Lions Drag Strip
Encyclopedia
Lions Drag Strip was a US
raceway in the Wilmington
district of Los Angeles
, California
adjacent to Long Beach
that existed from 1955 to 1972. The track was named after its sponsors Lions Clubs International
and featured many races that were sanctioned by the American Hot Rod Association
(AHRA).
As the area surrounding the track increased in population, complaints regarding noise were made to government officials. Subsequently, efforts were made to deny the operators of track continued use of the facility. After the last races took place on December 2, 1972, the track was quickly torn down through the efforts of the Los Angeles Harbor Department to make space for overseas shipping cargo containers which exists to this day at 223rd Street & Alameda Street in Wilmington, CA.
Former location Google maps
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
raceway in the Wilmington
Wilmington, Los Angeles, California
Wilmington is a district of Los Angeles, with industry as its primary economic activity. It lies adjacent to the Port of Los Angeles, San Pedro, and Harbor City. Wilmington is the site of Banning House and Drum Barracks, or Camp Drum, the only major American Civil War landmark in California. The...
district of Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
adjacent to Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
that existed from 1955 to 1972. The track was named after its sponsors Lions Clubs International
Lions Clubs International
Lions Clubs International is a secular service organization with over 44,500 clubs and more than 1,368,683 members in 191 countries around the world founded by Melvin Jones Headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, United States, the organization aims to meet the needs of communities on a local and...
and featured many races that were sanctioned by the American Hot Rod Association
American Hot Rod Association
American Hot Rod Association, also known as AHRA, and most recently AHRA Motorsports. In late 2008 Rod Saint restarted the AHRA and brought onboard Jim Tice, son of the late Jim Tice Sr., and Troy Moe, nephew of Orville Moe. 2010 was to be the beginning of a new era and season with the 'reunion...
(AHRA).
As the area surrounding the track increased in population, complaints regarding noise were made to government officials. Subsequently, efforts were made to deny the operators of track continued use of the facility. After the last races took place on December 2, 1972, the track was quickly torn down through the efforts of the Los Angeles Harbor Department to make space for overseas shipping cargo containers which exists to this day at 223rd Street & Alameda Street in Wilmington, CA.
Trivia
- The television series The MunstersThe MunstersThe Munsters is a 1960s American family television sitcom depicting the home life of a family of monsters. It starred Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster and Yvonne De Carlo as his wife, Lily Munster. The series was a satire of both traditional monster movies and popular family entertainment of the era,...
filmed most of the episode "Hot Rod Herman", (aired on May 27, 1965) at Lions Drag Strip. - The common advertising slogan used for this raceway was "Drive the highways...race at Lions."
- The track announcer for many races in the late 1960s and early 1970s was broadcast personality and motorsports announcer Larry Huffman, whose frenetic announcing style was later spoofed by countless stand-up comedians.
- The strip was briefly mentioned in "The Mountain King" episode of AMC's Emmy award-winning series, Mad Men. One of the characters in that episode incorrectly placed Lions in Long Beach. The actual location was in Wilmington.
- A 5-hour video documentary on the history of the track "Lions - The Greatest Drag Strip" (www.lionsvideo.com) was created by veteran photojournalist and Long Beach resident, Don Gillespie. The third and final DVD episode was released in October 2008.
Links
Former location Google maps
- http://maps.google.com/maps?q=lions+drag+strip&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&hl=en&ll=33.828608,-118.225572&spn=0.013297,0.027874&t=h&z=16