Century 21 Speedway

[superstroke]

Century 21 Speedway was located east of Aurora, CO, just north of Interstate 70. The track was very fast and featured a drag strip as well. In this photo, Joe Leonard in the red, white and blue AMX, trys to catch Wayne Stallsworth in the #27 Ford. I loved going to Century 21, but back then, it seemed as if you were driving to Kansas whenever you would venture to there. It really was not any further than CNS.


This photo is from the Archie Johnston collection.

[webby]

Century 21 Speedway was located east of Aurora, CO, just north of Interstate 70. The track was very fast and featured a drag strip as well. In this photo, Joe Leonard in the red, white and blue AMX, trys to catch Wayne Stallsworth in the #27 Ford. I loved going to Century 21, but back then, it seemed as if you were driving to Kansas whenever you would venture to there. It really was not any further than CNS.


This photo is from the Archie Johnston collection.I went to Century 21 several times. Do you remember the individual plastic bucket seats for the fans to sit in?

[superstroke]

I believe that those same plastic seats caught fire or were set on fire. A whole section was destroyed. I also recall, after the track was closed, people going to the track and having there own races. I think this ended when it resulted in a fatal accident. The track was then fitted with piles of dirt stratigically placed to ensure that no one else would be injured.

[Mitch G.]

I would sneek onto that old track in a pickup truck I was driving for a rental company, and cut laps. It was about 1/3 or small 3/8 mile, and mostly turns!, the straight's were really short. Superstroke your right, some kid got killed in a illegal match race, or something like that, seems to me they also cut trench's in the pavement along with putting the dirt piles on it. The hill for the grandstands is still visible from I-70. I also remember hearing the track owner was going broke, and left the track one night with the receipts, the drivers and owners didn't get paid. I heard a rumor that there were 2 million dollars worth of liens of the property, but just gossip. Too bad it was a neat track, and the plastic "bucket seats" were cool.

[webby]

And here is what it looks like today....

http://autoracingmemories.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=46&pictureid=392

A little closer look...

http://autoracingmemories.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=46&pictureid=393

[superstroke]

I was able to attend the AHRA Spring Nat'ls hosted by Century 21 in 1973. Colorados "Green Angels" Funny Car defeated "The Snowman", Gene Snow. That was the biggest upset since "Assassination" defeated Stone, Woods and Cooks car at Erie, CO, a few years earlier. I also recall that Mr. Tice started to build a larger track that would incompass Century 21. The plan was for NASCAR to bring their "Big Guns" to Colorado. I was excited with this idea, but it to never materialized.

When Larry DeChant was running at Century 21, if the race was red flagged, I would always bring Larry an ice cold Pepsi......I don't think Larry liked Pepsi because he rarely drank any. But I prevailed, being the very young and inexpierenced pit crew member that I was in continuing this tradition.....Just wash the windshield Rick! (But Larry, there isn't any windshield!!!!) HHHMMMMM......

[Mitch G.]

I walked around the big oval one time, it's about 1 and 1/8 mile ( it was a little bigger than a mile), as you can see in the aerial photo, the 4th turn was paved, and pretty well banked. The rest of the big track was road base when I walked it. As a kid I remember talk of NASCAR and Indy cars coming to the big track.

[thpracing]

I remembera fellow from englewood f-8 who took his son for a ride along in 82 or 83 and flipped the car. Flight for life came and he's ok...don't remember a fatality---everone used to break in on sat-sun--lots of kids used the dragstrip about the same time

[Bobby Jay]

That sure is Wayne in the Ford but I believe "Tommy" Leonard was drivin the Jim Tibbits owned AMC. Afew weeks after this shot was taken Dechant made one of his "Patented" moves and Joe hit the "Mal" formed wall so hard he bruised his heart.

[Bobby Jay]

The story that I heard years ago or may be read in the newspaper, was that the track was owned by the man who owned the old American Hot Rod Association. His first name was Jim but don't remember his last name. He was killed in a plane crash. The ownership of the track and the AHRA has been tied up in litigation ever since. They held AHRA national events there a few times.

Chris Ertler

WOW! Where did you get all the "Miss information"? The track was owned by Peter Conway outa Texas The head of construction was Jim Tibbetts who still lives in Longmont Colo today. Jim along with Racing Associates , Aurora co., owned the AMC that Tommy Leonard drove to many track records and clean sweeps many nites in the late model catagory. And yes Pete Conway did snatch up all the money and split. But? That wasnt much dough he snagged... He later did time for stiffing all the investors as well.

[racefan2]

I drive by it every day on my way to Wakeeney,ks. I've pointed it out to friends I work with who are from Colorado & Kansas who didn't know it was there.http://autoracingmemories.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=388&pictureid=4405&thumb=1 ('http://autoracingmemories.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=388&pictureid=4405') http://autoracingmemories.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=388&pictureid=4407&thumb=1 ('http://autoracingmemories.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=388&pictureid=4407')
It was a cool track, to bad it didn't survive.

[Checkers]

WOW! Where did you get all the "Miss information"? The track was owned by Peter Conway outa Texas The head of construction was Jim Tibbetts who still lives in Longmont Colo today. Jim along with Racing Associates , Aurora co., owned the AMC that Tommy Leonard drove to many track records and clean sweeps many nites in the late model catagory. And yes Pete Conway did snatch up all the money and split. But? That wasnt much dough he snagged... He later did time for stiffing all the investors as well.

Well Mr. Bobby J it seems that you come out of the wood work and you are filled with a vast array of correct information. You need to enlighten ALL of us to your knowledge and you can correct ALL of us misinformed to what really happened in the racing community here in the Rocky Mtn region.

I will be waiting....Until then i think i will go play a quiet game of Checkers.

[lakeside #29]

There you go, I have deleted my previous posts. Since I am apprarently wrong on this topic, this will be all I have to say. I really don't need to be insulted when a simple you're wrong would be sufficient.

[TheAssassin]

WOW! Where did you get all the "Miss information"? The track was owned by Peter Conway outa Texas The head of construction was Jim Tibbetts who still lives in Longmont Colo today. Jim along with Racing Associates , Aurora co., owned the AMC that Tommy Leonard drove to many track records and clean sweeps many nites in the late model catagory. And yes Pete Conway did snatch up all the money and split. But? That wasnt much dough he snagged... He later did time for stiffing all the investors as well.

Hmmm. I guess we all know who it was that actually ran off with all the money huh. I can't see someone out of Texas building a track out in the sticks of Colorado. What, they had no land in Texas? I take it that you were closely associated with all of these big names? I would tend to believe someone who has accumulated a vast amount of knowledge on Colorado racing than someone who just pops up and insults a respected man in this town and our racing community. How about some documentation on this subject? Got any?

King me Checkers!

[Mike Croley]

I thought i was the only one who sneaked into the track for hot laps . I worked in Arvada for a while and took my El Camino out there often , must have run a couple of hundred laps in total . I saw a number of races there , the Winston West race was a good one .
Too bad that complex came to such a sad end . It could have been great when completed .

[Mitch G.]

Chris, you of all people, should never have to remove a post on here. I've posted items that needed correcting, Cary Agajanian called me personally and asked me to correct the story of how Ascot Speedway ended up closing, and he was one of the nicest men I've ever talked to, and it was his fathers speedway.
If a story is not 100% accurate, all we ask is for further input, more detail, personal involvement, etc. not a childish slam for some unknown reason. Maybe ARM now has it's first "a**hole member", most sites have one or two, oh well.

[webby]

There you go, I have deleted my previous posts. Since I am apprarently wrong on this topic, this will be all I have to say. I really don't need to be insulted when a simple you're wrong would be sufficient.One tough thing about internet forums is sometimes it's tough to tell if a person is joking or being serious. It's possible that Bobby Jay was trying to be funny, I'm not really sure. Or it's possible he's just a jerk.

Either way, don't let it bug ya. There is always one or two in the bunch and if he gets too out of line I'll just ban him. :)

[baddonkeyjim]

the only problem for me was you were so far awayfrom the track with the drag strip then the oval. Does anybody know why the track was really built? I do lets see who knows

[TheAssassin]

Because somebody wanted to build a race track?:chuckle:

[nitro4dave]

its too bad rick wasilkow isn't still with us, he could tell us just about detail of the track. i believe there was a rather detailed story on the old site. don't be upset chris you did protect yourself as you stated "the story i heard..." nobody claims all of the information here to be 100%. thats why its called memories. if i believed everything in benchracing was true....:cheers:

[Mike511]

As I recall the late model division was pretty much run what ya brung, seems like we took the fuel injection off the sprint car and ran it on Larry Carnes late model one night, could be wrong, but I think that's a true story. Think every racer had big plans for that track, too bad it ended the way it did!!

[baddonkeyjim]

Century 21 was built because rich Codner wouldn't give Conway his own box seat at Englewood so he built Century 21 thats what I heard years ago

[TheAssassin]

Box Seats at Enlgewood? Where were they? Then he put an X in it to get the Eighters to come out. The transition from the X to the corner was so abrupt that they were breaking 3/4 ton spindles on the cars.