Oswego Drag Raceway Illinois
 

Remembering the good times..

and here I was thinking Oswego, NY...

Great Memories! I used to race there in 71 72 with a 67 Chevelle SS sure wish I could find pictures of the car. Thanks Tom

Oswego Drag Raceway
 

My friend's Dad, Ed Grief's 1967 Pink "Flying Elephant" Charger, No Big Thing, And a 1959 Mercury (Don't remember the car's name, I think it was red with a black vinyl top) raced by a guy who was in charge of Alignment and balancing at the Indianapolis motor speed that I met way back in 1973 when I went to Hunter Engineering in St. Louis for school. Blew up my first engine on that track in a friends Tunnel Ram small block Chevrolet powered 1966 Pontiac Tempest. Fun Times for sure.
Bill

Ed Grief had a couple of cars called the "Proud Rebel", I think the last one was a Chevy Vega. The Mercury you're thinking of was undoubtedly the "Big Animal" and I think it was a 57 not 59. It was orange and raced by a guy named Jim "Animal" Feurer from the Peoria area, possibly Lacon IL. There are two cars in the Byron IL vintage drag racing video posted elsewhere here (https://www.yenko.net/forum/showthread.php?t=168491) that are Oswego alumni....the 37 Chevy with the red white and blue Stars & Stripes paint job, and the metalflake red 58 Chevy called "Daddy's Toy". Both are now (or I think they still are....) owned by Ted Beach from Aurora IL.

That's the timing tower, and the Mustang and Buick are on the return road. As you came down the return road - avoiding potholes along the way - you would stop at the timing tower where the staff had recorded your time and speed by hand on a printed ticket. Tickets were dropped down a chute from the top level to ground level and a worker would hand you your time slip. White building in the background with three windows on the back side was the concession stand.

saw this on the vintage drag Camaro FB

interesting name for a Camaro race car :)

Starting line shack seen in Joe's photo was a late 60's/early 70's addition. After the track closed in 1979, a bunch of us made an alcohol-fueled late night clandestine visit to the facility. Not much left to be 'appropriated' by then, but I managed to get the door to the starting line shack and a return road speed limit sign. Left those with friends back in IL when we moved to AZ in 2007.

Oswego winner decal
 

Still on the quarter window of my LS6

I had my first 1969 Chevelle out at Oswego Raceway one summer in 1978 (I think). I believe remains of the strip are still there just overgrown with weeds.