Vintage Tucson. Cruising Speeway Blvd in the 1980’s.

[@JoziAuen]

I miss being on speedway in the 80s on a Saturday night.everyone remember what went on at the jack in the box parking lot ?🙂

[@vintagedragracingvideosvin3819]

Good Times.

[@brakeme1]

I was there cruisin in 82. 😂

[@joelewing4498]

What a joy to have surfed into THIS! I've been a Tucson boy since age 6 in 1961, when we moved here from asthmatic-Nebraska for my brother. It cured him within a year....period! I grad from CDO high in '73, so most of our cruising was done around the early-mid-late 70's. I'm trying to think where your Dad shot this cool vid......where that tunnel or under-bridge area was? Must have been pretty far east on Speedway? Some of it looks like around the Swan Rd. area on Speedway.....I just can't see those bldgs clearly enough except the Jack in the Box and the Valley Bank. Hey Tucson had some pretty decent hi-po iron back in '86 on the streets....lots of MoPars for sure. Heard some guy was bragging about his 10 second Chevy street car......I really doubt that in '86. Maybe.....but doubtful. Most were 14-13-and a few 12 and occasionally.......very occasionally.....an 11 second car. What say you? To illustrate.....my dearly departed buddy had 1 of 114 made '71 Corvette with the rare 454 LS-6 engine and a 4 spd. It was dark green with black leather interior. It was box stock except for a L-88 induction (carb / manifold) put on it. We drove it from north Tucson out to Tucson Dragway one afternoon......borrowed a set of used slicks from the O'Rielly Corvette Drag Car (Eddie Wilson-RIP) and uncorked the headers. That was all we had on it.....and all we did to it. Our best was a 12:34 at 110. Now....I think that had my buddy taken his Vette to a place like Townsend Racing Works and had them put a super-tune on it....adjusted the valves (solid lifters) for track runs, and did a little magic with the distributor, etc.....that the Vette may have run 12:0's or even tickled the 11:90's. Maybe with a pro driver rowing the 4 speed too. That was one rare Vette.....you oughtta see what those LS-6 Chevelles and Vettes bring up at Barrett-Jackson nowadays......easily upwards of $200K if they're MINT. This was a rare car putting out close to 500 horses at the flywheel. So you see.....some guy bragging that he's got a 10 second street car, yeah.....possible.....but it would be VERY VERY unlikely. It would have to basically be a full-on race car that was street driven for a few hours one night. Not the same thing.....not the same animal. SO......Thank you SO MUCH for posting this. Got any more like it? This did my old Tucson-desert rat heart a ton of good. joel in tucson

[@edreed5571]

We grew up in the greatest era. Catalina High School class of 76. Back in our day, the guys with the best cars got all the tail. That guy just so happened to be me. 70 hemi cuda convertible in fe5 rally red. Moved to Los Angeles to try to make it in the music industry and Sold her out of necessity to a jewish man named dell who was an executive at the record company I worked for. Funny story, I ended up porking his daughter a short time later. I guess that makes up for the loss. Anyhow moved back to Tucson in the mid 80s and opened up my own business. Still get the itch to buy another cuda but my b*%#* ex took half of everything and I just never recovered. If you ever get lonely and need a friend, the names Ed, Ed Reed from Tucson. Catalina High Trojans Class of 76.

[@edreed5571]

(I forgot to tell you I live in Flagstaff now after selling my business and retiring. Much more quiet up here and cleaner air the winters are chilly but not too bad. If you ever need a place to stay up here you are more than welcome I have a nice guestroom with an old western theme you would love it. Take care.

[@vintagedragracingvideosvin3819]

Love reading other stories of Tucson. We moved to Tucson in 78. My dad worked for IBM and he was transferred from NY. This video is from swan and speedway . Near the Jack in the box. My dad had a 68 roadrunner and we spent lots of weekends at the Tucson Dragway and cruising speedway. He was very involved in the racing world. His nickname was mrmopar. I have hours of racing videos and some from cruising. He passed in 2015. The car is still in the family.

[@DoreenWilson-fv3gq]

LATINO would cruise from waterburger on 6th avenue to 22nd Street turn back down 6th avenue best yrs ever in the 1981 to 1995

[@topenddean]

Love it! Thank you for uploading this!

[@toffeechips69]

Wonder if that is Ken Heiser in the Maverick?

[@kayda5193]

i work at a sandwich shop downtown and can imagine that the majority of the people we serve could be these people haha

[@MaStorm529]

Is that the old Jack in the Box just west of swan? Sure looks like the area I remember but Junior, LoL youre 10 years passed me 🤣🙋🏼‍♀️ I was out playing mid 70s! So much fun so many wonderful memories. Thanks for the show!

[@joelewing4498]

Edana.....I'm with you. I cruised in the early-mid 70's mostly. Speedway was such a happenin' place for dusty, smallish (then) Tucson. And really....I never remember hardly ANY trouble between cruisers and people parked back then....do you? It wasn't rampant, anyway. So sad they killed it off.....what a crime, man. Least it is in my opinion. Where did you go to school, Edana? I was an old CDO grad from '73.

[@DoreenWilson-fv3gq]

And the white boys would cruise from 6th/speedway to speedway and Columbus and back with they hotrods or daddy cars

[@toddbob55]

Fords n chevs were cool......chryslers mopar were ugly and nerdy