Forum: Oklahomatidbits.com General Forum (go)
Moderators:  /  David Smith Jr

The McDonalds that crosses over the turnpike up by Tulsa is a historical landmark. I saw on a story this morning aired on channel 4 that they are putting money into it for updates just for the fact that it is a landmark. I believe this is our only shot at keeping SFS. I don't know how long it will take to get this done but if we could get it done before they tear it down, I think it would really burn the shorts of the powers that be.

I also heard that Humphries and some of those guys own the land where some of the new projects are gonna be placed. I am so tired of these crooked politicians. I bet they watch the OKC Thunder and pleasure themselves.

"They're steering them sum bi***es with their right 
foot!"

I have done research on the viability of SFS as a historical landmark.

It meets the criteria. Now the trick is to formulate the correct plan of action.

I am taking this fight head on. It always seems, power people like try and sway

individuals who actually have no knowledge when a good thing is upon us.

Keep slinging the dirt. Our great sport needs SFS!

John E. Banks
Regional Racing Journalist
Dirt Track Digest
[email protected]
[email protected]

"Where woould youo rather be than right here
right now"

If it could get on the register as a historic landmark maybe there would be government grant funds to renovate it so they could race again.

I've been preaching this for the last four or five years. Unfortunately I fear it's too late.

It would be awesome to be able to preserve the site and name it the Bud Carson Memorial Stadium.

I'm not giving up.....are you

"NEVER QUIT"

I found this after looking for how to get it put on the list. ' Dont look good'. The SHPO notifies affected property owners and local governments and solicits public comment. If the owner (or a majority of owners for a district nomination) objects, the property cannot be listed but may be forwarded to the National Park Service for a Determination of Eligibility (DOE). ''They will never say yes to it.''

JIMMY MINTER 'AKA'dirtrack234                  
Yesterday 
is history, 
tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift. That is 
why they call it the present.

I just said

"NEVER QUIT"

How about this Grand Old Race Track being used as a movie set. Remember the movie State Fair? Staring Pat Boone, Ann Margret and Bobby Darin. It was made in1962 using the race track as a backdrop. There is so much history in this track. People today don't learn from History. I always look forward to drive from Lawton to watch great racing on Friday nights.

Mike

This has already been discussed some time ago, but Historical Landmark status isn't a new idea. Lanny had me research it years ago, when the track turned 50, and research is one of the things I do. I went to all the appropriate offices, talked to the people who make the decisions, did the historical research, and hit the wall. That bit about the owners of the property being able to reject HL status is a real problem, but if the right history was there, it could have been overcome. Sadly, SFS is historically significant to us, but by the standards set for HL status, it's just not there. By the way, no president ever spoke there...Harry Truman made a speech at the OLD fairgrounds, and Adlai Stevenson did speak at the SFS stage....JFK apparently had lunch in the grandstand dining room when he was a Senator, but it ain't exactly Ford's Theater. Biggest thing to ever happen there was a Billy Graham crusade, and that isn't unique. Maybe someone else can find something that will spring the lock.....hell, maybe some of those dinner plate sized spiders in the tunnel are an endangered species....and I hope they can, but don't think this hasn't been tried....several times. The only thing that could have saved SFS was so much money coming in they couldn't afford to close it. I just hope somewhere OUTSIDE OKC CITY LIMITS, out of the county, there's a new track some day fairly soon.

http://www.ultimateracinghistory.com/racelist3.php?trackid=86

Brian,

Check out the July results for that year. Jerry Hoyt came back, driving for Bob Sweikert, and was killed in turn three in his heat race.....drove it in too deep, pitched it into the cushion and rolled onto the outside fence. Head came down on one of those railroad ties or he might have walked away. His wife of less than three weeks was in the stands. Eddie Sachs took her back to her parents place in Indy. Hoyt was Reece's best friend, and Jimmy hated sprint cars anyway...only ran here because it was a hometown deal. Just about choked when Sweikert turned around and offered him the ride in Hoyt's car. Yep, it's all part of the history.

The giants of Oklahoma racing were Tulsa and Oklahoma City. Much much history.

Since OkC is the State Capital, wouldn't it make sense to at least have the LAST giant standing? All of the marks on the racing world tend to go where they can survive enough to remembered. Pat Flaherty in the first Watson while winning Indianapolis in 1956, John Zink owner.

The officilal Indianapolis historian is still convinced this car became a supermodified!

I guess he's thinking of this car

Brian, that IS the Flaherty Watson roadster...1956 "500" winner. When Bettenhausen was driving for Zink, he insisted he wanted a dirt roadster, so Denny Moore cut the Watson roadster down and made a dirt roadster, which of course Bettenhausen hated. Later, when Zink started fielding supers, he had Denny modify that car into a super, which never really was a world beater. Emmett Hahn told me "it may have been great at Indy, but it sure wasn't much on dirt." Buddy Cagle has some success with it, I guess. A few years ago, Denny, Jackie Howerton, Bill Jones, and Jerry Weeks combined their talents to put the car back into its original Watson configuration. It's a beautiful restoration, especially considering what it was for quite a while.