[sorrowtim]

Hey sweeper, can I see those pictures? sorrowtim@yahoo.com
_________________
nastyboi

[sorrowtim]

Found some more info on Dave Mulder and Jim Aldich.
Dave was the track champ at 3 different tracks in Michigan in '70 and '71.
Galesburg, Jackson, and Spartan. WOW!
Jim Aldrich was the 5 time champ at Spartan. '73, '77, '82, '83, '85. He also won the "combined" Jackson and Spartan title in '68.
these are my two favorate Michigan drivers in case anyone couldt tell.
I would love to see some pics from those times.
_________________
nastyboi

[martyb]

A couple of names that are missing from the growing list of dominate drivers are "Frantic" Fran Hardin and Joy Fair. All though Fair didn't race on a weekly basis, he was practically unbeatable when he was there. Dick Crup had a great year in 1974 when he only lost 2 or 3 features during the year (this was the same year that he was the MSPA champion as well). Another driver that won a championship or two at Spartan is Bob Morgan.
sorrowtim - Jackson Closed in 1973. I was at the last race on that Sunday night in August of that year. The last race that was run before the rain came was won by the late Bill Heeney. For more info on the Jackson Motor Speedway, there is a reunion for the track on the last Saturday of October. This last year was the 15th year for this event.
Thanks Marty Blume

[sorrowtim]

Sorry Marty but I have a newspaper clipping right in front of me at this very moment that says the track operated from 1948- 1979. There is no mention of 1973. however, i was wrong about the year they paved it. it was 1952 not '56. Also I know bout the reunion as i recieve an invitation from Dick Decker every year to attend, thank you. The track operated for 31 years. you are right bout the rain cutting the last night short and the driver who won the fearure being Mr. Heeney, but you missed on the year. Lets play some more this is fun LOL. NASTYBOI
_________________
nastyboi

[martyb]

sorrowtim- the newspaper article you are looking at is from the Jackson Citizen Patriot from a few years ago. It is wrong about the year it closed! The track was built in 1948 as a half mile. In 1952 or 53 a Quarter mile was built inside the half and a year later turns 1 and 2 of the half mile were combined with turns 3 and 4 of the quarter creating the large and uniquely shaped 3/8's. The track was bought by R.G. Atwood in 1958 who had it paved near the end of the season. One race was run on the asphalt in 1958. Dick Good dominated the races in 1959 to win the 1959 championship for the first full season on the asphalt. In 1973 the track was leased or sold to a young man by the name of Andy Beal who ran it for one night (Bob Morgan won that night over 5 other super stocks) and then the sponsor of Little Richards car, Warren Simpson, took over the promotion of Spartan And Jackson. In the end, you could play basketball with the checks he was paying everbody with and the Kesenholtz family took back Spartan for 1974 and left Jackson to rot. The last race at Jackson was August 19, 1973. You want to play some more Marty

[sorrowtim]

I stand corrected! My apologies to you sir. So tell me, was this Warren Simson fellow the one who came up with the combined title for Jackson and Spartan? Also, did any famous NASCAR drivers ever grace the High banks of Jackson?
_________________
nastyboi

[goinincircles22]

Jackson Did close in 1973, I know this for a fact because I went into the Army in 1975 and it had been closed for a couple years by then. It was a cool track, high banked in turns 1 and 2 and almost flat thru 3 and 4. The pit was in the middle, and the entrance and exit for the pit area was on turn 1, so you had to drive down that steep bank and drive back up it when the racing was over. This made it interesting when it rained, because it was a real challenge to get up that bank when it was wet.

John Ward

[sorrowtim]

Thanks John. just to comment on your disciption of the pit entrance, I believe that is where I entered from Bill Tripps property. The claering I came to was on turn 1, the first thing I saw was high banked turn 1 and 2 and the backstretch. It was beautiful!
_________________
nastyboi

[martyb]

sorrowtim, No applogy needed!! I enjoyed the friendly banter back and forth. Benny Parsons did race the once or twice in Virgil Barbe's #44. Gordon Johncock was the track champion in 1963 and set the all time track record of 14.68 before they banned the wings in late June of 1963. Sam Sessions who also raced at Indy was a regular back in the early sixties. Then you have the midget drivers from USAC like Mel Kenyon. Don Branson also of USAC fame raced when the "Big Cars" came to Jackson. I'm sure there are others.
Jackson and Lansing (Spartan) first had a combined championship in 1960 when R.G, Atwood owned both tracks. The great Nellie Ward was the champion that year. I don't think there was another combined championship until 1972 when Jackson and Spartan werein the Carlings sponored series with Owosso. This was also when Owosso's big 1/2 mile was paved. Bob Morgan was the champ at Jackson as well as being the overall series champ in the red #80 Chevelle.
Jackson was built by the Stull family. In 1958, R.G. Atwood (he built Spartan) bought the track. In 1963 and 1964, "Easy" Ed Jones leased the track. In 1965, it was sold to a group from Detroit. The group of Ed Todd, Art Everrits, and Phil Collins bought the track in 1967. When Jackson signed to race on Friday nights for ARCA in 1970, the group that owned Spartan (Kestenholtz and Sellek) Bought Jackson to keep it on Saturday nights and to keep the Detroit drivers at Spartan on Friday nights. They ran the track until 1973 when it was sold or leased to a young contractor from the Lansing Area by the name of Andy Beal. He lasted less than a month and Warren Simpson took control of both tracks. As I said before, Jackson was left to rot, while the Kestenholtz and Sellek took back their baby (Spartan) and ran it until selling Spartan to Paul in 1977. From 1970 until it closed, Jackson was rotting to a slow death as nothing was put back into the track.
Because of it's unique shape (high banks on one end and flat on the other), the home town and regulars had an advantage over outsiders. Johnny Logan was asked by Gary Lindahl a couple of years ago how he set the car up for the track. Johnny said you'd set up for turns one and two and kind of dirt track around three and four.
Sorry for getting off the subject of Spartan Speedway history, but I am a bit of a historian for the old Jackson Track.
Thanks for keeping the history of the track alive. I am always looking for pictures from the old track as well as other memorabillia from there. The hardest picture to get are of the little guys, the ones that were not the front runners, but the ones who were there every week and putting on the show. Thanks again Marty Blume

[KT]

Here is a picture of my dad that I beleive was taken at Jackson.


_________________
Keith

www.myspace.com/ktfor3

[sorrowtim]

Sweet picture bro!!! Yep, those are definately Jacksons light poles and infield pit area. You are looking at the backstretch in the background. Those light poles and most of the light housings are still there in the infield where kids have made a motorcycle track. Great picture. What was his name again? And do you have more? AWSOME! Nastyboi
_________________
nastyboi

[sorrowtim]

Im looking closer at the picture and it looks like it may be just a sliver of the backstretch to the left of the pic, and maybe coming out of turn 2 on the right side of the pic. What you think?
_________________
nastyboi

[Bardenracing42]

by all means, keep this topic going. I am too young to remember Jackson motor speedway, but I enjoy hearing anything about it. It is after all a part of racing history. I walked around this track about three years ago and not only are the light poles and track intact, but the place is full of old tires and wheels (similar to the ones on the car pictured above). If someone were to do some digging around in the infield, I can only imagine some of the cool artifacts that would be unearthed. Are there any archeology students out there that would be interested? I also looked around outside the track and if anyone were to go off the backstretch, it looks like it would have been wild ride down the bank on the outside of the track.

Also My older brother distinctly remembers being at the track one night and seeing a car go off turn three and hitting a bystander, killing him. Anyone remember the details on that?

[sorrowtim]

to Bardenracing: Ive heard that there were about 6 fatalities over the years at Jackson, but I thuoght they were all racing related. Maybe someone else can confirm your bro's story. [/img]
_________________
nastyboi

[martyb]

Keith - That picture of your dad was at Jackson. I'm not sure of the year as your dad, Mert Thompson, raced many years there. Your mother also wrote the artlicles for the MARC Times papers for several years. They are 2 of the nicest people you'll ever meet! Thanks for posting the picture.
sorrowtim - you need to ask Keith's uncle Gary about what it was like to go over the backstretch guard rail. I was ther the night he it. I remember the announcer, I think it was the late Mick Shuler, asking that very same question. Gary replied that it was like being put in a clothes dryer. There have been many others also. The first and second turns provided many hair raising rides for many drivers. Bill Collins took a wild ride in 1969 near the pit entrance and out into the parking lot damaging about 7 or 8 parked cars. In 1968, Ed Todd parked his car on top of a bunch of chucks of cement that were piled just off of turn 1. Ben Snider did a whole bunch off end overs off of turn 3 and 4 on a Sunday afternoon one year also.
Before I forget, In the group that owned the track from 1967 through 1969, the fourth member of that group was Ralph Stull Jr., son of the orignial owners.
On the original half mile, turns three and four were banked like one and two. The winner of the first feature was Carl Scarborough who a few years later, die from heat exhaustion while racing in the Indy 500.
Just a few more bits of info on Jackson. Marty Blume