Remembering Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam - WWLP He was an avid race car fan, a member of NASCAR. (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. I was just a kid and my favorite was Art Rousseau out of Keene, N.H.. Fiore shared stories of how his team would often struggle to get back home after races they had won, since most payouts were made by check and no banks were open late at night. 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. Photo courtesy of John Mahoney, USAC. 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. Jocko Jr., followed a different path, racing sportscars with the SCCA. Auto Racing Research Assoc. West Virginia Motor Speedway. With a track championship for the late Richie Evans, named in 1998 as one of NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers of all time. It was more like an adventure.. A / V Equipped Rooms, Franchise Info| Partner Program|Corporate Partnerships|Fundraisers & Donations|Contact|Employees, 2023 K1Speed Inc. All rights reserved. TRACK INFO UPDATE? Riverside Park Speedway memories abound at . Party Rooms and Catering Available, Adults and Teens Born in Ludlow to Read more Barbara (Cimino) Stefanik Passes at 69 By admin December 21, 2012 Riverside Park Speedway In its place laid out a flat 1/5-mile oval track, pit area and grandstand alongside the Connecticut River. He was currently employed at Boardwalk Auto Sales in South Windsor, CT. Thank you, K1 Speed!!!! . History. Ruggiero told a story that some knew, but others didnt, about a decision that might have changed the face of NASCAR history. 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. He simply says the owners decided to go in a different direction, which ultimately proved to be selling out. by KyleBrinkmannRacing in KyleBrinkmanRacing, a racer from Elkhorn, WI, What a year as we transition onto dirt racing! RIVERSIDE PARK STADIUM STOCK CAR RACING Agawam MA Admission Ticket 1.25 +.25 tax Pre-Owned $25.00 or Best Offer Free 4 day shipping Sponsored Enjoying The Day At Riverside Park, Agawam, Massachusetts, Posted VTG. Riverside Park Speedway Formerly Known As: Riverside Park Stadium.250 mi./0.402 km. Riverside Park Speedway | Agawam Massachusetts. Kanawha Valley Dragway. History By Decade Riverside Park Speedway ("The Park") was built in 1948. Moore, the Busch North Series all-time Pole winner, has yet to display his qualifying expertise thus far in 1998. (Dick Berggren photo), The Motorsports Authority - Copyright 2014-2023 - Turn 3 Media, LLC All Rights Reserved. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. This scenario was played out Saturday evening at Riverside Park Speedway, where Kelly Moore put on a superb display of racing enroute to a 2nd place finish. In 1983, he was offered a ride in what is now the NASCAR Nationwide Series. riverside park agawam for sale: Search Result | eBay Riverside Speedway was a NASCAR short track that was inside of Riverside Fun Park in Agawam, Massachusetts. navigation, search. He is a member of the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame . 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. Rene Charland - AKA "The Champ" - won three NASCAR national Modified titles in the 1960s. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. NEAR To Host Riverside Park Speedway ReunionPerformance Racing Industry I think I just ran the, NASCAR Busch North: New England Ford Dealers 125 Notes, Kelly Moore Earns 2nd Place Finish at Riverside Park Speedway. BRINKMANN RECORDS BEST BMARA FINISH OF SEASON Internal Link . Another exciting development in 1997 was the acquisition of the park by Oklahoma-based Premier Parks, Inc., parent company of Six Flags, the world's largest regional theme park company. Henry J. Perkins transformed the picnic grove into an amusement park more than 100 years ago with the addition of mechanical rides like The Giant Dip, an early roller coaster. Agawam, MA Gary J. Michnovetz, 65, died suddenly on Tuesday. The Carroll family added a speedway, brought in musical acts and added many new rides in the decades that followed. 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. The 1960s were popular years for stock car racing at Riverside Park. WE MAKE IT EASY TO PLAN Our staff cant stop talking about how much fun we had, and they keep asking when we are going to do it again!! He later was a crew member with Bill Pelley and Reggie Ruggerio before moving on to 44 racing with Jerry Marquis and Mari Fiore and was part of their National Modified Championship of 2000. Moore, the Busch North Series all-time Pole winner, has yet to display his qualifying expertise thus far in 1998. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Sign Up For The PRI eNewsletter to get the latest in racing industry news, special events, new product information and more directly to your inbox. The facility was incredible, the staff was engaging, and our entire group had a blast! 44 Modified, much like Martin was fired four times as Steinbrenners New York Yankees manager. You grabbed food from the concessions and stopped by Shany Lorenzets photo booth before heading inside. Matt Wiernasz is an auto racing journalist and photographer himself, and has fond memories . I was given two years to run the race track, produce a positive bottom line and show growth.. He was born in West Spring-field, son of the late John and Mafalda Mich-novetz and graduated from West Springfield High School Class of 1962. This would have been around 1984. When Riverside closed, Eddy Carroll III, the founders grandson, owned four consecutive pro stock championships. Western Mass. WWLP-22News 57.9K subscribers Subscribe 2.9K views 4 years ago Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam drew in racing fans from throughout the. NASCAR replaced the Tattersalls in 1973, following what future promoter Ben Dodge described as a drivers strike. Sprintcarstats. Jackson County Speedway. The facility is fabulous - lots of space to spread out, clean and well maintained, and the . It could trace its roots to just after the Civil War, when Gallup's Grove opened as a picnic area in Agawam, nearly across the Connecticut River from the industrial city of Springfield, Mass. That was when midgets raced seven nights a week in New England. 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. Riverside was a fifth back then. The 1980s arrived! Riverside Park Speedway memories abound at . Jocko Sr. won 31 feature races and multiple championships at Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam, Mass., and won the track's biggest event, the Riverside 500. While Riverside Park Speedway is gone, local racing fans do have plenty of options to see live racing. While the focus of the auto racing world will be on Daytona Beach, Florida this weekend, there is plenty of racing heritage here in western Massachusetts. Rollie Jacobs (left), former public address announcer at Riverside Park Speedway, inducted legendary car owner Mario Fiore (right) into the New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame on Sunday in East Windsor, Conn. With his good history at the Sacramento Mile, his eyes are set on the May 13th race for another win. Things were getting very stagnant at Riverside, so they decided to introduce the pro stocks as the lead division, Dodge explained, adding that the modified seemed a better fit at larger tracks than within Riversides confines. Under the sanction of the UNITED Stock Car Racing Club, Gene Bergin, Ed Patnode, Danny Galullo, Billy Greco and others emerged as contenders, Krebs and Greco piled up victories. Ten years ago. If there were two worms crawling out of a hole, he could turn it into a race that had you on the edge of your seat. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. We Thank You Very Much for making this Carlys Youtube Link It was the place to be on Saturday nights, fans would come in and watch the modifieds, and theyd have their favorites to cheer for, said Matt Wiernasz. The first top-5 finish for the Tic-Tac Pontiac Grand Prix team pushed Moore, the 1995 Busch Grand National North Series champion, up 14 spots to 13th in the championship point battle, a mere 88 points out of the top spot. The 1970s were a decade of change for the facility, as physical and managerial changes were put into place that made the track what it was until its final season. Dodge is credited with improving the payout to Riversides racers during the same time when the year-round profitability of amusement rides was increasingly threatening the future of auto racing. A local entrepreneur named Ed Carroll began a family dynasty at Riverside Park by buying it in 1939. Dodge streamlined the modified program, marketed the competitors and started an entry-level street stock division. 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. He stated to me that the race track was no longer holding its own. We were there last Wednesday, with 25 teenagers, and they all had a wonderful time. MattWiernasz is an auto racing journalist and photographer himself, and has fond memories of watching the races at Riverside. The track closed at the end of the 1999 season. It needed help to survive. The future international sports car star Phil Walters, still racing under his midget pseudonym of Ted Tappett, captured 14 of the 28 features, a record that still stood when Riverside finally closed. The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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. FEEL FREE TO LET US KNOW! THE (Riverside) ROLLAWAY, Agawam, Massachusetts Blunk, Bill RIP 1924-2003 Oaks Park Skating Rink, Portland, Oregon Viking Roller Rink, Astoria, Oregon (1960's) . Riverside, both the amusement park and speedway, was an institution in its community. By the 1950s, modified stock cars had taken hold as the prevalent form of racing in the area, replacing the midgets as the featured division at Riverside Park Speedway. In addition to that, the purses were increased. Dodge, who still announces races and owns race cars, opted to take his leave, saying now that my reign at Riverside Park was such an important part of my life that I believed it was mine. He declined, citing his growing family, and the seat was offered to an up-and-comer from Missouri named Rusty Wallace. That place was just so exciting and so dramatic, Dr. Dick Berggren, a longtime attendee and recipient of the NASCAR Hall of Fames Squier-Hall Award, remembered. The great Reggie Ruggiero closed the books with 98 modified feature wins, about a quarter of his career total, leading all drivers. This page is not available in other languages. by ScottKo in Profile Tips For Users, Interest in Grassroots Racing Grows 40% in 2014 With Great Opportunities Ahead in 2015 Rene Charland - AKA "The Champ" - won three NASCAR national Modified titles in the 1960s. Instagram Link I was doing things to the very best of my ability.. . He resided in West Springfield and, He was an avid race car fan, a member of NASCAR. In no way deterred, Carroll simply brought in stock cars for Riverside Parks first full season in 1949. View NASCAR North Tour driver stats at this track. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. WITH FRIENDS! Ruggiero, who drove for 19 different car owners in a career that began in the late 1960s, noted the special bond the two will have as driver and owner and as Hall of Famers. The Rollaway, Riverside Park, Agawam, Massachusetts Babb's, Congamond Lakes, W Suffield, Connecticut Clark, Bill Postcard Pre-Owned $16.50 Was: $22.00 25% off or Best Offer +$4.50 shipping Sponsored Many stars of racing exelled at Riverside Park in the 1980s, including the 2000 NASCAR Featherlite Modified Tour Champion and Busch North Series star Jerry Marquis, 7 time NASCAR Featherlite Modified Tour Champion, 4 time NASCAR Busch North Series Champion and 1999 Craftsman Truck Series rookie "Mighty" Mike Stefanik and Featherlite Modified Tour and NASCAR Busch Series star "Magic Shoes" Mike McLaughlin. To tell us about track being opened or closed, re-named, or anything else, please, If you know this track to still be in operation or under a different name, please. Riverside Park Speedway - The Third Turn Birthdays, Mitvahs, Bachelor(ette), Team Building, Catered Lunches |. 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. We had sponsorship for every race. Pennsboro Speedway. Looking for Riverside Park Speedway Photos - YankeeRacer.com He resided in West Springfield and Agawam all his life. Riverside Park. - Gallery - Ron Wetzler | racersreunion.com As Riverside Park Speedway joined NASCAR to celebrate the past 50 years of auto racing in 1998, a new division was rolled out onto the Speedway. Riverside Park. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. New Detour. 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). Riverside Parks stock car era essentially existed in three phases, the first promoted by Harvey Tattersall, senior and junior, through their United Stock Car Racing Club that sanctioned tracks across New England and New York through the 1960s. The United Stock Car Racing Club events drew 6,000-8,000 fans every Saturday night. Home page [www.triadtechnologies.com] The track's final reconfiguration and repaving to15 degree banking would be added in the mid 1980s. 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. Riverside Park Speedway Demolition Derby & Figure 8 Racing Agawam Mass Due to this variability, ALWAYS check with the tracks DIRECTLY via their individual websites to confirm actual racing before you travel! "Riverside Park was like Daytona to me," Reggie Ruggiero recalled. Ladies and gentlemen, tonight, Jocko Maggiacomo has a new engine in his car! I cant think of any race track where the drivers exhibited themselves as well as they did at Riverside.. It was like going from a Volkswagen to a Cadillac; Riverside Park was like Daytona to me. Private group 6,043 Members. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 4/4/2023), Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/26/2023). In 1948, he tore down a bandstand on the property and laid out a flat, fifth-mile oval, just in time to see the midget craze peter out post-war. 1948 - RIVERSIDE PARK SPEEDWAY To capitalize on the nations new found attraction to Auto Racing following the 2nd World War, Riverside Amusement Park owner Richard J Caroll demolished a dance hall in 1948. Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam, MA - RacingIn.com It was a cant-miss business proposition, until amusement rides became more profitable than packed pits and stands. They had a BLAST! To be chosen with one of my famous car owners, Mario, was unbelievable, said Ruggiero, who was elected in his first year on the ballot.