In both cases, few could argue with the results. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Imagine, instead, a speedway that shared its real estate with an amusement park, giving it a constant stream of potential fans, plus a picturesque location between towering rides and a lazily flowing river. Looking for Riverside Park Speedway Photos - YankeeRacer.com ", 2023 K1Speed Inc. All rights reserved. He started his interest in racing with Leo Matte at. Henry J. Perkins transformed the picnic grove into an amusement park more than 100 years ago with the addition of mechanical rides like The Giant Dip, an early roller coaster. WWLP-22News 57.9K subscribers Subscribe 2.9K views 4 years ago Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam drew in racing fans from throughout the. Riverside Park - YankeeRacer.com While the focus of the auto racing world will be on Daytona Beach, Florida this weekend, there is plenty of racing heritage here in western Massachusetts. The 1980s arrived! racing fans remember Riverside Park Speedway WWLP-22News 58.1K subscribers 12 2.4K views 4 years ago While the Daytona 500 took place in Florida Sunday, racing fans in western. "I would like to Thank You so much for making Carlys 17th birthday party GREAT!!!! We had sponsorship for every race. Do you remember Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam? - YouTube SRW Winternationals Weekend now a Qualifying race for ALL Classes! MattWiernasz is an auto racing journalist and photographer himself, and has fond memories of watching the races at Riverside. We hope that this is just the first of many events we will have with K1 Speed. He declined, citing his growing family, and the seat was offered to an up-and-comer from Missouri named Rusty Wallace. 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. Invaders that raced at "The Park" seeking NASCAR National Modified Championship points included Richie Evans, Jerry Cook, Geoff Bodine, Jim Spencer, John Blewitt Jr and "Captain Sizzle" Mark Malcuit from Ohio, some would go on to become champions in several of NASCAR's top series. He was part of a championship crew with Barry Kuhnel, Bill Pelley and Bob Polverari in the 80s and 90s. Ruggiero had four separate stints driving Fiores No. From seventhto secondTO THE LEAD Dale Nottestad is our featured driver on this weeks Fight For The Flag for his rebound performance at the Big 8 Late Model Spring Classic at Rockford Speedway. All rights reserved (About Us). In addition to that, the purses were increased. Riverside Park. Others inducted in the ceremony at La Renaissance were 1950s legend Moe Moneybags Gherzi, 1960s Riverside star Jerry The Springfield Rifle Humiston, Eastern Mass. As Riverside Park Speedway joined NASCAR to celebrate the past 50 years of auto racing in 1998, a new division was rolled out onto the Speedway. My last year, 1996, the paid attendance in the grandstand was 143,000 people. Riverside, both the amusement park and speedway, was an institution in its community. One of them was future FOX Sports broadcaster Mike Joy, who announced at Riverside while still in college. The Park was what got me noticed everywhere. Evonsion, Bob Polverari, Reggie Ruggiero and others. Of those six, two will never be more closely linked to one another than the driver-owner combination of Reggie Ruggiero and Mario Fiore. It could trace its roots to just after the Civil War, when Gallups Grove opened as a picnic area in Agawam, nearly across the Connecticut River from the industrial city of Springfield, Mass. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. The 1970s were a decade of change for the facility, as physical and managerial changes were put into place that made the track what it was until its final season. Use THIS BUTTON to share this track's profile with your friends! Ruggiero told a story that some knew, but others didnt, about a decision that might have changed the face of NASCAR history. Riverside Park. - Gallery - Ron Wetzler | racersreunion.com The track's last decade, the 1990s, saw more racing stars earn their stripes on the high banks at Riverside Park, including Marquis, who captured 3 consecutive modified championships from 1991 to 1993, Featherlite Modified Series stars Dan Avery and Chris Kopec and NASCAR Winston/Nextel Cup star Steve Park. One unforgettable element of racing at Riverside was the annual 500-lap races for cars competing as two-car teams. The future international sports car star Phil Walters, still racing under his midget pseudonym of Ted Tappett, captured 14 of the 28 features, a record that still stood when Riverside finally closed.