In 1960, weekly Go-kart races were held on Friday evenings at Osceola’s new Go-kart track located north of Rilea’s Drive In on U.S Hwy 69, south of Osceola.
The track operators were George and Scottie Rilea. More than 25 Go-karts, mostly from the Osceola area, comprised the first field of entries at the first race.
At the first race, more than 300 people were on hand for the races before they were cancelled by rain after the fourth race.
Winners of the four events held were:
Wes Fouche, Jerry Busick and Clarence Blanchard: “A” class.
Jim Lescher, “A Trophy.”
Bill Anderson, Don Ramsey and Ron Creculiush of Lineville: “Super B.”
Steve Spencer, Ray Houston and Bob Page: “Single B.”
The final race of the year had one of the largest crowds of the season. Winners of the various events were:
Clarence Blanchard, Bud Anderson and Pete Ahrens: “Class A Heat.”
Blanchard: “Trophy.”
Jim Lescher, Anderson and Ralph Gordon: “Class A Main.”
Bill Anderson, Jim Smith: “Single B Heats.”
Ray Houston: “Trophy.”
Houston and Anderson “Main.”
Jerry Busick, Bob White and Clifford Phipps: “Super B Heats.”
Gary Chew: “Trophy.”
Jr. Goodrich: “Main.”
Britton Wells and Phipps: “Main.”
Ladies Heat: Joy Ahrens: “Trophy.”
Bonnie Gordon, Ahrens and Arlene Gordon: “Main”
Jr. Goodrich won an added event as he came in first in the Australian Pursuit.
Rilea’s announced they were improving lighting and parking at the irregular oval dirt track and considered the track a success and looked forward to an even better season the next year.
A new Go-kart track was opened by owners Ron Reed and Don Byerly in September 1960.
The track, known as Osceola Race Ways, was located three miles north of Osceola on U.S. 69, left at the Floyd Newman corner and two miles on the New Virginia Star Route.
The new irregular shaped “skill” track featured a 320 foot straight-a-way. There were 10,500 watts of light were installed on the track. The starting time for the Saturday night races was 8 p.m.