From 1969 to 1973 if you wanted to see the coolest drag strip in America you went a stopped by the Dallas International Motor Speedway. This place was the home of the NHRA SpringNationals from 1969-1971 and it was in many ways the first ever super track style drag strip. The place had all kinds of asphalt pits, it had modern amenities and it had a four story mushroom shaped tower that was top three of the coolest ever seen in drag racing history.
Not only did the tower hold race control and all that stuff but it also held, “The International Room” which was a VIP viewing area at the top where the cool, the rich, and the famous, got to watch the races with a view unparalleled anywhere else in the sport. They got to do that while cranking down martinis and whatever else they could get their hands on as well.
The track’s star crossed history was centered around the weather and even worse, death. Funny car racer Gerry Schwartz lost his life in the crash you actually see in this film and just a couple of years later, Art Arfons crashed his jet car with a reporter in the passenger seat, killing the Dallas newsman.
Continued weather issued, increasing competition, and other factors lead the track to close the doors in 1973 and it was the end of a very short era.
Check out this historic look back at Dallas International Motor Speedway –
Dallas International Motor Speedway was a showcase track in the late 1960s and early 1970s and played host to numerous NHRA events, including the 1969 NHRA Springnationals, the subject of today’s #NitroTimeMachine trip back into history.https://t.co/HLfznpBxXQ pic.twitter.com/Ia5f51EJGY
— National Dragster (@NHRADragster) November 9, 2020
I raced my 68 coronet RT there in the early 70s, it was quite a facility compared to Green Valley in Fort Worth or S&N in Kennedale that we usually went to