Riverside Raceway Palace of Speed
By Dick Wallen
Perhaps no other track in the West conjures more memories and emotions than the now defunct Riverside Raceway. Dating back to the late 1950s, Riverside Raceway quickly became the center point of West Coast racing. Everyone who was anyone raced at Riverside from the first day it opened in June 1957 until its last race in June 1988.
“Palace of Speed” is an exceedingly thorough examination of the history of Riverside Raceway from birth to death. The first two opening chapters examine the many political and financial machinations involved with the creation of the nation’s first multi-use racetrack. The remaining ten chapters chronologically examine each of the many major races and race series that competed at Riverside. Chapter topics include early SCCA club racing, Can-Am, Trans-Am, F5000, Indy cars, Drag racing, IMSA, NASCAR and even off-road racing.
While Dick Wallen (author of “Board Track,” “Fabulous Fifties,” and “Roar From the Sixties”) is credited as the author, the book is actually an ensemble work with most of the chapters being writtten by combinations of Bob Schilling, Michael Jordan, Greg Sharp, Dave Argabright and Phil Harms. Since each author is a specialist in his given area, every chapter is packed with both in-depth information and interesting behind-the-scenes stories.
Complementing the text is an abundance of period photography (nearly 1,000 images) from a very broad list of photographers. Many of these photos are seen in print for the first time. If you’re looking for a casual, easy read, this may not be the book for you. “Riverside Raceway: Palace of Speed” is so dense with information, you almost have to bite it off a chapter at a time… and let the information sink in. But if you’re looking for either the definitive treatise on Riverside or a historical reference on the history of Southern California racing, this will surely be a must have.
Available directly from Dick Wallen Productions for $100 (Plus shipping) PO Box 10561, Glendale, AZ 85318. (623) 566-5578 or fax (623) 566-5580 or www.racingclassics.com
