Edgewater Sports Park (Cleves)

History

This strip in Cleves, 17 miles northwest of Cincinnati, was running by April 1958, with weekly races on Saturday nights or Sundays. 1958 ads also called it Edgewater Speedway and Edgewater Drag Strip. The track’s website says it opened in 1954, but no documents have turned up to support that. At first it had two separate paved strips, each 15 feet wide with a 15-foot divider, running half a mile. On September 21, 1963, Herbie Marx, 27, of Cincinnati was badly hurt when his throttle stuck as he slowed for a curve and his car rolled many times, and he died of his injuries about five weeks later. The 1964 season opened on fully resurfaced strips with bigger cash awards for every eliminator, which drew better competition.

Tommy Ivo made exhibition runs in his four-engine dragster on July 24, 1965. The track held a NASCAR regional on August 13, 1966, when Al Minges owned it, and a NASCAR Grand Stock Circuit meet on May 7, 1967, that drew 4,800 fans, with 22 NASCAR drivers and Pee Wee Wallace and Al Joniec sharing top honors. On May 25, 1969, a Telstar Racing Team AA/FD from Wisconsin set the track record at 6.97 seconds and 211.67 mph, and that year the track ran both NHRA and UDRA events. Tom McEwen and Don Prudhomme match raced their funny cars on May 28, 1971. Other big names the track brought in included Connie Kalitta, Bob Glidden, Bill Jenkins, Jeg Coughlin, Ron Colson, Don Schumacher, Dick LaHaie, Pat Dakin, Larry Brown, Shirley Muldowney, Gary Beck and Don Garlits. Dick Weinle has owned it since 1979. It’s IHRA sanctioned today, with eighth-mile racing for Super Pro and Pro and quarter-mile for Sportsman.