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. WWLP-22News 57.9K subscribers Subscribe 2.9K views 4 years ago Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam drew in racing fans from throughout the. The bleacher seating surrounding the track was also removed to make way for the 6,200 chair back seats. Created with Sketch. 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. However, both men chose to set aside their differences on their special day. This page is not available in other languages. 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. I had some AWESOME comments about your facility. Auto racing legend Rene Charland, of Agawam, dies at 84. We were there last Wednesday, with 25 teenagers, and they all had a wonderful time. One unforgettable element of racing at Riverside was the annual 500-lap races for cars competing as two-car teams. We had sponsorship for every race. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. 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You grabbed food from the concessions and stopped by Shany Lorenzets photo booth before heading inside. Jackson County Speedway. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. 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. Riverside Park Speedway | Agawam Massachusetts. Riverside Rides Again will feature fascinating displays dedicated to the proud history of Riverside, complete with race cars from every era, photos, videos, memorabilia and many of the people who raced there. (Dick Berggren photo), The Motorsports Authority - Copyright 2014-2023 - Turn 3 Media, LLC All Rights Reserved. "Riverside Park was like Daytona to me," Reggie Ruggiero recalled. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Twitter Link 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. 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. . Six of the eight people inducted Sunday into the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fames class of 2012 had some sort of ties to the old track in Agawam, which closed in 1999. Riverside, both the amusement park and speedway, was an institution in its community. By admin January 26, 2013 Riverside Park Speedway Charlie Jones, 1941 - 2013 Charles Ernest Jones, 71, lifelong Agawam resident, passed away Wednesday January 23rd at the VA Boston Healthcare in West Roxbury, MA. Rt 305, 307 and 322 streets will detour due to an event in Forest Park. 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. 1960's. The drivers are as listed: #12 Skip Barna, #111 Ronnie Mayer,#2x Charlie Brayton, #20 Jack Lecuyer, #98 Ray Sharron, #83 Al Jansing. navigation, search. Wisconsin. by ScottKo in Profile Tips For Users, SRW Winternationals Weekend now a Qualifying race for ALL Classes! The fans streamed, literally, straight from the rides to the bleachers. I was just a kid and my favorite was Art Rousseau out of Keene, N.H.. SPEED SPORTs Alan Cavanna catches you up on that and more in this weeks edition of Sealed Under Pressure Spotlight presented by Cometic Gasket. Riverside Speedway was a NASCAR short track that was inside of Riverside Fun Park in Agawam, Massachusetts. His sons then managed the park and speedway while becoming active in racing themselves, with a new crew of helpers. For all the victories the two had together at tracks from Riverside to Florida they were also, in a sense, New England racings version of Billy Martin and George Steinbrenner. Miller, a Twin State (Claremont Speedway) standout for many years before moving on to the Whelen Modified Tour and the NASCAR Busch Series died at the age of 34. 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. Much of the coaster's second half (essentially everything north of, and including, the station and entrance queue), as well as more than half of the park's "D.C. Superhero Adventures" section, now sit on land once occupied by the track's racing surface. While the Daytona 500 took place in Florida Sunday, racing fans in western Massachusetts remembered when racing took place on a much shorter track in Agawam at the Riverside Park Speedway. Riverside was a fifth back then. Auto Racing Research Assoc. TRACK INFO UPDATE? Did you miss a thrilling Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte, or David Gravels Tri-City triumph? Thank you, K1 Speed!!!! TikTok Link. Matts father, Mark Wiernasz was a track announcer there, in addition to working for decades as our assignment manager here at 22News. He simply says the owners decided to go in a different direction, which ultimately proved to be selling out. It was a cant-miss business proposition, until amusement rides became more profitable than packed pits and stands. Bobby Dragon of Milton, Vt. won the first NASCAR Busch North Series event at Riverside Park Speedway on August 29, 1988. I had my own groove, right on the bottom. 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. 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. In the grandstands, loyalties to different drivers became fierce, where one sat in the stands was determined by what driver one was rooting for. Riverside Park Speedway memories abound at . He was currently employed at Boardwalk Auto Sales in South Windsor, CT. Everything was perfect and from the bottom One of them was future FOX Sports broadcaster Mike Joy, who announced at Riverside while still in college. The 1960s were popular years for stock car racing at Riverside Park. . Western Mass. Spawned by the popularity of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, the Teddy Bear Pools Truck division proved to be an instant success in 1998. Others inducted in the ceremony at La Renaissance were 1950s legend Moe Moneybags Gherzi, 1960s Riverside star Jerry The Springfield Rifle Humiston, Eastern Mass. The flathead-powered stock cars evolved into modifieds; Berggren recalls the great Eddie Flemke gunning down a field of overheads with his flathead during this period. Riverside Park Speedway was a 1/4-mile oval paved race track, located at the present site of Six Flags New England in Agawam, Massachusetts, one mile north of the Massachusetts - Connecticut state line. 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. American Legion Fairgrounds dirtpulltrack, Christian County Fairgrounds dirtkartoval, Christian County Fairgrounds dirtpulltrack, Clark County Speedway dirtmotocrosstrack, Decatur Macon County Fairgrounds dirtpulltrack, Edwards County Fairgrounds dirtpulltrack, Lincoln Trail Motosports dirtmotocrosstracks, Macoupin County Fairgrounds dirtpulltrack, Schuyler County Fairgrounds dirtpulltrack, Montgomery County Fairgrounds motorsportstrack, Northern Kentucky Fairgrounds demolitionderbytrack, Northern Kentucky Fairgrounds dirtpulltrack, Powell Co Lions Club Park dirtpulltrack, Deseret Peak Complex dirtoutdoormotocross, Rocky Mountain Raceways dirtoutdoormotocross, Russell Co Fairgrounds dirtdemolitionderbyoval, Va-Ky District Fair dirtoutdoormotocross, Virginia Motorsports MuseumandHallofFame. The Carroll family added a speedway, brought in musical acts and added many new rides in the decades that followed. There will be a host of Riverside events throughout EXPO, including autograph sessions. Riverside Park Speedway ("The Park") was built in 1948. Riverside Park Speedway was a 1/4-mile oval paved race track, located at the present site of Six Flags New England in Agawam, Massachusetts, one mile north of the MassachusettsConnecticut state line. 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. To capitalize on the nation's new attraction to auto racing following World War II, park owner Edward J. Carroll demolished the dance hall that had burned down in 1948. 711. It was more like an adventure.. 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. Our qualifying has been just terrible, Moore admitted. 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. 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. 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. . by ScottKo in RacingIn News, TRACK INFO UPDATE? I was given two years to run the race track, produce a positive bottom line and show growth.. FEEL FREE TO LET US KNOW! Following the park's 1999 season, Premier Parks, Inc. made several major changes that directly affected the speedway. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Our staff cant stop talking about how much fun we had, and they keep asking when we are going to do it again!! I wouldnt be surprised if you see us renting your facility in the future. 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. Facebook Link We always seemed hampered by a breakdown in communication, Fiore, of Agawam, said in his acceptance speech. When intermission came, you hit your favorite rides, safe in the knowledge that Galon would call you back in plenty of time. NASCAR replaced the Tattersalls in 1973, following what future promoter Ben Dodge described as a drivers strike. Riverside Park Speedway was built in 1948 at Riverside Park, now the site of Six Flags New England. Second place finisher Chuck Bown of Portland, Ore. now drives on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series while third place finisher Dale Shaw of Center Conway, N.H. recently moved to the NASCAR Busch Series. We hope that this is just the first of many events we will have with K1 Speed. He started his interest in racing with Leo Matte at Riverside Park with the likes of George Lombardo, Ed Patnode and Labbee Brothers Racing. Riverside Park. 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. It was exactly what youd hope to have in an announcer. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. (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. The teams decision to forgo any changes paid great dividends as the Pontiac Grand Prix ran fast and consistent on long runs throughout the evening. He resided in West Springfield and, He was an avid race car fan, a member of NASCAR. 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. 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 YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Our qualifying has been just terrible, Moore admitted. The natural athlete, Gene Bergin, was another star. No Reservation Required 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. Meet. Due to this variability, ALWAYS check with the tracks DIRECTLY via their individual websites to confirm actual racing before you travel! If youre thinking of altering your workout routine, youre probably looking for new exercises and equipment to help you reach your fitness goals. Race Date . 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. Auto racing legend Rene Charland, of Agawam, dies at 84. 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.. Riverside Park Speedway Formerly Known As: Riverside Park Stadium.250 mi./0.402 km. David Allio | Racing Photography Archives, Original motorsports photos from historic archives by David Allio, Riverside Park Speedway | Agawam Massachusetts Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam drew in racing fans from throughout the Northeast for about 50 years. 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). 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. Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam drew in racing fans from throughout the Northeast for about 50 years. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. The reunion will be held on Aug. 31 at the Polish Club in Agawam. "I would like to Thank You so much for making Carlys 17th birthday party GREAT!!!! Six of the eight people inducted Sunday into the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame's class of 2012 had some sort of ties. Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}42217.7N 723642.96W / 42.038250N 72.6119333W / 42.038250; -72.6119333. We are going to have an extremely hard time getting our team to agree to anything else but K1 Speed for our future events. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Again, thank you for your professionalism and management of K1 Speed in Sacramento. 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. Adults and Juniors 48 and Up, Junior Birthday Parties I was never on a banked track, racing with that caliber of drivers before. ", "We had what I would call one of the most successful team events at K1 Speed Austin just last night. Evonsion, Bob Polverari, Reggie Ruggiero and others. And just that quickly, the track was gone, along with a significant chunk of New Englands stock car history. May 16, 1983 - Agawam - A newly-constructed Riverside Park roller coaster is shown from a nearby potato Farm. 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. Stafford Motor Speedway in Connecticut and Monadnock Speedway in New Hampshire are just some of the local options within driving distance. The Serv-U Auto Supply Pro Stocks were also a feature division in the NASCAR's Winston Shortrack Series in 1999. West Virginia International Speedway. 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. Instagram Link 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. 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. 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. Dodge streamlined the modified program, marketed the competitors and started an entry-level street stock division. We were there last Wednesday, with 25 teenagers, and they all Riverside Speedway was a NASCAR short track that was inside of Riverside Fun Park in Agawam, Massachusetts . 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. Enter your email address to subscribe to this album and receive free notifications of new posts by email. The track closed in 1999 to make. Click on the race number to see the results of that race. by KyleBrinkmannRacing in KyleBrinkmanRacing, a racer from Elkhorn, WI, What a year as we transition onto dirt racing! Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam, MA - RacingIn.com NOTE: ANY RACE DATES POSTED ON THIS PROFILE ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE BASED ON WEATHER, TRACK CONDITIONS, AND MANY OTHER THINGS. WITH FRIENDS! open to all that raced at riverside park speedway no matter what car-truck demo-enduro-figure 8 & 4 cylinder-strickly-late model-modified ya drove! The 79-year-old Agawam, MA native began his career at the old. Agawam, MA This event marks the tenth annual appearance of the NASCAR Busch North Series at Riverside Park Speedway. The picnic grove was repurposed as an amusement park and opened its first roller coaster in 1912. Of those six, two will never be more closely linked to one another than the driver-owner combination of Reggie Ruggiero and Mario Fiore. The 1998 Riverside Park Modified Champion was Jimmy Broderick, Driving the Pruchnik Motorsports #42 Modified owned By Denis Pruchnik. 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. The 1980s arrived! Ten years ago. We carry brands such as Parker, Enerpac, NoShok, Daman, Hiwin, UR Robot, Robotiq, Schunk, Rechner Sensors, SICK sensors, Weidmuller, Dixon and many more! Paved Oval located in Agawam, MA: Track Status: Razed (Opened: 1948 --- Closed: 1999) TOURING SERIES & MAJOR EVENTS ; Date Sanction The arrival of NASCAR established Riverside as one of NASCARs big three modified speedways in New England, along with Stafford and Thompson in Connecticut. What a year as we transition onto dirt racing! by ScottKo in RacingIn News, Fans of Fast Name Their Favorite Track of 2014 Riverside, both the amusement park and speedway, was an institution in its community. A / V Equipped Rooms, Franchise Info| Partner Program|Corporate Partnerships|Fundraisers & Donations|Contact|Employees, 2023 K1Speed Inc. All rights reserved. A team rich in winning was, as he said, cash poor.. We Thank You Very Much for making this Carlys NOTE: ANY RACE DATES POSTED ON THIS PROFILE ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE BASED ON WEATHER, TRACK CONDITIONS, AND MANY OTHER THINGS. 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. SPEED SPORTs Alan Cavanna catches you up on that and more in this weeks edition of Sealed Under Pressure Spotlight presented by Cometic Gasket. That was when midgets raced seven nights a week in New England. 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. With his good history at the Sacramento Mile, his eyes are set on the May 13th race for another win. NEAR To Host Riverside Park Speedway Reunion, Candidates Named for 2024-25 IMSA Diverse Driver Development Scholarship, Trackhouse Announces Ownership Of NC Karting Motorplex. But it's been 15 years since Riverside Park Speedway disappeared from the Southern New England Racing landscape. Jocko Jr., followed a different path, racing sportscars with the SCCA. It seems like just yesterday the laps were being turned for the last time in the shadow of the Thunderbolt roller coaster. The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing began sanctioning events at Riverside Park Speedway in 1976. Riverside Park Speedway memories abound at . You knew Rene Charland was the bad guy and Buddy Krebs was a good guy. 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. Riverside Park Speedway Demolition Derby & Figure 8 Racing Agawam Mass has 514 members. Rene Charland - AKA "The Champ" - won three NASCAR national Modified titles in the 1960s. (Republican file photo) Staff-Shot 20 / 28 Republican file photo Vintage photos:. The track's final reconfiguration and repaving to15 degree banking would be added in the mid 1980s. It would grow to attract the Northeast's best drivers. Bay Area Modifieds bringing IMCA Racing back to Emerald Coast, Rivalry Renewed: Lanigan & Richards Set To Face Off In 2015 As Richards Returns To Full-Time World of Outlaws Competition, Track Promoters Get FREE Promotion with RacingIn.com's Track Directory and Race Dates Page, Interest in Grassroots Racing Grows 40% in 2014 With Great Opportunities Ahead in 2015, Fans of Fast Name Their Favorite Track of 2014.