Tom's Pit Stop Racing

I remember the days of bobby socks, duck tail hair cuts and all of the 50's. Guess I gave away my age HE HE! Country music and old rock & roll still remind me of the old days.

I remember the days of street drags and racing for pink slips (which I have done). I can remember the early days of drag racing, both NHRA and AHRA and know some of the old drivers personally. The days of muscle cars may be behind us, but I will always remember the feel of a powerful machine under my seat. In the past 35 years I have owned fifteen 1955, 1956, and 1957 Chevys. Boy, wish I had them now.

Racer like Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins, "Big Daddy" Don Garlits, "TV" Tommy Ivo, Sox and Martin, "Dandy" Dick Landy, and Gas Rhonda were my idols. We need heros like these today!

I was a NASCAR fan in the days of Curtis Turner, Junior Johnson, Ned Jarrett, "Fireball" Roberts and the Flock Brothers. NASCAR has grown at a fevered pitch, from days of dirt track racing to multi-million dollar tracks and multi-car teams. I like Dale Jarrett, Terry and Bobby LaBonte. My personal favorite is Mark Martin in car #6. This Arkansas native has talent and perseverance. I hope that one day he will be crowned CHAMPION.

Racing in Harrison, Arkansas has over the years been spotty at best. One quarter mile tracks, moto cross and drag strips have all tried, but only one had any success at all.

In 1974, a small group of racers got together to toss ideas around, to find a way to get drag racing going in Harrison. Many ideas were talked about at that informal meeting. Use of the airport runway, getting someone to build a drag strip, the use of a city street, etc. Out of that meeting came something that at the time was unique. Street racing, fully sanctioned and insured drag racing on a city street. With the full cooperation and blessing of the Mayor and City Council.

Taking our idea to the City Council, we were given the go-ahead to use a section of street on Industrial Park Road, as a one eighth mile strip. But first we had to have a sanction and insurance for at least 1 million dollars.

We formed a Car Club, Harrison Automobile Association. Consisting of about 15 members. To start we elected officers and a board of directors.

We then contacted the American Hot Rod Association (AHRA). Their President, the late Jim Tice, liked our idea and agreed to sanction and insure us for a trial period.

The first race was held in August of 1974 and was a huge success. Over 60 race cars and a spectator crowd of approximately 5,000 people (in a town of 8,000 population). After our first race, we were told we could continue for three more races that year. They were all very successful and we continued to race on this city street for four years.

Each of those years, something was added to make this strip even better. Two club members, Bill Wilcox and Richard Goodall, built a set of timers that were accurate to within one-one hundredth of a second. A concession stand with a timing stand with PA system on top was built by several members. A pit area was cleared of brush and graded off. Fences were installed for crowd protection.

The Car Club grew to approximately 80 members and the racing just got better. The races were held every other Sunday until 1978, when it became impossible to use the street any longer because of industrial and residential growth in the area.

The Car Club was incorporated as a nonprofit organization by the state of Arkansas. Any money made was returned to the racers as prizes. All work and officiating at the races was voluntary.

In the years that the races were held we had no accidents. We awarded about one thousand dollars a race in prize money along with trophies and other merchandise.

Through hard work and determination, we had a very successful drag strip. For four years, Harrison, Arkansas had the only legal and sanctioned Street Racing in the world.

I would like to give credit on this page to those members who helped make all the racing possible. Without the help of the following people Harrison would not have been the only legal Street Racing City in the world. I wish in this small way to say "Thank You!" and acknowledge these people whose hard work and dedication made this dream possible.

Also credit and thanks should go to the many businesses for their immense contributions. Also The City of Harrison, Arkansas whose Mayor and City Council believed in us enough to give our organization and our dream a chance.

I'm very proud to say that I was one of the founders of the Club. I served on the Board of Directors for four years, and was elected President during the second year.

I would like to hear from all you racing fans out there!! Please sign my Guestbook and leave any message you wish too. Thanks for visiting my Homepage! Come back often as it will be updated from time to time.

See you at the races!