Hawaii Raceway Park (Kapolei, Oahu)

The James Campbell Industrial Park opened in 1959 at Barber’s Point on Oahu’s leeward side, west of Honolulu. The 2,400-acre private development was anchored by a Standard Oil refinery, and a steel mill and cement plant came in its first year. Its paved areas drew illegal drag racers. Police patrols had limited success, since they had no authority over racing on private property and could only stop it as trespassing.

In March 1963 drag racer Jimmy Pflueger, who owned a Lincoln-Mercury dealership, leased 74 acres in the park to build a drag strip. The only strip on Oahu then was at Kahuku Point. Pflueger got approval that May, and construction started in January 1964. The 4,000-foot asphalt track cost $250,000 and became part of a complex with a dirt oval, a road course and a sand drag strip. It opened under NHRA sanction on July 4-5, 1964, when 8,500 people watched Don Prudhomme run 184.80 mph into stiff headwinds. At a two-day race on July 30-31, 1966, Stan Shiroma set a local speed record of 192.70 mph in the Crivello-Farias & Shiroma fuel dragster, and Kenny Safford beat Jeep Hampshire in a match race with a best of 204.08 mph. Mainland name drivers were brought in regularly to boost attendance.

The Aloha Timing Association rented the track and ran races from April to August 1969, then Pflueger had Clay Miller manage it. Raceway Enterprises, managed by Jerry Simoes, took over in December 1970. The track closed briefly in 1973 when the promoters fell behind on the lease, the first of many stops and starts. It closed for good when the lease with the James Campbell Estate ran out.