Rene Charland - AKA "The Champ" - won three NASCAR national Modified titles in the 1960s. 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. And for decades, Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam, Mass., was exactly that. He resided in West Springfield and, He was an avid race car fan, a member of NASCAR. THE (Riverside) ROLLAWAY, Agawam, Massachusetts Blunk, Bill RIP 1924-2003 Oaks Park Skating Rink, Portland, Oregon Viking Roller Rink, Astoria, Oregon (1960's) . Riverside Park Speedway Demolition Derby & Figure 8 Racing Agawam Mass has 514 members. Wisconsin. He is a member of the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame . Henry J. Perkins. 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. 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. Ruggiero had four separate stints driving Fiores No. The Park was what got me noticed everywhere. ", 2023 K1Speed Inc. All rights reserved. It would grow to attract the Northeast's best drivers. The 1980s arrived! Riverside, both the amusement park and speedway, was an institution in its community. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. SRW Winternationals Weekend now a Qualifying race for ALL Classes! When intermission came, you hit your favorite rides, safe in the knowledge that Galon would call you back in plenty of time. by ScottKo in RacingIn News, Fans of Fast Name Their Favorite Track of 2014 Route 322 Detour Update. had a wonderful time. Moore, the Busch North Series all-time Pole winner, has yet to display his qualifying expertise thus far in 1998. Discussion. In addition to that, the purses were increased. Check out these great suggestions. History By Decade Riverside Park Speedway ("The Park") was built in 1948. accommodating. Photo courtesy of John Mahoney, USAC. Western Mass. Ten years ago. Drivers such as Ted Tappet, Benny Germano, Jocko Maggiacomo, Jerry Humiston, Ed Flemke and Buddy Krebs were the drivers to beat throughout the 1950s. Due to this variability, ALWAYS check with the tracks DIRECTLY via their individual websites to confirm actual racing before you travel! Riverside, both the amusement park and speedway, was an institution in its community. 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. and well maintained, and the staff was so nice and very helpful and 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. 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 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. 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). 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 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. I think I just ran the car too hard and Im very fortunate that I didnt end up in the qualifying race. Moore and his team checked everything on the car after qualifying to ensure that nothing was wrong with the chassis setup. Auto Racing Research Assoc. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Our qualifying has been just terrible, Moore admitted. 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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. Enter your email address to subscribe to this album and receive free notifications of new posts by email. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. 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. Triad Technologies is an industrial distributor and value added provider. In its place laid out a flat 1/5-mile oval track, pit area and grandstand alongside the Connecticut River. 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. Riverside Park Speedway memories abound at . . Riverside Speedway was a NASCAR short track that was inside of Riverside Fun Park in Agawam, Massachusetts. Did you miss a thrilling Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte, or David Gravels Tri-City triumph? SPEED SPORTs Alan Cavanna catches you up on that and more in this weeks edition of Sealed Under Pressure Spotlight presented by Cometic Gasket. The track's final reconfiguration and repaving to15 degree banking would be added in the mid 1980s. Courchesne, Shawn (June 17, 1999) "Final Lap for Riverside Speedway", Last edited on 30 December 2022, at 17:44, Riverside International Speedway (West Memphis, Arkansas), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Riverside_Park_Speedway&oldid=1130538742, This page was last edited on 30 December 2022, at 17:44. The park was shuttered during the Great Depression, but was reopened by Edward Carroll in 1940. 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. I was never on a banked track, racing with that caliber of drivers before. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. It was exactly what youd hope to have in an announcer. Born in Ludlow to Read more Barbara (Cimino) Stefanik Passes at 69 By admin December 21, 2012 Riverside Park Speedway The drivers were characterized by maybe the best short-track announcer Ive ever heard, a guy named Tom Galon. My last year, 1996, the paid attendance in the grandstand was 143,000 people. 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. 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. His sons then managed the park and speedway while becoming active in racing themselves, with a new crew of helpers. 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. This one is Riverside Park, Agawam, Ma. Five-time track champion Bob Polverari won the final race, after which participants started digging up pieces of the track asphalt for souvenirs. New Detour. You knew Rene Charland was the bad guy and Buddy Krebs was a good guy. YOUR PARTY AND CELEBRATE We always seemed hampered by a breakdown in communication, Fiore, of Agawam, said in his acceptance speech. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Use THIS BUTTON to share this track's profile with your friends! May 16, 1983 - Agawam - A newly-constructed Riverside Park roller coaster is shown from a nearby potato Farm. racing fans remember Riverside Park Speedway WWLP-22News 58.1K subscribers 12 2.4K views 4 years ago While the Daytona 500 took place in Florida Sunday, racing fans in western.

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