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

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California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, adjacent to

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

Lions Clubs International The International Association of Lions Clubs, more commonly known as Lions Clubs International, is an international non-political service organization established originally in 1916 in Chicago, Illinois, by Melvin Jones. It is now headquartere ...

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 depicting the home life of a family of benign monsters. The series starred Fred Gwynne as Frankenstein's monsterEpisodes referring to the fact that Herman is Frankenstein's monster include #55, "Just Anoth ...

'' 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 ''Mad Men'' is an American period drama television series created by Matthew Weiner and produced by Lionsgate Television. It ran on the cable network AMC from July 19, 2007, to May 17, 2015, lasting for seven seasons and 92 episodes. Its fic ...

'' mentions the Lions Drag Strip in "The Mountain King" (Season 2, Episode 12). *In '' Once Upon a Time in Hollywood'', '' Brad Pitts character, Cliff Booth, is seen wearing a Lions Drag Strip t-shirt.

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 * https://maps.google.com/maps?q=lions+drag+strip&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&hl=en&ll=33.828608,-118.225572&spn=0.013297,0.027874&t=h&z=16 Motorsport venues in California Defunct motorsport venues in the United States Defunct drag racing venues History of Los Angeles Sports venues in Los Angeles Lions Clubs International Sports venues completed in 1955 1955 establishments in California 1972 disestablishments in California