The Pit Stop in Ashlan Park

[sgtstoner]

I remember there was a slot car track behind Triple J's and I would go to every weekend.

[theace21]

The Pit Stop, great memories. We used to go to a Mexican restaurant, and while waiting for are food I would go watch the races. Fresno needs a place like this. These guys were serious

[Guest]

My older brother Rick Parker (Hoover High '67) was determined I always had the fastest car. I did, but I was not always the best operator of the fastest car. Fun memories!

[Lost Fresno]

Ah, the Pit Stop. My buddy Mike Cook and I stopped by often to dream about owning a slot car and racing there. Problem was we had no money for such an expensive toy/hobby. Then after a couple of years I had my sights on a pre-made racing slot car that was rumored to hold it's own on the track. Most of the fastest cars were custom made by their owners. I came very close to actually buying it but it would of taken every last cent that I had and in the end it never happened. The Pit Stop was a huge operation and I can still remember it like it was yesterday.

[Scott Whitney]

I used to race "slots" at Pit Stop all the time. Learned how to make my own chassis and rebuild/balance/wind motors. I was pretty fast, but a few others were faster. These basic electronic skills still serve me to this day. (saved thousands rebuilding the motor on my HVAC system) My wife used to race there also, but at the time we didn't know each other. Great memories.

[rhchadwick]

I've been updating my website which has a page I've been working on (https://wiredweird.com/SlotCars.html for my slot car racing hobby, and just tonight I was thinking about where it all started... at the Pit Stop in Ashlan Park. Imagine my surprise when I did a google search for "pit stop in fresno" and there it is right here! folks remembering the same place!
My uncle gave me his old 1/32 scale slot car and Cox thumb controller which I used to run on the big figure-8 upstairs there. It was so cool punching it down the straights and seeing it 'pop a wheelie'. It was a completely scratch built chassis and had a 'cheetah' style body. I still have the slot car but the body is long gone. This was all when I was in high school back in the early 70's. I actually took my wife (girl friend at that time) to see the shop and it was still there at that point, I think maybe mid to late 70's.
I have such fond memories of the Pit Stop. I used to go there probably once a week or so. I really loved the Engleman style track on the ground floor with the almost vertical bank. It's one of the fastest tracks I've ever raced on. My little cheetah wouldn't run very well on the engleman so, after going there a while and talking with the regulars, I decided to try my luck building my own 1/24 scale chassis (and inline) and purchased a 'Road Runner' motor and wing body for it. The Road Runners were the really hot motors at that time and WOW... with the wing body on it that car literally FLEW around the track! A couple of guys were betting on the type of chassis I had and the guy betting on the 'plumber' chassis lost :) Anyway, I still have that one too (I very seldom throw anything away). The old roadrunner motor is not functional (burned out the armature), but I still have the weird end bell, ball bearing can and magnets. I pulled all the wire off the armature but never got around to rewinding it.
I remember a couple of other tracks that were in Fresno during that time period... One at Fresno Hobby (a King track down in the basement), and one out on Belmont if I remember correctly but can't remember the name of that shop. I think it had a King track too. I went there less because it was pretty far from where I lived.
There is still a slot car shop not far from where I live now (Foster's Raceway, Santa Maria, CA) where I go every once in a while when I get the bug. It's nice to still have a place nearby to go. I wish slot car racing would come back like it was back in the 60's and 70's!

[rhchadwick]

... By the way, if ANYONE has photos of the Ashlan Park Pit Stop interior or tracks I would LOVE to have digital copies of those for my website! Anyone sending any to me would of course be credited on the webpage for the pic donations.

[rhchadwick]

.... Guess an email address would help for a place to send any Pit Stop photos :)
rhchadwick at wiredweird dot com