It was largely used for picknicking and steamboat excursions along the Connecticut R. S Sharon DiAmore 1k followers More information Riverside Park, Agawam, MA - History With Photos - YouTube Chicopee Riverside Park Golden Oldies Service Trip Amusement Parks Back In The Day Truex Jr. Ends 54-Race Winless Streak At Dover, WoO LMS Notes: $50,000 To Win In Wisconsin, More Than 60 Hours Of Indy Coverage On NBC Platforms, Perez Leads Red Bull One-Two In Azerbaijan. Remembering Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam - WWLP It could trace its roots to just after the Civil War, when Gallups Grove opened as a picnic area in Agawam, nearly across the Connecticut River from the industrial city of Springfield, Mass. A / V Equipped Rooms, Franchise Info| Partner Program|Corporate Partnerships|Fundraisers & Donations|Contact|Employees, 2023 K1Speed Inc. All rights reserved. Agawam, MA Racing on a tight track for 150 laps with 25 veteran competitors can sometimes be an unmistakable comparison to a championship boxing match, toe-to-toe for 15 rounds. The Serv-U Auto Supply Pro Stocks were also a feature division in the NASCAR's Winston Shortrack Series in 1999. Riverside Park Speedway was built in 1948 at Riverside Park, now the site of Six Flags New England. Born in Ludlow to Read more Barbara (Cimino) Stefanik Passes at 69 By admin December 21, 2012 Riverside Park Speedway What a year as we transition onto dirt racing! We were there last Wednesday, with 25 teenagers, and they all WITH FRIENDS! The track's last decade, the 1990s, saw more racing stars earn their stripes on the high banks at Riverside Park, including Marquis, who captured 3 consecutive modified championships from 1991 to 1993, Featherlite Modified Series stars Dan Avery and Chris Kopec and NASCAR Winston/Nextel Cup star Steve Park. Veteran drivers like 5 time Riverside Park Speedway Track Champion Bob Polverari and Riversides All Time winningest driver John ("Reggie"/"The Reg") Ruggiero continued to earn wins and championships throughout the decade. The first full season of stock car racing was 1949. International sports car racing starPhil Walters, who raced modifieds and midgets under the name "Ted Tappett", won the season championship. Rene Charland, affectionately known to many racing fans simply as The Champ could use some well-wishes from his fans. We had sponsorship for every race. Riverside Park Speedway memories abound at . (Republican file photo) Staff-Shot 20 / 28 Republican file photo Vintage photos:. In the grandstands, loyalties to different drivers became fierce, where one sat in the stands was determined by what driver one was rooting for. YOUR PARTY AND CELEBRATE I was given two years to run the race track, produce a positive bottom line and show growth.. Riverside Park in Agawam, Massachusetts began as a trolley park in 1840. TikTok Link. West Virginia International Speedway. Tracks - Racing-Reference It was common to have up to 60 modifieds in the pits, all vying for spots in a 50-lap feature that started only 20 cars because the track was so small. There will be a host of Riverside events throughout EXPO, including autograph sessions. FEEL FREE TO LET US KNOW! Our qualifying has been just terrible, Moore admitted. We Thank You Very Much for making this Carlys As Berggren recalled, Riverside had an inspired business plan: Getting inside the park was free, you only paid admission for individual rides or to enter the speedway. The pit area was alongside theConnecticut River with large Grandstands being built on the hill leading from the amusement park down to the race track. From seventhto secondTO THE LEAD Dale Nottestad is our featured driver on this weeks Fight For The Flag for his rebound performance at the Big 8 Late Model Spring Classic at Rockford Speedway. NASCAR adopted the tour-type format and Riverside was a regular stop for 200-lap modified mains. TRACK INFO UPDATE? The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing began sanctioning events at Riverside Park Speedway in 1976. "Wow!!! When amusement park giant Six Flags took over Riverside Park in Agawam, one of the first steps it took was eliminating a local icon - the famed quarter-mile speedway. Park owner Edward J. Carroll demolished the dance hall that had burned down that year and in its place rose a 1/5 mile nearly flat paved oval track. The speedway was closed, and razed, after Polverari copped the final modified feature in 1999. The facility is fabulous lots of space to spread out, clean - hosted events on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, making it possible for some of Riverside Park's early stars to race in the area almost every night of the week. Just a heads up, there is a Riverside Park Speedway sponsored car show at Agawam Rotary Club on October 26th, if you're a New Englander like myself. Riverside Park in Agawam was a gathering spot for fun as far back as the late 19th century when it was known as Riverside Grove (and Gallup's Grove before that). Galons excited monologue kept fans filling Riverside Parks 7,200 bleacher seats, creating a cast of white hats and villains that variously included Bill Greco, Dick Dixon and Danny Gallulo. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. SITE DESIGN BY. After a rowdy drivers' strike, it became clear that UNITED could no longer hold its own at Riverside Park, and that organization cleared the path for another popular organization to take charge of the track. I had some AWESOME comments about your facility. In a joint announcement, track owner Dennis Fleury and series president Jack Bateman, the principals responsible for the inaugural event, advise the 1st annual Ricky Miller Memorial 100, presented by New England Outdoor Furnaces, will be held on Sunday afternoon Sept.28th as part of the Twin State Speedway Fall Challenge, a two day event. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Our staff cant stop talking about how much fun we had, and they keep asking when we are going to do it again!! It was a cant-miss business proposition, until amusement rides became more profitable than packed pits and stands. Invaders that raced at "The Park" seeking NASCAR National Modified Championship points included Richie Evans, Jerry Cook, Geoff Bodine, Jim Spencer, John Blewitt Jr and "Captain Sizzle" Mark Malcuit from Ohio, some would go on to become champions in several of NASCAR's top series. Our qualifying has been just terrible, Moore admitted. Berggren recalls seeing the same stock cars that dotted garages and gas stations in his hometown of Manchester, Conn., flailing away around Riversides diminutive oval. Henry J. Perkins. SPEED SPORTs Alan Cavanna catches you up on that and more in this weeks edition of Sealed Under Pressure Spotlight presented by Cometic Gasket. Before I had my license, my dad would drive me to the races and the big deal on my birthday was when I would have my friends over to the house for my moms spaghetti and meatballs, and then wed go to Riverside Park and cheer for our favorites, Berggren said. The Rollaway, Riverside Park, Agawam, Massachusetts Babb's, Congamond Lakes, W Suffield, Connecticut Clark, Bill This page is not available in other languages. Riverside Park Speedway - Wikipedia We had bigger numbers on a Saturday than the amusement park did. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. This would have been around 1984. by ScottKo in RacingIn News, Rivalry Renewed: Lanigan & Richards Set To Face Off In 2015 As Richards Returns To Full-Time World of Outlaws Competition Rights Managed (RM) original photography 1983 David Allio. History. The winner of the first NASCAR-sanctioned event was Bob Polverari. NOTE: ANY RACE DATES POSTED ON THIS PROFILE ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE BASED ON WEATHER, TRACK CONDITIONS, AND MANY OTHER THINGS. Did you miss a thrilling Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte, or David Gravels Tri-City triumph? Vintage photos: Riverside Park in Agawam - masslive.com riverside park speedway - masslive.com View NASCAR North Tour driver stats at this track. He stated to me that the race track was no longer holding its own. Later years were with Tom Rosati, Rene Charland, Bob Polverari, Reggie Ruggerio and Jerry Marquis. Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam drew in racing fans from throughout the Northeast for about 50 years. Its been a long journey to get here to the NEAR Hall of Fame, said Fiore, who had been selling race photographs at Riverside while studying at Western New England College. Riverside Park Speedway Agawam, MA. It was a great experience., SPEEDSPORT.com is a part of the NASCAR Digital Media Network, The cars line up for the Riverside 500. We carry brands such as Parker, Enerpac, NoShok, Daman, Hiwin, UR Robot, Robotiq, Schunk, Rechner Sensors, SICK sensors, Weidmuller, Dixon and many more! It was exactly what youd hope to have in an announcer. A local entrepreneur named Ed Carroll began a family dynasty at Riverside Park by buying it in 1939. The New England Antique Racers will host a 15-year reunion of the anniversary of the closing of the old Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam, Massachusetts. Party Rooms and Catering Available, Adults and Teens 711. The park was shuttered during the Great Depression, but was reopened by Edward Carroll in 1940. Despite the gathering fiscal clouds, the Dodge era at Riverside was spectacular, with Stan Greger, John Rosati and Mike Stefanik capturing track titles in the modifieds. Ruggiero had four separate stints driving Fiores No. (Mass Appeal) - Built in 1948, Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam was home to some of the most exciting local auto racing for more than 50 years before the track closed down in 1999. Riverside Park Speedway Demolition Derby & Figure 8 Racing Agawam Mass 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. 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