- hosted events on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, making it possible for some of Riverside Park's early stars to race in the area almost every night of the week. YOUR PARTY AND CELEBRATE View NASCAR North Tour driver stats at this track. It was largely used for picknicking and steamboat excursions along the Connecticut R. S Sharon DiAmore 1k followers More information Riverside Park, Agawam, MA - History With Photos - YouTube Chicopee Riverside Park Golden Oldies Service Trip Amusement Parks Back In The Day Stock Car Racing Wiki is a FANDOM TV Community. Agawam, MA Racing on a tight track for 150 laps with 25 veteran competitors can sometimes be an unmistakable comparison to a championship boxing match, toe-to-toe for 15 rounds. It needed help to survive. I wouldnt be surprised if you see us renting your facility in the future. Thank you, K1 Speed!!!! by KyleBrinkmannRacing in KyleBrinkmanRacing, a racer from Elkhorn, WI, What a year as we transition onto dirt racing! Riverside Park Speedway memories abound at . In a joint announcement, track owner Dennis Fleury and series president Jack Bateman, the principals responsible for the inaugural event, advise the 1st annual Ricky Miller Memorial 100, presented by New England Outdoor Furnaces, will be held on Sunday afternoon Sept.28th as part of the Twin State Speedway Fall Challenge, a two day event. I think I just ran the, NASCAR Busch North: New England Ford Dealers 125 Notes, Kelly Moore Earns 2nd Place Finish at Riverside Park Speedway. Ed Carroll died in 1979. Adults and Juniors 48 and Up, Junior Birthday Parties He was currently employed at Boardwalk Auto Sales in South Windsor, CT. Rollie Jacobs (left), former public address announcer at Riverside Park Speedway, inducted legendary car owner Mario Fiore (right) into the New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame on Sunday in East Windsor, Conn. NASCAR replaced the Tattersalls in 1973, following what future promoter Ben Dodge described as a drivers strike. Riverside Rides Again will feature fascinating displays dedicated to the proud history of Riverside, complete with race cars from every era, photos, videos, memorabilia and many of the people who raced there. Gary worked for many years at Germano Auto Sales before owning Garys Service Center in Agawam, which he sold two years ago. The picnic grove was repurposed as an amusement park and opened its first roller coaster in 1912. The pit area was alongside theConnecticut River with large Grandstands being built on the hill leading from the amusement park down to the race track. It was exactly what youd hope to have in an announcer. by ScottKo in RacingIn News, TRACK INFO UPDATE? It was a great experience., SPEEDSPORT.com is a part of the NASCAR Digital Media Network, The cars line up for the Riverside 500. Photo courtesy of John Mahoney, USAC. Born in Ludlow to Read more Barbara (Cimino) Stefanik Passes at 69 By admin December 21, 2012 Riverside Park Speedway 77 Peros Dr., Agawam, Mass. Riverside Park Speedway - David Allio | Racing Photography Archives Riverside Park in Agawam, Massachusetts began as a trolley park in 1840. Vintage photos: Riverside Park in Agawam - masslive.com North Riverside Park Mall, Broadview Village Square Shopping Center, Immaculate Heart of Mary High School, St. Joseph High School, Oakbrook Center and Yorktown Center. Matts father, Mark Wiernasz was a track announcer there, in addition to working for decades as our assignment manager here at 22News. New Detour. Riverside Park Speedway - The Third Turn It seems like just yesterday the laps were being turned for the last time in the shadow of the Thunderbolt roller coaster. 01001 (413) 786-3876. Spawned by the popularity of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, the Teddy Bear Pools Truck division proved to be an instant success in 1998. Legendary Riverside Park - SPEED SPORT Agawam, MA Racing on a tight track for 150 laps with 25 veteran competitors can sometimes be an unmistakable comparison to a championship boxing match, toe-to-toe for 15 rounds. Riverside Speedway was a NASCAR short track that was inside of Riverside Fun Park in Agawam, Massachusetts . I was never on a banked track, racing with that caliber of drivers before. | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Accessibility Statement. Reigning AFT Singles champion Kody Kopp is trying to hit a grand slam this season. "I would like to Thank You so much for making Carlys 17th birthday party GREAT!!!! Before I had my license, my dad would drive me to the races and the big deal on my birthday was when I would have my friends over to the house for my moms spaghetti and meatballs, and then wed go to Riverside Park and cheer for our favorites, Berggren said. Courchesne, Shawn (June 17, 1999) "Final Lap for Riverside Speedway", Last edited on 30 December 2022, at 17:44, Riverside International Speedway (West Memphis, Arkansas), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Riverside_Park_Speedway&oldid=1130538742, This page was last edited on 30 December 2022, at 17:44. Ruggiero had four separate stints driving Fiores No. He resided in West Springfield and Agawam all his life. He is eighth on the track's all-time win list. accommodating. WWLP-22News 57.9K subscribers Subscribe 2.9K views 4 years ago Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam drew in racing fans from throughout the. Jerry Marquis and ageless Bob Polverari emerged as big winners in the 1990s, with Polverari taking five titles aboard the Bill Pelly No. Dodge, who still announces races and owns race cars, opted to take his leave, saying now that my reign at Riverside Park was such an important part of my life that I believed it was mine. Fiore shared stories of how his team would often struggle to get back home after races they had won, since most payouts were made by check and no banks were open late at night. 1960's. The drivers are as listed: #12 Skip Barna, #111 Ronnie Mayer,#2x Charlie Brayton, #20 Jack Lecuyer, #98 Ray Sharron, #83 Al Jansing. The track closed in 1999 to make. The 1960s were popular years for stock car racing at Riverside Park. We are going to have an extremely hard time getting our team to agree to anything else but K1 Speed for our future events. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 4/4/2023), Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/26/2023). You have set the bar pretty high, and the fun factor is off the charts!! NOTE: ANY RACE DATES POSTED ON THIS PROFILE ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE BASED ON WEATHER, TRACK CONDITIONS, AND MANY OTHER THINGS. In 1971 the track's configuration was changed to a bigger 1/4 mile oval, with slightly higher banking in the turns. Five-time track champion Bob Polverari won the final race, after which participants started digging up pieces of the track asphalt for souvenirs. He later was a crew member with Bill Pelley and Reggie Ruggerio before moving on to 44 racing with Jerry Marquis and Mari Fiore and was part of their National Modified Championship of 2000. The winner of the first NASCAR-sanctioned event was Bob Polverari. Pennsboro Speedway. KGM RACING VIDEOS - Tripod The United Stock Car Racing Club events drew 6,000-8,000 fans every Saturday night. Jocko Sr. won 31 feature races and multiple championships at Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam, Mass., and won the track's biggest event, the Riverside 500. A / V Equipped Rooms, Franchise Info| Partner Program|Corporate Partnerships|Fundraisers & Donations|Contact|Employees, 2023 K1Speed Inc. All rights reserved. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Despite the gathering fiscal clouds, the Dodge era at Riverside was spectacular, with Stan Greger, John Rosati and Mike Stefanik capturing track titles in the modifieds. It was the place to be on Saturday nights, fans would come in and watch the modifieds, and theyd have their favorites to cheer for, said Matt Wiernasz. In the grandstands, loyalties to different drivers became fierce, where one sat in the stands was determined by what driver one was rooting for. The 1999 season featured the NAPA Modifieds as the NASCAR Winston Racing Series feature division, along with the Serv-U Auto Supply Pro Stocks, Teddy Bear Pools Trucks, Sportsman, Super Stocks and Figure 8's. The first full season of stock car racing was 1949. International sports car racing starPhil Walters, who raced modifieds and midgets under the name "Ted Tappett", won the season championship. American Legion Fairgrounds dirtpulltrack, Christian County Fairgrounds dirtkartoval, Christian County Fairgrounds dirtpulltrack, Clark County Speedway dirtmotocrosstrack, Decatur Macon County Fairgrounds dirtpulltrack, Edwards County Fairgrounds dirtpulltrack, Lincoln Trail Motosports dirtmotocrosstracks, Macoupin County Fairgrounds dirtpulltrack, Schuyler County Fairgrounds dirtpulltrack, Montgomery County Fairgrounds motorsportstrack, Northern Kentucky Fairgrounds demolitionderbytrack, Northern Kentucky Fairgrounds dirtpulltrack, Powell Co Lions Club Park dirtpulltrack, Deseret Peak Complex dirtoutdoormotocross, Rocky Mountain Raceways dirtoutdoormotocross, Russell Co Fairgrounds dirtdemolitionderbyoval, Va-Ky District Fair dirtoutdoormotocross, Virginia Motorsports MuseumandHallofFame. First, let me tell you how Looking for Riverside Park Speedway Photos - YankeeRacer.com A local entrepreneur named Ed Carroll began a family dynasty at Riverside Park by buying it in 1939. After the Wall Street crash drove Riverside Park into foreclosure, one of New Englands first drive-in theaters opened on the property in 1937. THE (Riverside) ROLLAWAY, Agawam, Massachusetts Blunk, Bill RIP 1924-2003 Oaks Park Skating Rink, Portland, Oregon Viking Roller Rink, Astoria, Oregon (1960's) . The track's final reconfiguration and repaving to15 degree banking would be added in the mid 1980s. Riverside Park Speedway Agawam, MA. Later years were with Tom Rosati, Rene Charland, Bob Polverari, Reggie Ruggerio and Jerry Marquis. For $1.25 admission, you got to watch battles pitting Moe Moneybags Gherzi against Charland, driving a decidedly non-villainous coupe adorned with pink polka dots. One of them was future FOX Sports broadcaster Mike Joy, who announced at Riverside while still in college. The first top-5 finish for the Tic-Tac Pontiac Grand Prix team pushed Moore, the 1995 Busch Grand National North Series champion, up 14 spots to 13th in the championship point battle, a mere 88 points out of the top spot. I was just a kid and my favorite was Art Rousseau out of Keene, N.H.. (Dick Berggren photo), The Motorsports Authority - Copyright 2014-2023 - Turn 3 Media, LLC All Rights Reserved. NEAR To Host Riverside Park Speedway Reunion, Candidates Named for 2024-25 IMSA Diverse Driver Development Scholarship, Trackhouse Announces Ownership Of NC Karting Motorplex. Riverside Park Speedway Formerly Known As: Riverside Park Stadium.250 mi./0.402 km. Following the park's 1999 season, Premier Parks, Inc. made several major changes that directly affected the speedway. In 1948, he tore down a bandstand on the property and laid out a flat, fifth-mile oval, just in time to see the midget craze peter out post-war. Henry J. Perkins. by KyleBrinkmannRacing in KyleBrinkmanRacing, a racer from Elkhorn, WI, BMARA RACERS HELP EACH OTHER I went in there and changed practically everything they did, and thats when Ed Carroll Jr. asked me to become the director of auto racing. Riverside Speedway was a NASCAR short track that was inside of Riverside Fun Park in Agawam, Massachusetts. Of those six, two will never be more closely linked to one another than the driver-owner combination of Reggie Ruggiero and Mario Fiore. Rt 305, 307 and 322 streets will detour due to an event in Forest Park. Do you remember Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam? I had my own groove, right on the bottom. In both cases, few could argue with the results. . by ScottKo in Profile Tips For Users, SRW Winternationals Weekend now a Qualifying race for ALL Classes! He was born in West Spring-field, son of the late John and Mafalda Mich-novetz and graduated from West Springfield High School Class of 1962. Its been a long journey to get here to the NEAR Hall of Fame, said Fiore, who had been selling race photographs at Riverside while studying at Western New England College. He started his interest in racing with Leo Matte at Riverside Park with the likes of George Lombardo, Ed Patnode and Labbee Brothers Racing. When Riverside closed, Eddy Carroll III, the founders grandson, owned four consecutive pro stock championships. This spring, Le Creuset has introduced an exciting new shade thats already selling fast: shallot, a soft lavender with pink and slight gray undertones. (Republican file photo) Staff-Shot 20 / 28 Republican file photo Vintage photos:. There will be a host of Riverside events throughout EXPO, including autograph sessions. Evonsion, Bob Polverari, Reggie Ruggiero and others. After a rowdy drivers' strike, it became clear that UNITED could no longer hold its own at Riverside Park, and that organization cleared the path for another popular organization to take charge of the track. This would have been around 1984.