Riverside Dragway (1960s-1978)

Paul Wireman opened his Riverside Dragway (also known as the Riverside Racetrack/Raceway) in the mid-1960s. It was originally a quarter-mile dirt track with a quarter-mile strip, but it was paved in the 1970s. Visitors would come to watch races on Saturdays and Sundays during the summer. Some drag racing “stars” to appear at the track include “Jungle Jim” Liberman, Tommy “Moonshot” Maras, and Leon Fitzgerald. But, any street car could enter to compete, leading some locals to become stars in their own right such as Joe Lemley, Darrell Alderman, and the Matney Brothers. The racetrack, which had been sanctioned by the International and National Hot Rod Associations, was sold in 1978.

Riverside Dragway Memory Page: About. Facebook. Accessed July 19, 2018. https://www.facebook.com/pg/Riverside-Dragway-Memory-Page-292518272789/about/?ref=page_internal. Information and photo source.

Williams, David. An Ode to Riverside Race Track. Huntington News. May 27, 2012. Accessed July 19, 2018. http://www.huntingtonnews.net/148803.

Riverside Raceway. Auto Racing Records. Accessed July 19, 2018. http://www.autoracingrecords.com/tracks.php?lid=24490.

Beckett, Rick. Portsmouth Ohio dragster to Riverside Dragway Procterville 1960s. YouTube. November 13, 2007. Accessed July 19, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4__ybbYxQEI. Video source.