A Look Back – By: Dick Lee, track historian – Part 1 When the checkered flag flew over the stock car of Gene Farbers feature win on April 28, 1951, it began the now 51 year history of Berlin Raceway. That historic opening night was the work of the late Chester Mysliwiec. Chet had worked out a lease for the Berlin Fairgrounds in late 1950 and built a dirt fifth-mile track for stock car racing. The fairgrounds had a full one-half mile dirt track, which was left over from the old horse racing days along with a cover grandstand, which seated 1,500 people. These same stands mysteriously burned down in 1973.
There is a recurring rumor that they were torched but no one wants to talk about who might be the person responsible. In 1947-48 a group of racers who called themselves the Track Masters, raced roadsters on the half-mile dirt. Some of the racers at that time running there were Joe Bisocky, Les Williams, Gene Farber, Dick Peoples, Tommy Lane, Glen Rocky and Wild Bill Wiltse. Under Mysliwiecs promotion in the early fifties the cars that were running at Berlin Raceway were primarily 1932 Fords utilizing flathead V8 engines.
Some of the racers of that era were Ping Pong Rinner in the Mutual Auto Parts C-1, Jack Cummifords blue # 24, Bill Shermans white #9, Bill Wiltse in the #32 owned by Lefty Terrhar, Gordy VanderLaans #2 owned by first Mike Brouche and then Jerry Rose, Tommy Lanes #4 owned by Erv Finkler. As the 1950s rolled on at Berlin Raceway the stock cars began to evolve into modifieds. The bodies were chopped down for a lover silhouette so as to take some weight off the cars for more speed. The flathead engines were being souped up with racing modifications and began burning alcohol instead of gasoline.
The engines, frames, and body changes now came rapidly as speeds dramatically increased. In 1957 Johnny Roberts brought to Berlin Raceway what would then come to be known as a super modified. Roberts #1 consisted of a cut down Crosley body and a Studebaker V8 overhead valve engine. His new race car was so small that Roberts could barely squeeze into the cockpit.
The fifth-mile dirt track soon became too confining for the new and faster breed of super modifieds and Chet began eyeing the big one-half mile dirt track. Soon, the super modifieds were turned loose on the bigger track. The half-mile track proved so successful that the lighting system was purchased from Bigelow Field when that facility closed up and installed in Berlins half-mile track so that racing could be run after dark. The names of racers in the super modifieds on Berlins half-mile are legendary in Michigan auto racing.
Johnny Roberts, Dick Carter, Bob Knight, Glen Rocky, Nolan Johncock, Johnny Logan, Ralph Baker, Norm Brown, Gordy VanderLaan, Eddie VanderLaan, Jimmy Nelson, Johnny Johnson, and Tommy Lane. Each of these racers have been inducted into the Michigan Motor Sports Hall of Fame. There are some who will argue that Berlins dirt half-mile was the best dirt track in the Midwest. It was said that if you could do well on that track, you could do well anywhere.
The track was always worked to perfection during the week so as to be in excellent condition for race day. It was not the traditional dirt track of its time which was dry and dusty. In 1961 Audie Swartz, from Indiana, brought the first super modified to Berlin Raceway with a wing attached to its roof. Swartz won the feature on his third attempt.
It did not take long for the regular Berlin drivers to realize the benefits of installing a wing on their cars and they all sported wings.
