(Words and photos by Greg Rourke) – Progress. I usually hate it. Except for central air conditioning, cable television, and tubeless tires I usually just shake my head at what we call progress.
Just a short ways from the palatial Chicagoland field office of BangShift.com lies the remains of Oswego Drag Raceway. The Big O ran every Sunday, weather permitting, from 1955 through 1979. Progress closed the track down after that. The planned development for the property never happened, and it ended up a tree farm for many years. That shut down years ago, and now it just sits there, taunting me as I drive past it several times a week.
The hallowed ground was once a stopping point for the touring pros on the match race circuit. It put Grumpy Jenkins on his lid, and in the hospital. Arnie “The Farmer” Beswick ran off the end of the track in his “Boss Bird” Firebird flopper, through a cornfield with the laundry out. The photo of that incident looked like a publicity stunt, but was just the result of a short shutdown and a lazy ‘chute deployment. The exact spot where that happened is now occupied by a house most BangShifters couldn’t afford to live in. Oswego hosted Run Tuff Eliminator. Cars were required to be painted and lettered, and be named. Remember when race cars had names? RTE was a handicap class, you made your dial in before first round, and that was it for the day.
So what, you may ask? Progress is widening Route 34, the road the old track is located on. The track was so close to Rt. 34 the staging lanes and burnout box were just a few feet from the road. Freeloaders would park in the ditch to watch a few races, blocking traffic. The road would get shut down when jet cars ran. And now the road widening appears to be obliterating the staging lanes and part of the burnout box. With zero chance the track would ever operate again I guess it doesn’t matter much, just another piece of history gone.
Here are Greg’s photos of what’s left –
This reminds me of the sense of loss every time I pass the site of The Mayfair in Newcastle upon Tyne in England. For almost 20 years I saw everybody from Iggy Pop to Kraftwerk up close and personal as there were no seats anywhere near the stage. It was also a good place to score with some pretty cool looking chicks as well – which I have to say I did regularly.
No matter where or how you got your kicks in your youth, it always hurts when the place you loved disappears through “progress” and all you have left are sweet memories..
IT WASNT PROGRESS IT WAS THE COMMUNITY AND YUPPIES FROM THE 60,S THATS WHO KILLED THE BIG O
When I was racing at the Meltdown Drags Near Byron, Illinois, last summer, I was visiting with a couple of racers who used to race at Oswego years ago. I could tell they missed that dragstrip and all the good times they had there.
Very sad story, Brian. It reminds me of “75-80 Dragway”, outside of Frederick, Md. It was around for a long time and I’m sure at some point the ‘famous ones’ ran there. Now, the ghost of this track, can be seen in episodes of the “Motor Week” tv show. They’ve used it as a new car test for a number of years, so I guess it’s not completely dead….yet. Rumors have been heard about bringing it back, but people keep multiplying
Used to go to Oswego in the early 70’s. Ended up buying a ’67 Chevy ll gasser that campaigned there. Does anyone possibly remember a black with Gold Leaf lettering Chevy ll named “Breakaway”? Interior by Tubby Gallup, Big block by us, a couple of teenagers. I wonder what happened to it.
I also remember meeting a Pro Stock guy, Denny King, who had a Camaro,
Sad to see it like this.
So sad, another track near me did basically the same thing, the Warner Robbins Dragway, the first track I ever ran in the “12’s ” with our 55 Chev G//MP car back in 1969, now the track is overtaken by a business sub. A shame to remember all those early Pro Stock cars just getting started and now you can’t even see where it was. But we have memories.
My brothers brought me here as a kid. I raced there one Sunday in 1971 and trophied in my 66 Ragtop Chevelle. Still have the trophy, wish I had the car.
Oswego was a fun, well run place, a true “Run what ya Brung” Drag strip. Was surrounded by Corn Fields. Many Slingshot Dragsters ended up in the field, and came back on the return road with weeds embedded in the front end.
When I won my race I was 16 years old, while putting my mufflers back on the car, some old guys came up to me ( probably 20 years old), they asked me “Did ya win? I said ” Yeah how’d ya know? They said You won’t quit smiling. The trophy, is one of my prized possessions. The memories from Oswego, are truly priceless
it’s ironic I ran a nova at Oswego in 1970, , and a few years ago I was building the Jewel store just to the East of it, don’t remember Orchard road going thru in 1970. I was talking to one of the building inspectors reminiscing about the old days and mentioned Oswego drag strip, he pointed west and said there it is, beyond the retention pond and row of trees.
I visited it numerous times during the construction of the Jewel store and wondered why it went astray who caused it and why.
Just a memory now with a small piece of track to remember it by.
I was a Sunday regular there with my Dad from ’68-’76…then I got my drivers licence and I ran there until the track closed. I have photos of me doing a burn out in my ’74 Z28 Camaro in 1978.
I was with the Cottingim Brothers 32 Ford coupe that raced there in C/A for many years. I have pictures of dragraces that were held there on dirt a couple times before it was paved in 1955. Darrel Cutsinger, who was instrumental in getting the strip started, would race his 4 door 32 Ford there. The track provided a pastime for many people for 24 years. Thanks for doing this article on Oswego Raceway.
https://youtu.be/oOVhbnRgx3Q
Click the link or search Oswego Dragway Drone on youtube to get an overhead of the strip as it looks today.
It was shuttered in 1979
37 years ago.. nothing sad about it..
What was and is sad, is when these problems come up, be it people building near a track then hating the noise, or a Developer wanting the land..
A very small group show up for any and all the meeting/etc to show support and organize to stop the “progress” . They just think it will never happen..
until it does..
What is sad is no one has bought the place and opened it back up..
One thing is clear… land will always be wanted, as they are not making anymore. And developers will keep building closer and closer to tracks..
For the tracks still running,, no matter how much it pains me to say this, they are going to have to force racers to use mufflers,, and not those, laughable drag mufflers.. with todays tech and the ability to make crazy power and go as fast as they do, there is no reason not to start lowering the noise, so the people living near tracks can’t use that as a foothold to start a movement to get a track closed..