Slot Car Racing History in Portland Area

These plates I am not sure about, but I remember my uncle taking me to a commercial slot car track close to his apartment on North Lombard Street in Portland. I was about 9 or 10 years old at the time, so the date looks about right.

This small but very cool sticker is on the front of one of the box's drawers. Definitely a rare piece!

This is the copy of the Model Car Racer Magazine I have.

Unfortunately the sticker on the top of the race box I acquired did not survive fully intact.

But on the flip down front of the box is this sticker in good shape.

So here's the part I really like. Ads posted in the newspaper for commercial tracks that were located in Portland and the surrounding areas!

This is another raceway I had been to as a kid.

And look who's name shows up under an article about Parkrose Model Car Speedway, Rippin' Ridin' Raceway's Al Christensen.

I remember going here when I was older, 14 or 15 and then again after I was old enough to drive. By then the tracks were not being used and just had go karts sitting on them.

Jerry Palfenier, that name sounds familiar.  Probably met Homer Wooden and I can assure you I raced with Phil Pfau from the Salem area.  He was the first guy I saw race that if he wasn't on the money he'd just pull his controller, grab his car, and head home.

And I remember some of the tracks we raced at back then.  McMinnville had a tricky track - for me - and I liked the Uptown Shopping Center in NW Portland and Petite Carts where I smoked a motor but kept the car slowly moving making just enough laps that we wound up pretty good for a 4-man team race as other teams developed problems.  And there was the Hollywood Speedway on Sandy Blvd. that had the Mr. Fast Championship each year.  I won a Concourse trophy there one year.  And St. Helens also chipped in with the Formula Libre Raceway.  The first day it opened I stood in line to get track time.  My slot - 7:30 that night!  The place was packed.  Ah, the 60's...  We didn't know much yet but we sure had fun.

Yep, it's coming back to me, I may have bought Homer's slot box when he gave it up.  I think I spent $20 and had to have him drive me to Scappoose so I could get the money from my dad.  Whoa.

So I had a school buddy that knew the owners of the track in St. Helens - Bill and Carol Heilers - so he took me in there before they were opened and I had my one 1:24 scale car - a GarVic!  There was no power setup yet so he stuck my car on the track, touched two wires to the tape and off it went.  He didn't reduce the power soon enough and it went down the back straight at full power and off the big bank into the air.  As fortune had it, the car was fine.  Next time I was there it was opening day and we got to use real controllers.  For me - a brown COX with the plunger.

To be a 60's kid was a special time.  We had it pretty good.

Dave Sukau was a pretty fun guy at the track, he stopped soon after this picture, bought a stock car and took to the local dirt track circuit.

I call photo shop!!!!!  Monte was never that young

Glad you picked up the box Bill! Even though the flowers aren't my style it "dates" the box very well with the plaques which is cool.

Amazing to think that at one time there was enough people slot racing to keep that many tracks going! People need to get back to "real" hobbies.

Zack

I’m free most nights

Your still married  so that not true by a long shot..

Cool card Al. 

Might be fun to drive around to the locations of these former tracks.  The addresses should still exist.