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The Era of the Oswego Dragway

The Mission: To research, record and preserve the personal histories of the young people from here in the Fox Valley, the Midwest, who played a vital role in merging land speed racing and hot rodding creating modern drag racing. And simultaneously noting the positive benefits that accrued to the lives and avocations of these young people by the very nature of their activities and labors at the track. Jay Thompson

My chief goal in life is to give the spectators a good show.

- Chris Karamasines, 1967

"Drag racing is an activity with a history so brief that people still around were there at the start. They can recall how it began as a hobby among young men infatuated with speed and power-'hot rodders,' they were called. they have seen it become a compelling spectacle with a complex web of commercial relationships" - Robert C. Post

Racer Input

Bill Sontag's car & buddies.

Hi Jay: I have talked to you a few times. I ran Downtown Alive Cruise in Aurora. I have the 1957 black 57 with the Oswego sticker on the windshield. I found this old picture when I raced my 1956 Chevy Nomad in 1969, I got beat by a motorcycle. I just raced to see what my time would be. I wish there was more of a view of the surrounding area. I believe a photographer out of Joliet use to take pictures, then you could purchase them.

I have view both of your videos and it was quite interesting. Keep up the good work!

Take care, Jack Smith (Above photo)

Steve Cockriel & company.

Jay: It was nice meeting you on Saturday. I wish I could have stayed longer and should have put my Harley in the car show for fun. I got to typing and everything just seemed to pour out.

Hardly a finished work, but kindly read it. I would really like to contribute to your documentary.

If it were not for Oswego, I might have dropped out of college. Drag racing allowed me to apply Physics and engineering. I needed some meaning for the abstract.

Oswego was the friendly strip. US 30 was fussy and played up to the big money, like Rt. 66 does now. Byron is still fun today.

John Gudenas

Jay: A pleasure to meet you today at the Oswego Family Restaurant.

I just finished looking at your Oswego website. Regarding the picture of Al Thompson leaning against the white Dodge:

This was Al's first and last effort to race in the Super Stock class, about 1962 as I remember. He found it boring, compared to racing the "rails", and soon pulled the engine out of the Dodge to put it into a 413-powered dragster, the frame of his own construction. He built several of these frames.

I remember another guy who put in a lot of time around Al's shop. His name is Don "Foxy" Fox, from the Aurora area. He may also be a gold mine of information. I'll contact you again, soon.

Dennis C. Ryan

Hi Jay,

Glad to see all the publicity in the Beacon for a couple days. You really aroused a lot of people & should have a big turnout. Good luck with your future docs.

Dan Smith

John Olsem helps me out again with some photos.

Nice shot from photographer William K. Gommel, Jr.

Nice hearing from you and are you quick...I just saw my fire suit photo on the site. I spent some time last night at your site and it brought back many memories. Did you race at Oswego?

Bob Doss was the one who gave me my "assignments" for the magazine. The standard routine was he would tell me what cars he wanted me to feature and then I would do shots of the cars in the pits, one of car and driver, several of the engine, interior, various shots of cars (side, back, etc) and then action of burn outs and leaving the line. These would be developed and printed and turned in the next Sunday to be published in the track newspaper.

William K. Gommel, Jr.

Jay: I am interested in information about original ownership of the dragway and most importantly the layout of the drag strip in particular. . . . I now live at the edge of what was then the track. . . . this is important if you could get back to me??

Thank you, Krista

Arnie Beswick

Don Garlits

Jerry Klein

Norb Locke

Dale L. Pierce

Wally Parks

Gary Skiles

Al Thompson

Good Day Hello Mr. Thompson,

Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Les, and I had the honor of working as the lane one announcer for the Oswego Dragway for the last 3 years of its operation.

I just happened to read the article on the front page of the Beacon News about the event this weekend in Oswego and the part about the drag strip damn near brought tears to my eyes!

I really thought that people remembering this piece of local history was lost as some people that I have spoken with in recent years would look at me strange when the conversation would turn to local trivia and history. It would be...." Oswego what? "

I have fond and loving memories of that place as it was one of my first jobs, and the fact that it was a job that I would wake up early to get to, I really loved working at the track! The memories that this article brought back to me, the people I worked with, the racers, the fun! I could write you a small book on these things, yet I do not want to impose. Rather, if you would like to know more from an employee's memories, I would be more than happy to speak with you on the subject.

I started working at Oswego Dragway when I was a sophomore in East Aurora High school, 1976, all I did was apply to be a ticket taker, and got the call to become their announcer, I never regretted that day or the next 3 years till it was time for the Dusty "O" to have its final day, and well do I remember those 3 years and events of that time and the last day we were open and how nobody wanted to leave that night!

I look forward to possibly hearing from you, about what you know and maybe recounting some memories ,for you and what fans are still out there!

Thank YOU! Les

Jay: When my husband and I first moved to Oswego, my Dad, who raced all kinds of cars from about 1955-1965, couldn't believe how much the landscape had changed. Turns out he used to race here when it was "all corn fields." I think he only raced in Oswego for a couple years, he thinks maybe from about 55-57. I grew up with some of his trophies in our house, and his older sister had others displayed in her home.

Anyway, when I read about your DVD's in the Ledger I knew I wanted to get them for him. I don't know if he will remember anyone, or if his name has ever come up in your research, but I'm sure he would enjoy the DVD's.

Could you let me know how to order and pay for them?

Fran

Animal Jim

The ‘Era’ Exhibit at the Oswego Drag Strip Festival, Downtown Oswego. Fri 4 - 8pm, Sat 12 - 8pm, Sun 12 - 4pm, September 15-17, 2006. The next “Era” event will be held in conjunction with the 1st Annual Oswego Drag Strip Days that is September 16-17, 2006. The “Era” is an interactive, multi-media, guest racers, volunteer-enhanced exhibit recalling the 1950’s when young people from Fox Valley played a vital role in the evolution of land-speed racing and hot rodding to create modern drag racing. In fact we now believe that the Oswego Dragway is either the first, or one of the very first, privately-owned, purpose-built drag strips in the U.S. Note that for convenience the “Era” exhibit will also be open 4-8pm on Friday in addition to the Saturday and Sunday of the Drag Strip Days Festival in the middle of all of the Drag Days activities.

Credits: The Era of the Oswego Dragway is an on-going project and many people to thank.

A special thanks to those who have provided time, photos, and home movies etc. Roger Clayton, Bill & Bob Cottingim, Stevie Cockriel, Dale & Darold Cutsinger, Animal Jim Fruer, Mitch Gawlik, Don Hausler, Willie Hyer, Gerry Klein, Dave Krahn, Norb Locke, Bill Modesitt, Ken Nelson, Kevin O'Kelly, Sue & Tom Petersen, Andrea Skiles, Dan Smith, Bob Thompson, James & Violet Thompson Family, Al & Francis Thompson Family, Jerry Turvig, Jim "Woody" Woodrow

To share photos, footage, or just plain old recollections and memories please contact Jay Thompson

This project could not have been completed without the enthusiastic assistance of the following people: Jay Allen, Arnie "The Farmer" Beswick, Rick Bill, Sharon Briggs, Joe Brown, George Carpenteria, James Chevrier, Ron Colson, Jim Dano "Dyno, Jim", Jack Ditmars, Bob Doss, Lynn Dubajic, John Earle, Jerry Eich, John Eldredge, Willie Fessler, Dennis Figgins, Pat Finley, Charles Goering, Mike Golonka, Doug Heap, Randy Hennings, Max Herwig, Archie Hubbard, Jane Humpreys, Connie Kalitta, Chris Karamasines, Jim King, Dave Krahn, Bernie Kratsch, Ron Kuntz, Father Jerry Leake, Ron Leek, John Lies, Rich Logue, Bill Manrot, Jim Mayer, "Broadway Bob" Metzler, Jack Ostlander, Rick Peters, Bill & Marilee Pritchard, Dave Raspiller, Bob Stekl, Carol Stream, Lee Tolliver, Dick Wells, Carson Wilkinson, Don Hausler, Jerry Klein, Dan Smith, Montgomery, Jim 'Woody'' Woodrow, Stevie Cockriel, Dale & Darold, Cutsinger, Bob Baker & Ann Baker, Pat Finley, Dennis Figgins, Roger Clayton, Bill & Marilee Pritchard, Bob Doss, Andrea Skiles, Ben Brown, Father Jerry Leake, Francis Thompson & Kelly, Mike, Megan and Shane, Ron Leek, Bill Mondesitt, Sharon Briggs, Jim Mayer, Tom Churchill, Bob Stekl, John & Janette Holmes, Javier & Pearl Hernandez, Jane Humpreys, Arnie "The Farmer" Beswick, John Eldredge, Chris Karamasines, Jack Ditmars, "Broadway Bob" Metzler, Randy Hennings, Archie Hubbard, Lee Tolliver, Max Herwig, Norb Locke, Kevin O'Kelly, Jim King, Doug Heap, John Lies, Jim Dano "Dyno Jim", Willie Fessler, John Earle, Ron Colson, Carson Wilkinson, Charles Goering, Jack Ostlander, Bernie Kratsch, Mike & Rita Graves, Lynn Dubajic, Rich Logue, Ron Kuntz, Rick Peters, Jerry Eich, Connie Kalitta .

And many more whose names I couldn’t spell korrectlly.

Visit website Email Addresses and other Chapter Two, The Era, Info: The guy could sell stoves at a shipwreck, no doubt.

1st Annual Official Village of Oswego Drag Strip Days Festival Official t-shirt & Oswego Seneca Reunion Events. Call or email for more details.