Northstar Dragstrip

[Z28SSMAN]

Shortly after moving into town, I found out about this track and decided to check it out. For you young ones...the track was right off 35W and County Road J. I think we went on a Wed nite and immediately felt like I'd be spending a lot of time there.

There was a dirt track just a few hundred feet away and a Tavern right outside the staging lanes. I think it was Speedway Tavern maybe a 3.2 joint, not sure. When we weren't racing, we used to sneak our beer into the stands. You could see the imprints of the cans stuffed into the jackets and nobody said anything.

After a couple years, I used to flat tow my brother's Showdown Camaro in with my SS-454 Chevelle. I'd run 12's and he'd run 11's. People looked at us like .

[MR.hp]

That place was cool I remember the first time I was there and the smoke was rolling across 35W and slowed the traffic down. I was there with a guy who ran T-stock in a 65 ferd it ran 17.0 guess that quick for a ferd.

[NewAgeOutlaw]

Went there once with the fam when I was a kid and watched so me evil kanevil wanna be named Ken somebody jump a bunch of cars on his motorcycle after one of the drag races. He crashed, go figure, but he still signed autographs afterwards. As a kid there was nothing cooler

[MR.hp]

Went there once with the fam when I was a kid and watched so me evil kanevil wanna be named Ken somebody jump a bunch of cars on his motorcycle after one of the drag races. He crashed, go figure, but he still signed autographs afterwards. As a kid there was nothing cooler

I wonder if that was Ken Kunze he talked about doing that back in the day and he used to jump anything crashed a lot too.

[NewAgeOutlaw]

Ya that could be the guy. If memory serves me correct he had a green and white bike with green and white leathers

[House]

I wish it was still there. I live very close to J/35W.

[MR.hp]

I wish it was still there. I live very close to J/35W.

I went out there back in the early 90's and we walked around the old place
still found broken parts out ther even at that time and like and idiot I did not bring the video camera. Glenn and I drove by there a couple of times last year on the way out to the secret[shh] spot it is now gone completely.

[Z28SSMAN]

Here are a few cars that I remember just like it was yesterday. I've stayed in touch with a number of guys from back then, but I wonder what happened to these guys? Here's my 10. Anybody else?
1. Bill Stenger. Had a multicolor '70 Nova. He painted my Chevelle
2. Guy with a primered '66 Cutlass BBC 4-Speed with a Tunnel Ram and single 4 bbl. Mid to lo 11's
3. '69? Black Cyclone? 428 Cobra Jet 4-speed (lo 12's)
4. '69 Blue Yenko Chevelle. They called him Denny Yenko. Lo 12's Hi 11's.
5. Silver LS6 Chevelle Auto. Had silver wheels and used to tow it in with a wrecker. Lo 12's
6. Alley Oop '69 Roadrunner from Andreles Transmissions.
7. Fireman from So Mpls with the Blue mid 60's Vette. It had a SBC 4-speed and swore he'd only put a BBC in it if a BBC ever beat him. Well, I beat him with my SS-454 and he put the L88 in shortly afterwards. lol
8. Fuller's wheelstanding '68 GTO.
9. John Schula's Cuda (John Hagen's old acid-dipped pro car) Was White, but then had Stenger paint it Candy Brandywine color.
10. Alan Miller's '72? Chevelle. Had a Transmission shop in St Paul.

[old vette dog]

I know the old owners son

[Z28SSMAN]

We were at the track just hanging out when we see a Silver '66 Chevelle 4-speed go into the burnout box. The car was owned by a kid named Briggeman (sp) who earlier had difficulties getting the car off the line. It had a real bad bog. He tried launching it again and had the same problem.

He came back into the pits and said he was ready to give up when a guy named Bob Jasperson (who now owns Kustom Karriers) told him he wasn't leaving the line hard enough. He convinced Briggeman that he could get the job done so Bob climbed under the wheel and pounded the shit out of that car. I remember hearing him rev the car to at least 6 grand and dump the clutch still bogging.

Anyway, Bob staged the car and revved the thing even higher it seemed. The tree came down, he dumped the clutch and the car moved maybe a foot and the driver side window exploded! I remember the announcer saying he'd never seen a car flex so much that a side window would explode!! I was thinking...uhh...it's a body on frame car so that can't be the reason.

We go out to help push the car away and Bob's face was dotted with speckles of blood. What had happened was the ujoint had exploded, came up through the shifter opening (big uncovered hole around shifter), went right past his face and blew out the window! Lucky for him that he had just slid the seat back before he drove it, otherwise it would have blown the side of his face apart.

I can't remember Briggeman ever letting Bob drive his car again. lol

[speedo]

When did this dragway close...?

[Z28SSMAN]

I'm pretty sure is was '78

[Titan5]

Yes, you are correct, it was 1978. It should have stayed open a couple years longer, it just sat there empty, what a waste.

[Z28SSMAN]

A few more memories from Northstar.

My brother was doing his burnout in Showdown over by the tower and I saw him laughing. I thought man he must really be happy with the car! When he came back in the pits, I asked him why he was laughing so hard and he said Billy Briggeman ran up to his door and mooned him as he did the burnout!

One other time, a Cadillac pulled up to the line, the door opened and a shapely, curvy, well-endowed, buck-naked or butt-naked girl (whichever you prefer) got out and ran about 100ft down the track. The Caddy picked her up, she got in and they took off. This was the era when streaking was popular.

Marv Jorgensen used to park on the side of staging lanes with his bike and wait for a victim to come by, then line up with them. I had seen him win many races by intimidating his opponent and taking advantage of their weaknesses. So, I drive thru and he pulls in behind my SS-454 figuring it would be an easy win. I'm freaking out and not wanting to lose and my brother said if I didn't run him and run him tough, I'd have to deal with him.

Anyway, I of course get the spot and he catches me. He was playing with his throttle enough to keep his front tire ahead of me. He was staring at my front tire waiting for me to let off...knowing if I did...it would be an easy win for him. I refused to let off...he got there first but I ran him out. lol I'll never forget seeing him stop at the time card booth and watch him do an angry launch after he picked up his timeslip knowing he had just got beat at his own game. He never pulled in behind me again. He probably would have won if he had, but we'll never know now will we?

[Titan5]

I remember the first time I ran my 70 Camaro at North Star, it was the first time I had ever run a car at a track (1976). I drove it to the track took the tools out of the trunk and ran the car (exhaust & street tires) I was real bummed, It ran 15.00 flat.
There was a guy there running a silver mid 60's vette (street car like mine) and he said to me that he had worked his car down into the 14's after he had played with it a little (his 2nd time to the track) so I took my exhaust off and played with the car a bit let some air out of the tires and by the end of the day I had run a 14.20 I was HOOKED.....
Over the next year and after more tinkering I had the car running 13.0's.
Those days were fun, I got to meet alot of other people like me that raced their cars and drove them most every day, cruised Lake Street and Central Ave, Hopkins, did some street race'in too, payed a few tickets also.