Видео

I work with Georgia Public Broadcasting. Can I get permission to use a this clip for a story we are doing on moon shine runners and their transition to stock car racers?

Thanks for not messing it up with a bunch of God awful supposed music.

Great video !! Clearer than some of the videos from the 70’s. My dad ( Freddy Fryar) started racing B’ham around this time frame although I don’t see him in this video.

Cadillac up front?

Cool !

Is this track still operating ?

Wouldn't have any footage from World Classic 300 1993 Tony Walls was the Winning Driver

Where did you get the film? I’ve got a friend that knows most of the drivers and car owners. He’s got some the cars from the film. He would like to talk to you.

Damn they're going 45.

Dunno whether those folks crashing into each other were in an organized event or just drunk spectators trying to leave the infield parking lot.

Is that the King in 43? I don't think he was racing in '49 was he? but it looks like the Petty font

Such a great job by cameraman.

Oh this is November! June Cleveland won in a Buick.

Pretty sure that Tim Flock was in the #7. UNBELIEVEABLE footage i NEVER thought i would see, THANK YOU!!!!

#8 won the season opening Daytona race with Marshall Teauge piloting

Red Byron, the NASCAR champ, in #22

Lakewood was built in 1915. Auto racing began in 1917. AM Indy car races were ran there in 40’s and 50’s. What we are looking at here was a “strictly stock” race ran in 49’ which was not sanctioned by nascar, although Tim Flock and June Cleveland were both originally given credit for winning the 49’ events. First grand national race run here in 51’, the last in 59’. There was a race held after nascar season where all of nascars best raced in front of 33,452. Tim Flock won and, based on the huge crowd, an encore race was held on November 13 wherein another 22,000 attended. June Cleveland won.

Very cool footage. Apparently we don't know where "Lakewood Speedway" actually was.

i am 73. and when I first went to the races at about 6 years old, this is what they looked like. Amazing video, considering it was probably shot on an 8mm camera.

This video is priceless...totally priceless!! In color to boot! Us old guys ( I'm 76) sorta remember those days, but our memories are getting foggy. This helps a great deal. Thanks for a good time!

Around the 1:44 mark, you see the steering wheel. It reminded me that the steering column was a steal shaft. A head-on collision would send that steal shaft right through the driver. These were scary times with precious few safety measures taken. Cool video!

WOW, I grew up there. That's the best old film I ever seen, clear and not choppy at all. I got to ride in Red Farmers car one night and see all the pros come through.

Grew up there, my dad and I sat in the trees in turn 1 because we couldn’t afford tickets, it was great until Johnny the flag man told the drivers while hotlapping to spray us out of the trees. This was during Bobby, Donnie Allison, and Red Farmer days. Good memories. BIR is long gone due to stupid politicians. Most people don’t realize it started out as a horse track.

I wasn't even born for another 5 years. Crazy I tell ya!

Where is this?

I was two years old and turned 70 last August 🤓!

That #3 Cad probably had the biggest engine with the 331 flathead. But there is an old Doge or Plymouth. They could have raced with those small flathead 6's could they? Chevy had the 215 six, again not much power. The Pontiac had the straight 8 but those where heavy as hell and I don't remember them being good performers.

Now that's what u call stock cars. Real men

My Dad brought me here to the races in the later fifties. I remember a wheel came off a car and flew across the parking area due to the canvas wall just as we arrived. Jazz is a local feed company of the era, don't know connection or not. Some of the drivers were Nero Stepto as mentioned below by someone, Freddy Friar, Sonny Black, Pap Tucker, a friend of Dad, not well known, Maybe I can remember a couple more if my memory starts working a little better.

Enjoyed it so much.

Nice! i had my money on #3 the 49 cad fastback

How many lost their lifes

Who ever filmed this loved photography: they used a high quality camera and correct speed film along with a tripod and had great artistic talent and forethought capturing the sun, the dust, the shadows and the cars 2:01 . Magnificent, and the resolution is almost like it was filmed on a video camera. Very kick ass

Oh WoW! I went to the races there back then. What an event. Does anybody remember Nero Stepto? He could build a flathead that gave Allison fits. Nobody could set up a car like him. His 327 gave Red Farmers big block ford all he could handle and then some. It was a better time then.

I remember back when I was a kid seeing them race, it was dangerous.

Went to this track from mid 60's till it closed. A lot of great memories. Helped my uncle when he raced in late 70's to early 80's, even drove in a few races.

Awesome 🙏😊

Real cars, real men....real racing!

Someone had a good budget to be able to run that Stude. He should have spent more to hire a better driver.

Nice to see two or three hot rods in the infield, too. Happy days.

Amazing show. This kind of racing is what got me started.

Thumbs up and wishing you all a Happy New Years.

At .22 seconds of the video, you see a guy drinking a cup of coffee he got from the trunk of his car. It's a special kind of coffee, if you put a match to it, it will burn.

Wow that was so cool to watch. I love old school racing like this.

I grew up going to the Birmingham Fairground raceway, later the Birmingham International Raceway (BIR), and seeing all of these cars run. This film is actually before the Allisons and Red Farmer arrived in Hueytown.

This is the kind of racing I grew up with, and the memories are dear to my heart. We lived in Toronto, and of the several tracks around the Saturday Nite Goto was @ Pinecrest, in the upper NW of the city. We also had places like Flamboro over to the west. They still have a class here in Ontario called the Canadian Vintage Modifieds for cars like the lead #9 car, using straight 6s. They are often at Flamboro, which somehow still exists. It's a great show!

Excellent BIR video!!!

What a clear,vivid color vid of my home track,Birmingham ! Anyone know the drivers names ? A little before my time but the "hog barn" & drive in movie screen shown outside the back stretch still remained when i raced there in the 1980's Thanks for this.

👍

This is awesome! Grass Roots stock car races, demo derby, and drivers signing autographs after the races were over! The kids nowadays have totally missed this kind of fun and entertainment. I started racing in 1980 and continued until 2006. When I started in street stocks at Albany-Saratoga Speedway, racing started at 8 PM on Friday nights and was through by 11Pm. Three divisions, I remember signing autographs for kids regularly back then. Lots of fans in the pits afterwards. I progressed to modifieds a few years later and it was pretty much the same. By the time I stopped, there were 6 divisions, racing started at 7 PM and was done around midnight...not many fans came into the pits anymore, as it was late and people went home with their kids, I do believe something was lost from back then to now.