd Governor's Cup''
10\23\23 😕 😔 😔 😕
So sad gone over a junkyard
Yep, it's unfortunate. And maybe things will turn around and they can save the dirt track, but it doesn't look likely.
So sad. The politicians closed KCIR. The new Flying H Raceway is slowly coming into being, but it just doesn’t seem soon enough for most of us. Maybe they’ll have wheelchair races…
The ratio of tracks closing vs tracks opening is pretty alarming. Interest still seems pretty high from the racers perspective but there will be fewer places to do it.
😥
Is that turbo john i hear
When tracks like englishtown close for good you times are really bad
For sure, it's a sad situation.
RIP 411.
Thanks for watching!
I was there when on open night when the gentleman died.
Oh man! That must’ve been a scary situation.
@@HotRodHoarder ,we all thought that the track would close for the night. My understanding is that the trap lights were sitting on a cinder block and his left front wheel hit the block causing him to go left up the hill.
I ran my 59 Chevy Apache at one of the rat rod rumbles fun times a piece of America is dying no doubt
Nice! I loved that event. Me and my buddy Josh (aka Sleeperdude) met Dan Cain in an old junkyard in Madisonville one day and he was telling us his plan to do that event. Lo and behold, he did it and it was pretty great. Just a low key deal at a neat track.
CowPART did it to many especially ENGLISHTOWN ""SUMMERNATIONALS" , ALL BRANDON BERSTIEN FAULT, lol