24 replies to this topic

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SANTA ANA RACEWAY'S WAS LOCATED AT 1932 MAIN ST. SANTA ANA , CA., MY DAD JOHN AND MOM DEE HALE OWNED THIS HISTORIC WEST COAST TRACK, HOME OF THE 28 HOUR ENDURO, MULTIPLE 6 HOUR ENDUROS AND A TEST TRACK FOR ALL THE BIG NAMES OF THE ERA. WE LIVED A BLOCK DOWN THE STREET AND HAD A DUPLEX BEHIND OUR HOUSE THAT WE RENTED TO MIKE REEDY AND WAS THE ULTIMATE BUILD SITE FOR MORRISEY, CUKRAS, HUSTINGS, AND NUMEROUS OTHERS. ENJOY THE PHOTOS , THE FRIDAY NIGHT SHOT ARE CLASSICBECAUSE OF THE SIZE OF THE PHOTOS THIS IS GOING TO BE IN SEVERAL PARTS CHRIS

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RACE NIGHTOHN HALE (LEFT) AND ROY COX (RIGHT

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LAST PHOTO IS MIKE REEDY ON LEFT!!! THIS PHOTO IS ROY COX AND JOHN HALE. i HOPE YOU ENJOYED THESE RARE PHOTOS AND IF YOU SEE YOURSELF IN ANY PLEASE SHOUT OUT!!! CHRIS HALE 

[Mad Mark]

Wow great shots thanks for sharing! Love the one with matching formula raceways shirts.

[Larry Labounty]

Thanks for posting such wonderful pictures from the slot car glory years!!!!!!!

[Roy Lievanos]

Thanks for posting. Your Mom and Dad were always good to me.

I always wanted pictures of the track.

For some reason it doesn’t feel that long ago. lol

Thanks Chris.

[Gary MacDonald]

Wow! This takes me back....

In the 5th picture, posted 04:39, just right of center, sitting down in the plaid shirt... is me.

In the picture with Mike Reedy, to the right (Mike's left) I believe is Doug Henline.

[Paul Menkens]

That's a cool raceway with a lot of customers and a huge stock of parts and cars. Did your dad build that big track? it looks smooth as silk, sadly, I'm sure it went up in flames years ago.

[pmodwrks]

Yeah, my Dad John Hale hand built that track I remember him laboring for months to get it smooth and the Banking just right. He used Particle board or similar soaked it in water over night then bent it 8 feet at a time,. it was amazing I I am truly blessed to have seen this. He went every Monday to all the suppliers in downtown Los Angeles and hand pick each item for the inventory so he also had the good stuff. Jim Russel,  Gene Hustings, Jack Garcia, John Cukras, Mike Reedy and more were close friends so it helped him stay on top of the scene. I worked the parts counter ,\\, at age 8 and on, after school and weekends for 25 Cents an hour, then I bought all my own racing stuff, no handouts from him. Taught me a few lessons. I did and still do a lot of scratchbuilding. Chris

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Paul, when the shop closed the track was sold to someone in Fountain Valley, Ca. who had a huge garage, and the racing continued from there. It most likely is long gone.. Chris

[Larry Labounty]

Chris I feel back then we learn a work ethic. From what I Rember money was a lot tighter than these days. My Grandparents had a dairy farm. Learn the value of hard work. Still look back on it today with good memoirs!

[Larry Labounty]

Chris How many feet was the track? Did your dad come up with the lay out? Kool looking track!

[milmilhas]

Great Photos

[pmodwrks]

Chris How many feet was the track? Did your dad come up with the lay out? Kool looking track!

 

Larry I am not sure of the track size in feet It was rather large taking up 1/2 of the building. 

 

I misquoted the address it was 1032 Main st. Santa Ana Ca,  not 1932 Main st. THe layout was his idea , how he figured it out is beyond me. Chris

[Chris Burlew]

SANTA ANA RACEWAY'S WAS LOCATED AT 1932 MAIN ST. SANTA ANA , CA., MY DAD JOHN AND MOM DEE HALE OWNED THIS HISTORIC WEST COAST TRACK, HOME OF THE 28 HOUR ENDURO, MULTIPLE 6 HOUR ENDUROS AND A TEST TRACK FOR ALL THE BIG NAMES OF THE ERA. WE LIVED A BLOCK DOWN THE STREET AND HAD A DUPLEX BEHIND OUR HOUSE THAT WE RENTED TO MIKE REEDY AND WAS THE ULTIMATE BUILD SITE FOR MORRISEY, CUKRAS, HUSTINGS, AND NUMEROUS OTHERS. ENJOY THE PHOTOS , THE FRIDAY NIGHT SHOT ARE CLASSICBECAUSE OF THE SIZE OF THE PHOTOS THIS IS GOING TO BE IN SEVERAL PARTS CHRIS

 

I believe I managed to visit on just one occasion and I sit have a very vivid recollection of the track, loved the location and was so sorry to drive past one day and see it was gone.

[Chris Burlew]

 

How very cool to see Mike again. When we first met he had a race track in what I think was Garden Grove, "Checkered Flag" if my memory is any good. I entered my first USRA race there and someone won a "Race Ready" complete car from Mike... It was sooooo far out of my league.

 

I recall going back to my little home track and blowing everyone away with it for the better part of a year it was so above where we were speed wise at my local track.

 

He was an awesome guy, miss him.

[pmodwrks]

Mike was cool. I saw him several times before he passed; the last time, maybe in 1994, was at the RC Expo at the Anaheim Convention Center.

 

I had a booth for Scale Auto Magazine and a Model Car display; he was with Gene Hustings as a Rep. for Associated and his line of RC Motors.

 

We had a good chat. He rented our Duplex behind our house on Sycamore St. Those guys were building, winding armatures, and painting 24/7 they would go the 2 blocks down to Santa Ana Raceways and test their latest build.

 

I saw him everyday back then. Memories...... Chris

[Martin]

Thanks so much for taking the time to post these great pics of a track and place for the best to test and race. 

I regret never seeing it in person, but this is the next best thing.

You are a lucky man    What a great slice of slot car history.

[S.O. Watt]

I believe this is Doug Henline on the track with Mike. I would date this 66/67. Its before Doug was on Team Russkit and still using a Cox controller.

Chris, youre right about Mike. He acquired the Westminster Checkered Flag, took a lot of bumps/ramps out of it, put a new painted surface on it thrn put the most power anybody had ever seen.

Mike went on to become a major player in RC after his slot car motor days and Doug went on to famr in Enduro carting and Douglas Wheel fame.

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[Chris Burlew]

I thought I recognized the young man with Mike, thank you for putting a name to the "hair".

 

Whenever I drive down the Garden Grove Freeway and pass the offramp for that little mini-mall it brings back those memories. I had a honda 75 "motorcycle" I would ride from La Palma down to see him and recall on one occasion it would not start when I tried to leave for home. I was young and had no idea the issue and while going a little crazy Mike gave me a tool and told me to go pull the spark plug out and bring it to him. So I did and he cleaned and gapped the plug and told me to put it back in, which I did and it promptly fired right up.

 

Funny the things in life we recall. I recall meeting Cukras and Mike and Billy and many of the legends from the 60's at Checkered Flag and at the race track Bill Steube had prior to moving to his little office/shop in Long Beach. I was an amatuer running in a Q-concie but having the time of my life.

 

Those were the days....

 

Chris