Lincoln Airport

The airport three miles west of Lincoln held its first drag race on June 20, 1954. Charles Wilson and Robert Bell co-sponsored it and the Lincoln Timing Association ran it. Since fall 1953 the two had been working with the Lincoln city council and the CAA for permission to use an unused runway. Bell, of Roseville, built an electric timer for the cars. Racers paid $1 and spectators 50 cents, every winner got a trophy, and 200 people came out to the first race on a hot, windy day.

After that races ran every Sunday, though in winter they were held only on the last Sunday of the month. The track record kept climbing. Bert Peterson of Redding ran 101.408 mph in his Ford roadster on July 25, 1954. James Sturm of Folsom beat it on a motorcycle at 102.857 mph on August 8, and on August 22 Cortopassi and Winters went 105.882 mph in their coupe. Later marks came from Steve Sturm (107.462 mph), Balliet & Padilla (112.50 mph) and Ronnie Sterbeck (116.129 mph). Drag racing at the airport ended in spring 1955. A race or two sponsored by Herman Klein may also have been held there in 1952.