Casa Grande Municipal Airport

In January 1957 the Karb Kats car club got permission from the Casa Grande city council to run quarter-mile drag races at the city-owned municipal airport five miles north of town. NHRA sanctioned the strip, operated by the Casa Grande Timing Association, in February. The first monthly race on February 10 drew more than 1,000 people and 89 entries. Carl Grimes won A/A in his Buick-powered Fiat, Johnny Loper took D/G at 92 mph in his ‘52 Olds, and the Bardelli-Groves-Sandy fuel-injected dragster won top eliminator at 130 mph. After that success the club repaved the quarter mile plus 300 feet past it and added 1,000 feet of graded dirt for shutdown, a racing strip of almost a mile, in time for the March 10 race. The extra length drew 14 pre-entered dragsters among 103 entries, and Grimes’ Fiat, driven by Lloyd Haugh, ran the top speed of 125 mph.

Before the May 12, 1957 race, Chandler hot rod clubs (the Gents, Modifiers and Pagans) joined the Karb Kats to form the Casa Grande Valley Timing Association. A Chrysler-engined dragster sponsored by The Lords, a Tucson club, set a track record of 139.25 mph on July 14, 1957. On Sunday, February 9, 1958, the Karb Kats held what they called the first annual race, marking a year of racing at the airport. More than 500 spectators and 81 entries came, the Cox, Turk & Franks A dragster from Mesa took top eliminator at 114.29 mph, and Loper won B/G at 89 mph. The March 9, 1958 meet, billed as the South Central Arizona Championships, was run by the Casa Grande Timing Association and paid $50 to top eliminator and $25 for fastest time, with trophies for every class winner. On April 13, 1958, Carl Grimes and Louis Rogers’ Buick-powered A/Altered Fiat won top eliminator at 121.13 mph. The last documented race was the 15th monthly meet on August 10, 1958, with 50 entries and 150 spectators. Art Meek took top eliminator in an A Compression car and Al Eshenbaugh won C dragster. Racing may have ended because so many racers went to the new Chandler strip, but that’s only a guess.