When the pedal
hit the metal
Racing through the history of the Des Moines Dragway
By Jared Curtis
Two 9-year-old boys line their tread-worn tires up head to head at the intersection of Aurora Avenue and 128th Street at the Day’s Run housing development in Urbandale. Minivans and SUVs creep by as the boys pick up speed until their bikes surge across the finish line. Little do they know how reminiscent this scene is of a time when the same location served as one of the city’s most popular attractions of the ’50s and ’60s — the Des Moines Dragway.
“I always remember hearing about it as a kid and thought it would always be open,” said Larry Latham, Des Moines Dragway historian and creator of the Web site, www.desmoinesdragway.com. “I started racing in 1968 and really regret not going there before it closed.”
The Des Moines Dragway opened its doors on July 13-14, 1957. Originally called The Greater Des Moines Drag Strip from 1957 to 1960, the opening celebration drew more than 3,000 spectators. The strip was the idea of Ernest Day, who originally built the strip to keep his family from leaving the farm. One of Ernest’s sons, Dennis, had the equipment and a love of racing. The two built the quarter-mile strip with an additional quarter-mile shutdown lane. The drag strip ended abruptly with a cornfield that was marked off by barbed wire fence.
Dennis had raced at Nevada but was fond of the idea of a dragstrip being closer to home.
“It was really grandpa’s thing; he built it so the kids wouldn’t leave and stay on the farm,” said Dale Day, grandson of Ernest and son of Dennis. “I don’t remember much, but I know the entire family was involved with it.”
Lou Bredesky, a multiple race winner at the track, remembers that Dennis had the know-how and was always “thinking outside the box.”
“Dennis was an innovator. He was always transplanting different engines into different vehicles,” Bredesky said. “He was one of the first to produce quantities of ethanol in the his area.”
Bredesky was one of the most popular and feared local racers at the time.
“I spent many a summers out there. I was drafted in 1957, so before I left I went out and took a picture,” Bredesky said. “I came home from the Army in 1959, and I raced out there until 1964. I raced a D Altered with a 1924 Ford bucket T Roadster powered by a GMC inline 6 cylinder.”
Bredesky was 14 years old when he received his first car, a 1935 Chevy.
“I have been interested in cars since I was a little kid,” he said. “I tore that car apart and spent the entire winter putting it back together. My dad said he never thought he’d see that car put back together, but I basically taught myself about mechanics.”
Bredesky enjoyed the Des Moines Dragway because it was a solid surface. It was the first asphalt track in central Iowa and drew competitors from Iowa and across the nation. Other tracks at the time were partial concrete and dirt (Ames) or entirely dirt (Nevada).
“Driving on dirt was like driving on ice,” Bredesky said. “In 1955, the car club guys wanted a drag strip in the area. They talked with the city and county to get the strip. But it needed other people to believe in the idea, and Ernest believed.”
The strip ran races every weekend, as well as some Wednesday night races from April to October. In the beginning, general admission was 90 cents and the entry fee for drivers was $1.75. There were no cash prizes, but trophies were given to the winners.
“After you would win so many trophies, they started giving out other things like oil, which I liked because it was something I could actually use,” Bredesky said. “I believe during the holiday races (Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day) the winner would get a $25 savings bond, and by 1961 they had started giving out a little prize money to the winners.”
Originally, the strip did not have bleachers for fans, who instead stood along the fence. There was no running water or flush toilets, but the strip did have two concession stands.
“I was talking with a former racer, and he told me a story about how one time he needed water for his car and his pit crew couldn’t find any. There was a small pond in the area, so the crew brought some water from the pond, and when they were pouring it into the car, a tadpole came out,” Bredesky laughed.
A traveling trophy went to the season point’s champion, which was the racer who accumulated the most total points throughout the racing season. If the driver won the points championship three years in a row, like Bredesky did from 1960-62, he earned the right to keep the trophy permanently.”
“I remember that in my third year I was leading, but a southsider by the name of Gary Lewis was close behind me in points. Nobody wanted me to win a third time, so he figured out that if he ran different classes, he could get more total points,” Bredesky said. “The competition was fierce because everyone wanted the trophy, but I ended up winning the point championship.”
The track was always sanctioned by the NHRA or the AHRA, which helped bring nationally-promoted events like a visit from the “Green Monster.”
“It was a jet-powered dragster that the Arfons brothers from Ohio had built,” Latham said. “It was reaching speeds that no other dragster could match at that time. They had just ran in Kansas City and reached speeds up to 219 mph. They were anticipating reaching 225 mph and setting a world record.”
But legalities kept the record from being broken at The Des Moines Dragway.
“Right off the bat they hit 225 mph,” Latham said. “But the rules stated that all of his other runs had to be within 2 percent of the top speed for it to qualify. After the first run, they started having engine problems and never got it close again, so the record was never recorded.”
Another highly attended event was a race between famed engine builder Gary Ostrich and Kelly “The Professor” Chadwick in 1966.
“Various people have told me that traffic to the strip was backed up for a mile,” Latham said. “Over the years there were a lot of notable racers who would draw huge crowds.”
Ernest Day ran the track from 1957 to 1961, followed by Bob Johnson until the track closed in 1967. Johnson also ran the Humboldt track, taking on double duties. Sponsors boards showed up behind the starting line in 1965 including KIOA Radio and various gas stations and auto garages.
“After Bob took over, the race times depended on him,” Latham said. “He was busy running both tracks, but the Des Moines Dragway had lights, so if they needed to they could race at night, which was not very common.”
The strip didn’t install a Christmas tree lighting system (most common drag racing starting system) until 1964. In 1963, the strip strung a cable across the start line and attached hanging traffic lights. But even though they had lights, sometimes they would stall out and the original starter, a flagman, was still needed. “Jumpin’” Jeri Phillips was that guy.
“Jeri jumped flag-starts from 1957 to 1960,” Bredesky laughed. “He was as much a part of the track as the racers were.”
After installing the Christmas tree lights in 1964, Johnson went a step further in 1966 and installed two sets of lights, one for each driver.
“Bob came up with the idea for two sets and did the same with the Humboldt track,” Latham said.
Bredesky, a self-proclaimed car nut, not only remembers times spent at the drag strip, but different moments growing up that piqued his interest in racing.
“I used to go to the fairgrounds to watch the races,” he said. “I’d be right down front with a piece of cardboard because you needed something to keep the dirt out of your face.”
Racing at the dragstrip was a different experience for Bredesky.
“You would come to the line heads up, and your adrenaline would be flowing,” he said. “When I was racing, everybody went head to head. A few years after I stopped racing, they brought in the handicap system.”
Bredesky broke the 100 mph mark numerous times, with his best being 107 mph in 12.4 seconds. Compared to most local drivers who were averaging 14-17 seconds, Bredesky was at the top of his class. When asked if he was ever scared, Bredesky laughs.
“If I was scared, I wouldn’t have been out there,” he said. “I never had an accident, but one time after a race I hit the brakes and nothing happened. It was scary, but I eventually got the car to stop.”
Bredesky said it took a lot more to win than just a fast car.
“You had all of these elements to keep an eye on,” he said. “You had to watch the flag man with one eye, while keeping an eye on the competition’s wheel to see if they were inching up on you.”
Although Dale Day was a young child during the dragway’s existence, (he was born in 1958), he has a few memories.
“My dad said he took me up there, but I don’t remember seeing races,” Day said. “They only thing I remember is riding my bike up and down the track picking up pistons because the drivers would splatter their motors.”
In 1967, after being open for a decade, the flag came down one last time. The land was sold, and the Des Moines Dragway was no more.
“Like most tracks, the land become more valuable than what they could make,” Bredesky said.
After the strip closed, the nostalgia grew and Latham continued to hear stories.
“When I started racing, I would have to tow bar my car down to Eddyville, and it was dangerous. I always wished that Des Moines had a drag strip,” he said. “I continued to hear stories at car shows, but nobody knew any of the facts.”
The idea of collecting history came about after Latham attended a presentation on the dragway by Bredesky.
“I thought here is a guy that knows more than anyone else and that the history of the dragway was needed,” Latham said. “So I started collecting information.”
During his searches, Latham continually scoured the area for remains.
“I walked through multiple fields looking for any traces of the track or asphalt,” Latham said.
After almost giving up his search, Latham, by chance, stopped at a farmhouse in the area where the track was suppose to reside.
“I met two farmers, Dale and Russell Day, and I asked them if they had ever heard of the dragway or if they knew where it used to be,” he said. “They said, ‘yup, it’s on the other side of those trees.’ Dale was a huge help and offered up a lot of photos and information.”
Since starting the collection process in 2002, Latham has spoken with more than 200 people collecting stories, pictures, memorabilia and video. He hopes one day to put out a book and DVD.
“I’ve been working on this project every day,” he said. “I started the Web site two yeas ago and recreated the original logo for T-shirts. This year I’m hoping to put together a calendar.”
Latham says the response has been phenomenal.
“People love talking about the history of the place. A few years ago, KCCI did a story about the dragway and my collection process. It took me a month to call and e-mail everyone back after the story ran. I had people calling right after the 10 p.m. news, and it started again at 7 a.m. the next morning. The response has been great.”
Today, the track is completely gone. One half was developed in 2000, with the other section in 2003. Day stills farms the land that was not sold and developed, but said it was tough to see the track go.
“I shed a tear when the dozers showed up because there was a lot of history there,” he said. “Before they came, I went to the start line and dug up some chunks of asphalt.”
Although the land was sold, there was a certain agreement.
“When my uncles sold their land, there was a stipulation that Day had to be in the development’s name,” Day said.
Even though a dragway may never return to Des Moines, Bredesky still has fond memories of the days when he was behind the wheel.
“I do miss it because once you start racing, it becomes an addiction,” he said. “Back in my day it was about camaraderie, and all the drivers helped each other out. There was a lot of backyard engineering that made racing fun. But there is a big difference in how it was then and how it is now.”
In 2008, Latham held a Des Moines Dragway reunion.
“It was a lot of fun. We had some of the original racers and four cars that actually raced at the dragway,” Latham said. “It was a lot of work, but we had an impressive turnout, and people showed a lot of interest.”
Even though the track is gone, Latham and Bredesky believe the need for a dragstrip in the area is strong. With the record-breaking numbers at the Newton Speedway and the popularity of the Knoxville Speedway, a local dragway is not a pipe dream. There are currently six dragways in the state, but none in the capital city.
“Des Moines seems to be one of the most car crazy cities in the country. If you look at other cities, we have a lot more cruise nights than most,” Latham said. “Dragstrips are not big money makers, but if the right guys came along with the money and passion for the sport, it could be a possibility. The biggest problem people face is zoning issues.”
Day agrees that zoning, among other things, is a big obstacle to overcome.
“They tried to get it running again a long time ago, but the neighbors complained,” Day said. “My dad said they never made money because it all went to insurance. People don’t want to live next to something that is loud and noisy.”
CV
