Peterson Memorial Dragway (Tipton)
ClosedClosed No longer racing, but some of the track is still there.
Also known as Tipton Dragway
- Built on the site of the historic Altoona Speedway board track
- Bill Grumpy Jenkins won an NHRA Super Stock circuit meet there before almost 5,000 fans in 1967
- Jon Pulver set a 7.64 at 188.66 MPH strip record in 1971
- Raced
- 1966-77
- State
- Pennsylvania
- What's left
- The site was redeveloped, but the strip or its layout lives on in whatever replaced it.
- On the site today
- Access roads to an industrial area
- Raced on
- An airport runway
- First race
- September 4-5, 1966
- Track
- 6,000 feet
- Location
- On Route 220, on the site of the former Altoona Speedway board track
- People
- Paul Peterson, builder (1966)
- Walter Mentzer, track manager (1966)
- Ed Anderson, track manager (1967)
- Elevation
- 969 ft (295 m)
- Coordinates
- 40.62984, -78.30643
Paul Peterson built a combined airstrip and drag strip on Route 220, on the site of the old Altoona Speedway board track. Also called Tipton Dragway, the strip was 6,000 feet long and opened over Labor Day weekend, September 4-5, 1966. Walter Mentzer managed it at first, and Ed Anderson had taken over by 1967. Almost 5,000 fans watched Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins beat a strong field at an NHRA Super Stock circuit meet on July 16, 1967. Jon Pulver of Rhode Island set a strip record of 7.64 at 188.66 MPH in his junior fueler on June 20, 1971. A man who grew up a mile away remembered hanging around as a kid to learn from the older racers. By the time he could drive the strip had closed, but young hot rodders still raced there and the authorities seemed to look the other way. Another recalled strong funny car and super stock shows packed with cars, and appearances by Jungle Jim and Grumpy Jenkins. The old strip is now part of the access roads to an industrial area.
Video
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