Late summer of 1952, Southern Pennsylvania was a hot bed of motor racing, Friday nights at Lincoln Speedway, Saturday nights at Pequa Valley, Lancaster, PA and Sunday Afternoon at Mason Dixie Speedway, Oxford, PA. This one Friday night Clyde Bolen towed his Sportsman stock car to Lincoln Speedway in the Pigeon Hills of Pennsylvania to compete in the evening's program (of which Pen Mar Racing Association was the sanctioning body) for the three track circuit, but was not allowed to enter the competition. A heated argument between Clyde and the promoter, Hilly Rife, ensued. Clyde told Hilly where he could put his speedway and also told Hilly, "I don't need you, I'll build my own speedway," and he left the grounds and went home with his car in tow and a vision running through his mind,

Clyde took his vision to his family partners, who owned a farm in Codorus Township, and all agreed to build a speedway. Next came the engineering firm to put his plan on paper. Then came the construction company, Maitland Brothers, which contracted to do the earth work. Plans called for a 3/8 mile track with 27° banking and straightaways at 12°. It was to be designed as an amphitheater, with no grandstands, instead using the hill as seating by terracing the hillside, then placing boards on the benches as cut. At the top of the hill would be the judge's stand, and vendor stands. The track would be graded so that water flowed into drains around the infield and the water would be drained underground into a holding pond to be built at the toe of the slope on the backstretch. The collected water would then be water supply for the track and dust conditions.

Excavation started and went 24 hours a day moving the dirt. Soon the dirt ran out and shooting rock appeared. Wagon drills and compressors moved in and dynamited. Finally the rock and dirt were all in place and an opening date of Sept. 27, 1952 was announced, with a show featuring midgets, stock cars, and open competitions.

The show was a disaster as far as the midgets were concerned. Management had neglected to put clay on the track, and the midgets bottomed out and were hung up on their frames. Tommy Meeriken was declared midget winner and Bob Toomey of York was the stock car winner.

The following week red clay was put in place. Track officials announced the stock car specs were available and the cars would be strictly stock. The only exception was .080 over on bore, and cars could use combination rims to handle large 15" tires. This was poor man racing - get a car from the junkyard, build the safety requirements and tow it to the track. Each week saw more and more cars coming and more and more spectators. The season ended for 1952 on Thanksgiving Day.

The year 1953 started out strictly stock, but later in the year, the rules were revised so that you could go to a Geotz gear in the rear - meaning smaller tires, hi gear running instead of 2nd gear, thus less blown engines. And the cars kept coming, as many as 80 cars in a normal race day, meaning 4 heats, 2 consys and a 25-lap feature, plus added attractions such as powder puff derbies, sky diving, and trapeze shows. All of this for $1.50 admission. The grandstands started filling up, and there was more prize money to win.

November 6th races were canceled due to a snow storm, but racing continued the following Sunday. Some cars had to be pulled out of the snow piled in the infield. The 1953 season ended Thanksgiving Day.

There was never a shortage of cars in 1953. One day 138 cars signed up - in fact, so many that registration had to be stopped because there were too many to handle. At season's end, Jack Lauterback, car #30, was declared the season champion. He received a trophy, as no point fund had been established. With season's end rules were changed, cams and adjustable tappets were allowed taking engines to Class A Sportsman.

The 1954 racing season started, as always, one week after Easter, with an abundance of cars and eager drivers, both old and many new, and the stands filled with anxious fans. Top estimated crowd at the speedway was 8,500 to watch 50 or more cars participating. Jack Lauterback was back to defend his championship, but pulled out early when his win was protested and he refused to allow a teardown. Back also were the Ridenour Bros., and later two more brothers, Tom and Jim Gillespie. There were also two young men beginning their racing careers from the Delta area, one named Dave Brown and one Johnny Mackison. Legend has it they both wanted to drive and agreed that whichever one won the first feature would be the full-time driver. It is said that Dave drove the first race, got slammed rather good, then decided he was the mechanic and Johhny could drive. Well, Johnny too got slammed around, into the wall, two or three spinouts, but hung in there to become a great race driver and one of the most popular at the track.

Some more names from the class of '54 would be Marlet Naill, Bobby Wolfe, Scott Smith, John Skipper (who later became the official starter), Bob Hersh, Bill Smith, Charlie Calp, and many more. Blend '53 and '54 drivers, such as Lauterback, Eugene Goodling, Bud Folkenroth, Royce Renfro, affectionately known as Dizzy Dean, Mike Wilhelm, Dave Leppo, Titus Mummert and many more to make some of the best racing ever seen in the area.

The 1954 season ended Thanksgiving week with John Mackison the champion, followed by Scott Smith, Marlet Naill, Titus Mummert, Bud Rohrbaugh, Mike Wilhelm and Dick Miller finishing 7th in point standings. End of the season meant splitting the point fund monies. The amounts for 1st to 5th are unknown, but Mike received $250 for 6th place and Rich Miller received $200 for 7th.

The 1955 season started on New Years Day. Football fans gathered to watch the Rose Bowl, while race car fans gathered to watch the Gas Bowl and Bowling Green. A good turnout of cars and a surprising number of fans braved the cold. This driver-turned-reporter remembers qualifying in the heat and running in the feature, but unfortunately cannot remember who won. Lack of memory of this event can be attributed to my 70-year-old memory failing or else to enduring the cold that day. There were no heaters or windows in the race cars. My car owner, Sterling Boehler, told me not to run the heater while racing, as we did not have a generator to replace battery drain. It was a fun day, the 1st Gas Bowl recorded.

Racing started full time after Easter Sunday, late March or early April. The Sunday of April 12th, 1955 is etched into my memory. I was leading the feature, having won my heat, the car was hooked up and I was starting to count the remaining laps, when I came off turn #2 and hit water spilled on the track in the high groove. I made two, 360° turns before stopping crossways on the track. All cars behind me hit the water and spun, the first three missing me, then Bernie Adams and Johnny Mackison tee-boned me in the driver's door. All cars were disabled to the point of not being able to return to action. My car was totaled. After an exam by the track physician, he declared me okay - just "all shook up." On Monday my family Doctor x-rayed my arm and left leg. Tuesday my broken left leg was put in a cast, my elbow had some bone splinters for which I refused a cast. For four weeks and three days I watched the racing from the stands. The Saturday night before Memorial Day weekend, having removed the cast at 9:00 am that morning, I went racing that night. Nobody, including myself, had any idea what effect the crash would have on me. Had I lost my nerve? Only time would tell. My heat went well, as I won it and I won the feature as well. It was one of my best racing days ever.

The season was drawing to a close, with two races left and Bud Rohrbaugh leading in points, 10 points back in 2nd Mike Wilhelm, and in 3rd place, Charlie Calp with Gene Goodling in 4th. When the next to last race ended, I was in 1st, with Rohrbaugh in 2nd, and no other changes. Last race of the season all I had to do was finish ahead of Rohrbaugh to win the championship. I finished 3rd behind the winner Dave Leppo and 2nd place Charlie Calp, winning a championship despite losing 6 weeks of points because of the broken leg.

At the end of the season it was revealed that the $6,000 point fund was missing, having been mishandled by management. There were zero dollars in the fund, and the club treasury, instead of having $20,000, had nothing left. Clyde did manage to find enough for trophies, one of which fell on my wife's toe and broke it while moving into a new home.

This, for all intents and purposes, in the fall of 1955 was the end of the B.G.A.R.A., as we knew it. There were a lot of bill collectors waiting in the wings. Clyde Bolen tried to salvage the operation by leasing the track to other promoters in 1956. Two corporations tried to make a go of it, the last being the Northern Va. Stock Car Assoc. The track officially closed after six races for the season and has never reopened. The track is still there, only now the infield grows corn instead of race cars. 

This driver was in the pits from the 2nd week of racing in 1952 until the last week of 1955. And I do give credit to Clyde Bolen for giving us the chance to get into racing via "the poor man's track." We may never have had that opportunity without him, and I will never say I ever experienced any kind of payoff except cold hard cash. Perhaps we disagree on the amount of dollars, but I never went without cash.

Having said that, I will only add that Clyde Bolen had a gold mine and he blew it. For racing, that's sad, so when you hear the name Bowling Green, remember that the B.G.A.R.A. had only three champions, Jack Lauterback in 1953, Johhny Mackison in 1954, and Mike Wilhelm in 1955. But remember the guys who either started racing on the Green or had their skills honed there. I am referring to Dave Leppo, Gene Goodling, Bud Folkenroth, Bobby Hersh, the brothers Gillespie and Ridenous, Titus Mummert, Charlie Calp and many others, some who became well known in the racing circuit in the years to come at other tracks.

Rest in Peace Bowling Green & B.G.A.R.A.

Born 1952 - Died 1955

A track where the more points you had, the farther back you started. When and if you won a race, you did it the old fashioned way - you earned it. 

Story by Mike Wilhelm - Car #69 - Lady Luck Special

Editor's note: VR regrets to report that Mike Wilhelm passed away on June 20, 2001 and will be sadly missed by all. Our special thanks to the Wilhelm family for contributing this story in his honor. For more information about Mike Wilhelm, click here.

Mike was a member of a great organization called the Bowling Green Speedway Preservation Society which has been formed and is looking for both old friends and new members! For more information, click here.

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