Sandy Run Drag Strip

Most of what’s known about this strip comes from racer Walt McIntyre. He said three dirt strips ran at the same time within four miles of each other. Shadyside, owned by Marshall Hamrick, came first. Sandy Run, owned by the Hunt family, opened about three miles west of Shadyside, and Hilltop opened about a mile farther down the same road. McIntyre thought the others saw how well Hamrick was doing and figured they could get rich too, since a dirt strip cost little to build. Flagmen started each race, and a man on each side at the finish raised a flag for the winner. By his account Sandy Run ran from 1960 to about 1966, while Hilltop lasted only a couple of years. All three raced on Sunday afternoons until Sandy Run strung lights along the strip and started racing Saturday nights, which worked well for it. Regulars included McIntyre, Butch Green, Johnny White, Bobby Barr, Ed Price, Alfred Price, Hotdog Price, Robert Davis, Pete Black, Garland Buff and Jim Bridges. Years later McIntyre and Green stopped at Sandy Run, where the owner said the track had grown over and told them to go look, but they drove on to Hilltop instead.