Post by dragnews on Sept 12, 2009 9:03:49 GMT -5
Wow 37 years, seems like only yesterday ----that be 1970, when Jim Ragland and Larry Zunk raced for the first Cowpasture title.
I was having lunch a few weeks back with some fellow racers and one of them asked me why do they call it the Cowpasture Nationals? First I wanted to ask him if he just had a stroke or maybe just came to Ardmore from Mars. Then I realized it had been over 15 years since the cows grazed in the Ardmore Dragway pits.
Now back in 1960 when the track moved to it's current location
up until about the mid 80's, the City of Ardmore would lease the grass land that surrounded the race track to local ranchers for cattle to graze on. Colorful ranchers too I might add, such as Birdie Pruitt, Cobo Johnson and Charlie Allison had as much character in them as some of the racers themselves in that time period.
Now I am not much on cows but for some reason the cows would come across the quarter mile stripe every morning and stay on the east side of the track during the day. Then about 3:30 it was feeding time on the west side of the track. So here the cows would herd back over the track and go back into the tree line.I guess you might sat the grass is always greener on the other side of the drag strip. The races would have to come to a stop and a group of well Alcohol ed crew men would go out on there mini bikes and 4 wheelers and send the cows on their way so we could continue on with the races. No one ever hit a cow, but Charles Cathcart came the closest in 79 when a calf ran in front of him while racing Vic Penrod in the finals one Sunday.
Now remember quarter mile in these days and cows always leave a trail of.....You know stuff! So there was nothing more grose than pulling your chute and scooping a up a fresh load and slinging it all over you and the car.
The cows are gone now, but thats how the race got it's name.
Till next time see you at the races.
(Story and photo's courtesy of the Ragland collection 09)
I was having lunch a few weeks back with some fellow racers and one of them asked me why do they call it the Cowpasture Nationals? First I wanted to ask him if he just had a stroke or maybe just came to Ardmore from Mars. Then I realized it had been over 15 years since the cows grazed in the Ardmore Dragway pits.
Now back in 1960 when the track moved to it's current location
up until about the mid 80's, the City of Ardmore would lease the grass land that surrounded the race track to local ranchers for cattle to graze on. Colorful ranchers too I might add, such as Birdie Pruitt, Cobo Johnson and Charlie Allison had as much character in them as some of the racers themselves in that time period.
Now I am not much on cows but for some reason the cows would come across the quarter mile stripe every morning and stay on the east side of the track during the day. Then about 3:30 it was feeding time on the west side of the track. So here the cows would herd back over the track and go back into the tree line.I guess you might sat the grass is always greener on the other side of the drag strip. The races would have to come to a stop and a group of well Alcohol ed crew men would go out on there mini bikes and 4 wheelers and send the cows on their way so we could continue on with the races. No one ever hit a cow, but Charles Cathcart came the closest in 79 when a calf ran in front of him while racing Vic Penrod in the finals one Sunday.
Now remember quarter mile in these days and cows always leave a trail of.....You know stuff! So there was nothing more grose than pulling your chute and scooping a up a fresh load and slinging it all over you and the car.
The cows are gone now, but thats how the race got it's name.
Till next time see you at the races.
(Story and photo's courtesy of the Ragland collection 09)