HAMMOND, IN: As yet another season of motorsport begins to fade in the Midwest, the annual Jungle Park Reunion gives nostalgia buffs one last chance to
recapture their lost memories before winter sets in.
Located roughly 30 miles north of Terre Haute, IN just off scenic, old Highway 41 near Turkey Run State Park, the Jungle Park race track remains as link to the past. Last used for racing in the early ’60’s, the outline of the nearly round, half asphalt-half dirt 3/8 mile oval and one of the ancient, wooden
grandstand are still clearly visible.
Sometime in the early ’70’s, we happened to accidentally stumble on the old speedway while driving home from a USAC sprint car show at Terre Haute. After stopping and poking around for a while, we wondered if anyone else even knew about this little artifact of racing history. Not long after, a new, quicker route to Terre Haute opened, which bypassed the section of Highway 41 where Jungle Park was located. Slowly, the memories began to fade once
again…
And then, a few years ago, we heard that there was going to be a “semi-official” gathering of racing buffs at the site of the old speedway, and the first annual Jungle Park Reunion was born. And, blessed with beautiful, Indiana fall weather, the reunion has been
considered a great success since it’s inception.
This year’s event once again featured plenty of beautifully restored cars from “back in the day”; a swap-meet of amazing, ancient race car parts, plenty of vendors offering great, collectible “stuff”, and enough bench-racing to last through another long, cold Indiana winter. And, once again, Jungle Park was
blessed with perfect fall weather.
Hopefully, the Jungle Park Reunion will go on for many more years. But, if you’re a student of auto racing history, don’t wait too long to attend…because
nothing lasts forever…
