By JEFF MILLS

BISMARCK, Mo. --  Do you remember going to your first-ever race?  I guess my first race made a much bigger impression on me than it did other family members because I’m the only one that remembers anything about it.

It was a really hot day and my father told me we were going somewhere special that night. We first stopped at a little Dairy Queen style restaurant there in Farmington that used to be on Karsch Blvd. next to the miniature golf place for a “brown derby” (in other words a dipped ice cream cone). That in itself was worth the trip into town from our small farm, but I had no idea that our next stop would play such a major importance in my life -- the Bismarck Memorial Speedway.

I don’t know how many of you remember the Bismarck Memorial Speedway, but for me it was the track where I saw my  first race. I guess it had to be during the 1964 season because that was the last year Gene “Tubby” Black raced ! there and I definitely remember him. I couldn’t believe they could call a guy “Tubby” without getting their mouth slapped. I don’t remember much about the actual races, I just remember how great it was to be there. Everything was so new and different to me it really made a lasting impression. The sad part was we never went back. I guess the next race I went to was when Empire Speedway (now the St. Francois County Raceway) opened in 1970.

What got me started on this trip down memory lane was a conversation I was having on stlracing.com with some friends of mine. We were talking about some of the old tracks and what all happened to them. So I decided to investigate what happened to my “love of racing” birthplace.

The first person I contacted is my living encyclopedia of racing information - Tubby. Like always he was a fountain of information and he directed me in the proper direction.
I decided to drive out to where the track was (right next to the Bismarck Airport) to see if! anything was left of the track. When I got out there I was pleasantly surprised to see the gate that usually blocks the road off to the track was open! Well, I had to go through and check it out.

It was wild.  It really was a trip down memory lane. As I made my way down the rapidly deteriorating road I could remember bits and pieces of my previous trip there so many years ago. When I got down to where the track used to be it was a bit upsetting. What once was a place that brought joy to hundreds of people is now basically a dump. The track area was so grown up with weeds and debris. I don’t know if I was actually looking at some of the track or if it was my imagination simply taking over. There was nothing left of the stands, the old railroad tie walls or even the announcers stand.

I headed for town to talk with some of the locals. Toba Welch and the gals down at City Hall were a big help. They had rounded up some old copies of the Bismarck Gazette (a paper I never knew! existed) that had some old stories and photos of the track along with some of the ads.

I loved it. Admission was $1 with kids 12 and under free. The track, which opened in 1961 and closed in the early ‘70s, was actually owned and operated by the City of Bismarck and the Volunteer Fire Department.

I was told Dennis Mayberry, who operates a small auto repair shop in town (and just happens to be the mayor), would be a good person to speak with because he used to race there.

“I tell you, Don Klein and Tubby Black use to have some real battles out there,” Mayberry said. “They were always a treat to see.” Mayberry said he raced the #13 modified. “The last time I raced there my motor blew up,” Mayberry laughed. “That was back when a $100 was like a $1,000 today.

“That was a great old track. The stands were as big as Farmington’s.” Mayberry said the demise of the track apparently was a money situation. “It was an insurance deal I think,” Mayberry said. “They didn’t ! want to pay for the insurance. It was a money thing I think.”

As for Tubby, he remembers well his battles with Klein at Bismarck.
“He was racing a big Ford motor back then and I was running a little 283,” Black said. “He left there in ‘64. That was the year I thought I was ready for him. I had the first Hilborn injection engine ever run.”
When asked what did he remembered most about the Bismarck track, without hesitation Tubby replied, “The track would be so sticky it would pull your shoes off. We really liked racing there it was a fine track.”

I also got a chance to talk with one of the guys who actually built the track, Luther Tiefenauer of Bismarck. “The Volunteer Fire Department did most of the work on it,” Tiefenauer said. “That was the bleachers, the concession stand and that stuff.” Tiefenauer said he even did the announcing at the track for the first couple of years. Luther said Earl Straughn, who was the Fire Chief of Bismarck and responsible for many ! of the duties at the track, had passed away just one week before our interview.
My next stop was Tubby Black’s house. You have to understand that Tubby’s house is like a racing shrine. I think he should move out and make it a racing museum. I had called ahead of my visit to see if I could get a picture and some other goodies he might have from Bismarck. Well as usual he came through.

Like always, Tubby also had some great stories to go along with the general information he provided. For instance, the track used railroad ties for their walls. Well, Tubby found a way to get over that wall.
In looking through some of the old memorabilia from the track, some of the names that kept popping up were Gene Burch of Farmington, Jim Knox, Ken Slade, Gervis Basler, Gordan Mallery, Bud Casteel, Oscar O’Harver and Ray Gowen. It would be virtually impossible to list all the names of the racers at the Bismarck Memorial Speedway, especially with the limited amount of information that sti! ll exists about the facility.

One thing is for sure, anyone who ever raced, worked at or watched a race at the old Bismarck Memorial Speedway will never forget it. I’m sure glad I was one of the lucky ones who at least got to visit there once. One very special time.