85 replies to this topic

[MrWeiler]

YMCA Engleman track in San Diego that later came to Clovis, CA, for the '84 Nats... my first Nats. This is why I love wiggles esses!
 
YMCASlotCarTrack and Clovis 84 Nats track.jpg

My fave too...and running the correct (reverse) direction!

[Gator Bob]

#1 - Radical Raceway - Lodi, NJ.

 

#2 - The King in Closter, NJ .... before they moved it from the original store.

[Alchemist]

When I win the lottery, I'm bringing it to Northafornia and opening up "Durl's Slot-a-Rama™"!

 

There's a bunch of us that can't wait - Very cool, Durl! 
 
Ernie

[bwolfsohn]

The custom tracks that we raced on the East Coast were much more fun than any commercial track. Cliffhurst Raceway in Wilkes Barre, PA, was the best slot track ever.

 

What Howie said... nothing else even close to Cliffhurst...

 

[Big Durl]

There's a bunch of us that can't wait - Very cool Durl! 

 

It'll happen a lot sooner if you'd buy me some winning tickets, Ernie.

[JimF]

One standard design comes to mind above all others. That is the American Black. I've raced on them many times in many places with many different cars. The tight, "in close" action just fits my preferences better than any other.

 

Despite it's individual flaws, the infamous 90' Kingleman at Buena Park could be a winner too although individual idiosyncrasies detract somewhat from its final appeal. A slightly modernized and cleaned up version could well be the ideal "short track"

 

A completely different track that I never saw before or since was the "mini King" located in an odd location in Stockton (I think) Ca. That track didn't last long but it was about 120' or so and all the turns except the high bank were flat. Really cool......but unfortunately short lived.

[Danny Zona]

I love me a Paperclip. My favorite track of all time and made me the driver I am today is the FL Orange in Jacksonville FL Slot Car Raceway and Hobbies. It used to be in HollyHill( Daytona Beach) FL when I raced as a teenager. It is by far the toughest slightly-banked track I ever raced on! I remember when it was in Tampa FL for a while and at the Tampa Classic it gave Paul Ciccarello all sorts of trouble. It will give the best drivers I ever seen trouble though, not just Paul. It's tougher then it looks. The doughnut is so tight. It's a great track.

 

[SteveDee]

Without a doubt, the Beast of the East modified Engleman at Sheaves Raceway in Wyers Cave, Va. Favorite track anywhere, ever, and definitely not a cookie cutter design, one of a kind!

[Danny Zona]

SlotCar RaceWay and Hobbies also has my favorite HillClimb of all time. Everybody can drive it, but its hard to be fast on it. Look at how high the bank is.

 

[Danny Zona]

This is my home track, The Race Place, Holly Hill (Daytona Beach), FL. Its a tri-oval with an infield. You can run just the oval or oval with infield.

It's basically a replica of Daytona Beach Intl Speedway. It's very hard and unique. It's another hard track that taught me how to drive. You also need horsepower with the long straightaways. I've seen a legend Tony P say many curse words while driving this track. Ha-ha. It will do that to any racer though.

I love this track!

[Samiam]

My favorite track was also one I raced on the least. It was on Eastern Long Island and called Bridgehampton. It was a flat road course patterned after the famed 1:1 racetrack. It even had an off camber turn. Very hard to drive but that's what made it great. Have no idea what happened to it.
 
Today I would say my favorite track is any one that is still in operation.
 
On Wed that will be the Kingleman at Slots-A-Lot. Hard to drive Retro stockers. That's the fun part.

[Champion 507]

A Stan Engleman 220' (mirror image of post #20) is what I raced on in Alabama last half of 1967 and first half of 1968 was my ALL-TIME favorite. However a close second (by 1 mm) would be an American orange. Only raced on one of those and it was Tony Griffin's in Garland, TX, 30 years ago.
 
Lonny Getso of Waxahatchie, TX, about an hour south of Dallas, has a beautifully restored blue King. At the end of last year he acquired an original American orange to go along with the King. He even got original timer/power supply boxes and an original clackity clack lap counter to go with it. Can't wait to go down there to run on it when he gets it finished!

[stumbley]

Mine. I never had a chance to race on anything but the carpet "back in the day". There were no Kings, blacks, Imperials, or Englemann anythings near where I lived.
 
So this is my favorite track:
 

[Bob Emott]

Tony P was the master of the "blue King like" Engleman at Nutley Raceway. It looked like a King with flat turns, except for the bank, with copper strip for braid and a "square" donut.  

When Pete VonAhrens and I visited the raceway the first time they were running the track backwards, i.e. from the deadman through the bank and down the straight into the lead-on/donut. They changed the racing direction to the same as a King, and Tony became the master at getting around the "square donut". 

He was just a geek amateur driver then, but when the track was wrecked by a leaking roof and replaced with an American blue King, Tony became the master chassis builder and driver that he is now....

[Brian Russo]

A small Aurora Thunderjet track I got for Chritmas when I was about 10 yrs. old.very cool,I was hooked.I raced with my 5 children,and now my grandchildren,serious fun and quality time .
Pappy.

[A. J. Hoyt]

After my last experience at Casper, WY, I have to say that I like the American Orange a lot more than the first time the RMRRA was there, even with the humps on the straight and the tight wiggle esses before the lead-on.

 

My reason for liking it is that 5 or 6 of the driver's stations can actually see what is waiting for them under the bridge ... and that is a big help!

 

Keep it in the slot,

 

AJ

[macman]

My favorite track was also one I raced on the least. It was on Eastern Long Island and called Bridgehampton. It was a flat road course patterned after the famed 1:1 racetrack. It even had an off camber turn. Very hard to drive but that's what made it great. Have no idea what happened to it.
 
Today I would say my favorite track is any one that is still in operation.
 
On Wed that will be the Kingleman at Slots-A-Lot. Hard to drive Retro stockers. That's the fun part.

 

That track (Bridgehampton) is currently property of a club in San Diego, CA, and is being used...

[Samiam]

Ben

 

That is great news. Do they have a web site?

 

This is why I always bring a few cars with me when ever I travel. You never know when you may meet up with an old friend.

[JimF]

That track (Bridgehampton) is currently property of a club in San Diego CA, & is being used...

 

That is great to hear. I think the business was called "Racehampton" and at one point was a pretty high profile raceway. I raced on it once when I lived in Vermont. IIRC......it was a stop in a series that was called the "NY/NJ metro series" or somesuch. I think Mr Emmot was involved in that series possibly as les grandes fromagge. I think there were three raceways on Lawn Guyland at the time and I always thought that was the coolest track in the Northeast.

[Half Fast]

My recall as well is that the place was called "Racehampton"

 

I think it was in Hampton Bays.

 

Cheers

[macman]

There was a thread here about it in the last couple of years...

[Half Fast]

Good memory. Ben!
 
Photo of the Bridgehampton/Racehampton track is HERE.
 
The track is apparently run "backwards" in direction in El Cajon from the late beloved real track.
 
Cheers,

[Mike Henry]

One of My favorite tracks have to be the Florida orange in Jax for training my self and testing cars

[Wizard Of Iz]

I love me a paper clip. My favorite track of all time and made me the driver I am today is the FL Orange in Jacksonville FL SlotCar RaceWay and Hobbies. It used to be in HollyHill(DaytonaBch)FL when I raced as a teenager. It is by far the toughest slightly banked track I ever raced on! I remember when it was in Tampa FL for a while and at the Tampa Classic it gave Paul Chiccy all sorts of trouble. It will give the best drivers I ever seen trouble though, not just Paul. Its tougher then it looks. The doughnut is so tight. Its a great track.

 
DZ, It's fun to watch you run that track. Very obvious that you have a bunch of laps on it.  
 
I'm the guy that nicknamed it the "Biotch By The Bay" the first time that I raced on it when it was in Tampa and it stuck. We decided that it needed a more family-friendly name when we got it from Mike Shaw and brought it to Jacksonville. I had painted the walls orange and Buddy named it The Florida Orange.  It is ton of fun but has intimidated a bunch of really good racers.
 

SlotCar RaceWay and Hobbies also has my favorite HillClimb of all time. Everybody can drive it, but its hard to be fast on it. Look at how high the bank is.

 
When Les Newman (Slot Car Raceway - Tampa Bay) was selling the track, Buddy said that he had to find a way to keep the track in Florida. So, so glad he did.  It's pretty easy from the leadon at Section 11 to section 5 going into the dogleg. The challenge is to figure out how to go fast from section 5, around the donut, up the hill and through the leadon.  
 
BTW .... you can tell that's a picture from a year-or-so ago. When Don Bryans rebraided and reset the track, we dropped the leadon about two inches. The track wall is now at the bottom of the white stripe on the wall instead of being at the top.  And the two fresh power supplies helped with our claim of being The Fastest Hillclimb in the South.
 
 
 

One of My favorite tracks have to be the Florida orange in Jax for training my self and testing cars

 
Mike, you've used that track very well to learn patience and setup.  It's a blast.  Wish we could get more guys interested in running on it.

[Mike Henry]

Thanks, Rollin, it makes going to Daytona way easier!! LOL.