White Hall Reunion, about 2010: Two of the Midwest’s early innovators talk over ‘old times’. L/R Mike Coker,pilot of an injected small block dragster, the Avenger; and dual flathead Ford ace,Stan Lomelino. These two pioneers covered a lot of Illinois and beyond during their stellar racing careers.

The Winchester Road location served the club well and drew quite a crowd for both Sunday afternoon and Tuesday night races.

In 1964 the Conquistadores moved the drag strip to a location at the north edge of White Hall near Hwy 267. The crowds followed at an increased level due to better location and the word spread about the ‘hot’ competition at White Hall.

After four solid seasons at the Tuesday night dirt track, the club members moved one more time to a location southeast of White Hall. Again the track was built mostly by club members with the generous donation of time and equipment from the city and near-by townships.

The newest White Hall location was to be asphalt, no more dirt!

The new track, which opened in 1968, was a far cry from the ‘clay-dirt’ experience I encountered at White Hall in 1965. However I did win Stock Eliminator with my 325 HP Buick wagon, which was loaded with propaganda for races at Kahoka, Mo.I must also admit that the ‘new’ White Hall timing tower was a huge step up from the one at Tri State Dragway.

The new starting line had an overlay called ‘trap rock’ for better traction. Unfortunately, it did not wear as well as the coarse mix and soon there were thin spots where the rear tires left the starting line area. This was just another club learning experience.

One longevity feature of the strip is the fact that many of the original ‘Conquistadores’ still live in the area and keep the memories alive with a series of reunions that are supported by the local community.