Big Rock resident John Rogerson has fond memories of watching cars spinning their tires at the Oswego Drag Raceway.

“My grandparents lived up on Washington Street in Oswego,” Rogerson said. “On Sundays, we’d go to their house when I was little. You could hear the drag strip from Washington Street. A few times, I went there with some buddies that actually raced there. But I never actually raced there myself.”

Rogerson brought his 1940 Chevrolet Master 85 to the 19th annual Oswego Drag Raceway Reunion held on Sept. 14 in the parking lot next the village’s Venue 1012 amphitheater.

The popular raceway was located on U.S. Route 34, a couple of miles west of the Route 34 bridge. It operated from 1955 to 1979.

Rogerson started going to the Oswego Drag Raceway when he was in high school in the 1970s. He was already a fan of classic cars when he started going to the raceway.

“My dad had a turquoise and white 1955 Chevy,” he said. “I always wanted a turquoise and white ‘55 Chevy. Some years later when I was 20, I bought one. Fifty years later, I still have that car. I’ve always been a Chevy guy, right out of the box.”

Rogerson has had his 1940 Chevrolet Master 85 since 2006.

“We’ve actually been all the way to Custer, South Dakota in this car,” he said. “It’s been a really dependable car. We have air conditioning and cruise control in it, so we’re riding in an old car with the two things that you want.”

Glendale Heights resident Ken Smith brought his 1964 Pontiac GTO to the event. He bought the car in August 1999.

Smith, who grew up in the Quad Cities, never made it to the Oswego Drag Raceway when it was open.

“I always wanted to,” he said. “I went over to the Cordova Dragway and watched people like Arnie Beswick run.”

His car is known for its speed.

“I’ve not quite buried the needle in it,” he said. “I don’t do that in town. I take it out on blacktop out in the middle of nowhere. It probably can top out at around 140 or 145 mph.”

This is the first time Smith has brought his car to the event.

“I’ve heard that they have quite a variety of cars here, which is very true,” he said.

Smith likes answering questions from people about his car.

“I get all kinds of interesting questions,” he said. “This is known as the first muscle car ever built.”