Minnesota Dragways Footage - Early 70's

Here is some unedited footage that I have that was used in the making of my Minnesota Dragways documentary. There are a lot of shots of people and cars that many will recognize.

[@mike19640]

KDWB Drag festival. Minnesota Dragway Highway 242 three miles east of Anoka. BE THERE!!! I remember those radio adds. I was there many times. I remember the announcer saying bring the dragsters out of the north end. Seeing all the wheel standers was awesome! What a great time to be alive!

[@DARElove60]

I was there once. Lived in Blaine at the time. Awesome experience that I haven't forgotten and I'm 63.

[@debbiedunn4477]

Oh man... This really takes me back

[@doningersoll5856]

Jim. I started going to Minnesota Dragways in 1960. I was the Announcer in 1962 to 1964. I was the Youngest at 14 years old. Those were Great Memories. John and Marge Foster were Super People. I Baby sat for Dave Anderson . We were Neighbors. Tom Hoover was just Starting to Race the Hoover Wheel Alignment Dragster! Thanks for the Memories !!

[@spittman7478]

my husband still has his 69 dart swinger he raced there--still has all the winner stickers in the back windows

[@70stunes71]

S Pittman from michigan here . That's incredible he still has the car. I bought and sold a lot of them through the years all Mopar stuff. Still have my 70 Plymouth. The thing has set for a long time and it's still in beautiful shape inside out of the weather dust dirt excetera it's clean. I like the fact that a lot of people kept their cars. A lot of us had dreams to put them back together but the older we got health problems Etc. I keep thinking well my kids are interested... Maybe one day they will drive it down the track

[@kenjedlicki6870]

Made many passes there thanks for the memories

[@stephencrowley4421]

Wow! Great to see these! My red 60 Corvette is at about 4:30.

[@postalsucks9548]

there is a 1962 blue plymouth fury at the 9:43 mark. hoping you have more pics or video of it. i may have that very car. it was a class champion, has stickers. was rumored to run mid tens.

[@Supernumerary]

Postal- As you probably know, back then a mid ten second car was something very rare and special.

[@julidentz5403]

Does anyone remember waking up and hearing the power of the times rode my bike to investigate the noise found it Sunday morning I would skip Sunday school

[@jamieostrowski4447]

I grew up in Blaine and was just 2 years old when this place closed. Loving musclecars, hearing there was actually a strip just a couple miles from our house fascinated me. So glad to see these old videos. Thanks for putting them up.

[@jeffanderson6661]

I grew up in Fridley I was really young but I have been there and north star drag strip too.

[@scottfetrell5476]

I grew n of anoka spent some time at the track I'm 60 years young.

[@jamieostrowski4447]

I really like the second song on this vid. What song is it?

[@markblue5375]

Would also like to know

[@CornpopWasaBadDude444]

The Didjits. Max Wedge. Look up The Song Evel Kneivel too.

[@christianaboody3839]

What part of Minnesota was this in B.I.R.

[@jamieostrowski4447]

No this was in Blaine

[@mastercylinder5225]

Pretty cool!

[@leedittbenner4749]

Isn't ... Is their anyone who has video footage of the Twin City Drag Strip located in Mounds View (New Brighton, MN) right next to West of thee Old Hwy 8 (painted white board fence and South of the County Road J (smokin' them ol' tires)?? They also had the oval midget track racing next to the strip... remember it any one ??

[@peteloomis8456]

It was later named North Star dragways & there are some videos on here of it . My father was a cop for Mounds view & they often got picked to do security at the track & I got to go with him quite a few times & would walk with him to do his rounds plus watching the races at both tracks . Usually at the end of the night they would let the squads make a couple of passes on the 1/4 just to see what they would do once the races were over & most people gone but I don't remember what the cars ran unfortunately but I do know in the early years they ran Ford's with 428s station wagons then Ford LTDs then Chevrolet's for a while & ended up using Dodge & Plymouths with the 440 that my father said we're faster out of all of them . I also knew the Simon's who owned the little 3.2 bar on the way into the track for many years infact I had a wooden beer token from the place just a few years ago that I sent to Dave Simon's being both mom & pops are gone along with 2 brothers out of 5 & 2 sisters . Had a buddy who ran a green 69 Charger 440 six pack car there years ago that went good but because he had headers on it & a Accel dual point distributer for some reason the guys doing inspection of the cars kept putting him in with these actual drag cars not a street car like this charger was so he was running against Camaros that were lifting the front wheels & doing 10 second passes while the charger was in the low 13s at almost 100 mph in the 1/4 lol . Problem is he had highway gears that just killed it's low end launch which didn't help but it had top end I remember hauling ass on the hwy in it I remember . I can remember back in 68 69 where we lived I could hear the cars & see them running if I climbed up on a steel slide in a park not far from the track & you could always tell what nights the big boys with the blown injected alcohol or nitro car ran because it was loud as heck . Some times during a Sunday when the track wasn't running any cars we would walk over onto the track where you could see broken bolts nuts & pieces of windshield or window glass from cars that either broke or crashed I remember . I also got to go to this track here quite a few times with my father & got to see the Little Red Wagon Green Mamba the jet car & guys like Roland Leong's Hawiian funny car Tom Hoover Mickey Thompson Sox & Martin & Jungle Jim who a good friend of mine his brother was a truck driver & once in a while would haul Jungles car trailer back for him when Jungles truck would break down so once in a while I would go over to the house & here would be Jungle Jim's car trailer sitting in the driveway at times which was neat to see . Sucks these places are gone & now where this used to be is all houses & where North Star was is right about where the Medtronics building is next to hwy 10 & everything is gone including the tower legs now because I worked for Blue tow up the road as a mechanic/ tow driver & had to go out that way one time to tow a car & nothing's left & this was in 2004 if I remember . I live in Wisconsin now for quite a few years & found a old drag strip not far from me that was called Tenora dragways that closed in the 70s if I remember & drove out to find it & did but all that's left is the tar strip & nothing else except for a couple of galvonized steel sheds on one side & a berm of sorts where the stands probably were & a big almost mansion like cabin on the other side of it so I am not sure if that's the new owners or not ! The local car club was trying to get the guy who owned it for many years to let them have some races at the place but the guy died unexpectedly & his wife she from what I hear was or had dimensia & often forgot things but ended up selling the place but who ever has it now keeps it mowed & the track is cleared with nothing growing through the tar but it's posted no trespassing & I never see anybody around when I go out to look at it once in a while & have been tempted to make a quick pass down it then turn around & get the heck out but just can't talk myself into doing it being it's posted & I know if it was my property I wouldn't want people on it either I guess . For a while it was also used as a landing strip for small airplanes after talking to a old-timer at a bar one time who flies & used it a few times . I know a local guy by me who owned a few nice Mopars & 2 Hemi cars one a Hemi Dart & he used to race at it & had trophies from winning ack in the day & he was one of the guys from the car club trying to get the owner to let them come in & clean it up & have some car shows & drags at the strip until the guy died so it never happened .

[@puppetmasterblaster]

@@peteloomis8456 I really only went there once but I saw the Beartown Shaker and the Cheetah run. Ill never forget being just a few feet from a AA/FC staging at the line..

[@jeffbracht363]

This is Minnesota Dragways In Blaine. Used to be on MN242. It's now CO rd 14.

[@ReneTrujillo]

Someone holding an iPhone at 6:00. Cool video!

[@alexlevy322]

It's a walkie talkie...

[@Supernumerary]

I too saw that! Just assumed that he was a time traveler.

[@marcropiteau2192]

All r Kenny Craprrud

[@daleschroeder5582]

does anybody know where about in coon rapids this drag strip was located let me know thank you

[@brianheruth9141]

North side of Main St. (242) About where the railroad tracks cross . west of Bunker hills golf course . its all houses now.