KNOXVILLE, Iowa — The National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum hopes to see you this summer for our “Track Tribute to Manzanita Speedway” exhibit.
The exhibit, is currently on display through Oct. 1, and features the cars, memorabilia, and much more from one of the most prestigious tracks in sprint car and motor racing history, Manzanita Speedway (1951-2009)!
Sprint cars, a dirt champ car, a supermodified and several items of memorabilia are exhibited in honor of the famous Phoenix, Ariz., facility. In addition, videos showcasing the track, and memorabilia are also part of the exhibit.
The cars on display this summer include the Siroonian No. 1x driven by Ron Shuman, the GasChem No. 1 driven by Bubby Jones, the Metro Plumbing No. 51 driven by Jimmy Edwards, Russell Faucett, Billy Shuman and others, the Massey No. 2az driven by Jesse Hockett and Charles Davis Jr., the Art Crouse No. 18t driven by Bob Cleberg and Billy Shuman, and the Lawson No. 15 driven by Billy Boat.
In addition, two cars with strong Arizona tradition are in the display, the No. 91 Edmunds supermodified driven by the great Buddy Taylor, and the AAA Championship car driven by Bobby Ball in the early 1950’s.
“Manzanita Speedway was the gem of the southwest as far as super-modified, sprint car, jalopy and other forms of motorsports were concerned,” says Museum Coordinator, Bill Wright. “For almost 60 years, racers and fans flocked from around the world to the big events at Manzy, including the annual ‘Western World,’ one of the crown jewels in sprint car racing for many years.
“Hopefully, the cars and items we have on display this season resonate with both fans who remember the track, and those who are learning about it for the first time. We’d be remiss if we didn’t thank Dick Woodland of Woodland Auto Display, Mickey Meyer, Jimmy Norman, Reagan Hockett and the Hockett family, the Wagner family, Bruce St. James, Mary Karen Fletcher, Ralph Terzich, and anyone else who lent us cars, items or jewels of information along the way.”
