Lions Drag Strip was an American raceway in the Wilmington district of

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California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, adjacent to

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that existed from 1955 to 1972. The track was named after its sponsors

Lions Clubs International Lions Clubs International, is an international service organization, currently headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois. , it had over 46,000 local clubs and more than 1.4 million members (including the youth wing Leo) in more than 200 geographic ...

and featured many races that were sanctioned by the American Hot Rod Association (AHRA). As the area surrounding the track increased in population, complaints regarding noise were made to government officials. Subsequently, efforts were made to deny the operators of track continued use of the facility. The track was opened with a 30 days' notice clause that could be enforced at any time, and on November 2, 1972, that notice was given. After the last races took place on December 2, 1972, the track was torn down through the efforts of the Los Angeles Harbor Department to make space for overseas shipping cargo containers which exists to this day at 223rd Street & Alameda Street in Wilmington, CA. The track location remained abandoned for over 10 years until it was developed into the mega container facility by the L.A. Harbor Commission. The 1971/72 noise issue was then and is still seen by many local fans as a political ruse to close the track, although this cannot be substantiated. This same scenario has been repeated across the country as residential areas develop around older racing facilities

In popular culture

*The television series ''

The Munsters ''The Munsters'' is an American sitcom about the home life of a family of benign monsters that aired from 1964 to 1966 on CBS. The series stars Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster (Frankenstein's monster),Episodes referring to the fact that Herman is ...

'' filmed most of the episode "Hot Rod Herman" (aired on May 27, 1965) at Lions Drag Strip. *The track announcer for many races in the late 1960s and early 1970s was broadcast personality and motorsports announcer Larry Huffman,Larry "Supermouth" Huffman
/ref> whose frenetic announcing style was later spoofed by countless stand-up comedians. *The television series '' MadMen'' mentions the Lions Drag Strip in "The Mountain King" (Season 2, Episode 12). *In ''

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'',

Brad Pitt William Bradley Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. In a Brad Pitt filmography, film career spanning more than thirty years, Pitt has received list of awards and nominations received by Brad Pitt, numerous a ...

's character, Cliff Booth, is seen wearing a Lions Drag Strip t-shirt. *Lions Drag Strip was used in "Who Won" Adam-12 Season 4 Episode 22, premiering March 1, 1972. In the episode, Malloy and Reed work with young hot rodders in an effort to get them off the streets. In a rare acting appearance, Dick Clark portrays Mr. Benson, the track's owner. It's ironic that Adam 12 and LAPD as advisors promoted this series as an effort to curb street racing in March 1972, Then the city of Los Angeles closes down the strip in December of 1972. Oh well back on the streets! *in

Sam Peckinpah David Samuel Peckinpah (; February 21, 1925 – December 28, 1984) was an American film director and screenwriter. His 1969 Western epic '' The Wild Bunch'' received two Academy Award nominations and was ranked No. 80 on the American Film Instit ...

The Killer Elite ''The Killer Elite'' is a 1975 American action film, action thriller film directed by Sam Peckinpah and written by Marc Norman and Stirling Silliphant, adapted from the Robert Syd Hopkins novel ''Monkey in the Middle.'' It stars James Caan and ...

, a poster for the December 1-2, 1972 'The Last Drag Race At The Beach' can be seen on the wall at 48:10. "The Beach" is the racers' nickname for Lions Drag Strip. *The 1967 film It's a Bikini World contains some race scenes taking place at Lions Drag Strip.

References

*''Last Call for Lions'', Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, December 1, 1972. *''Following "The Last Drag Race": Souvenir hunters attack Lions strip'', Long Beach Independent/Press-Telegram, December 4, 1972.

External links

Lions Automobilia Foundation and Museum
{{Coord, 33.822654, N, 118.225658, W, display=title, type:landmark, name=Lions Drag Strip former north entrance Former location Google maps 33.821208336310704, -118.22620992604928 https://www.google.com/maps/@33.819811,-118.2276949,1823m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en&entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDUyMS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D Defunct motorsport venues in the United States Defunct drag racing venues History of Los Angeles Lions Clubs International Sports venues completed in 1955 1955 establishments in California 1972 disestablishments in California