Footage and pictures from the Old Devil's Bowl Speedway off of South Buckner on John West Blvd in Dallas, before it was relocated out to it's current Location at 1711 Lawson Rd, Mesquite, TX 75181  between Hwy 80 and I-20.  A lot of this is of AD Trowell #4 , and the 8 mm film footage is courtesy of the Trowell Family and A.D. pretty much ruled the track for years winning 8 championships. These cars was know as Dirt Hot Rods or Modified Jalopys and before the track was moved raced on Friday Nights. When the track was first built they raced on Sunday afternoon. – The track opened in 1949, the original dirt race track was located near the Buckner Boulevard Drive-In and White Rock Airport north of John West Road and present day Dilido Road and was built in a old rock limestone quarry now refered to as the Old Devil's Bowl or Old Bowl and was originally owned by Dick Vines. Vines was shot and killed by J R Gilreath another well known dirt racer under cloudy circumstances, and after trying to run it for a while, Vines' widow sold it to Roy Carter a retired dirt racer.  The track was unique with a egg shape with turn 1 having a very sharp tight shape with turn 2 sweeping out onto the back stretch and that end of the track was at ground level and turns 3 and 4 was wide sweeping turns. There was no flagstand and the flagman stood on the front stretch just off turn 4 and was precariously close to the action. Henry Haughey was the first flagman and preceded Wild Bill Cummins and both had a style of flagging described as Dare Devilish .. fitting because of the name of the track being Devil's Bowl.  Both Henry and Wild Bill would stand mid track holding back the start until the last minute then while sweeping the flag back and forth and up and down waiting to give the start had to sprint towards the infield to get out of the way of the oncoming Dirt Hot Rods. They both during the race would walk out into the track waving the various color flags at each racer as they approached. Another unique aspect of the track was the track being in a hole carved out of the white rock cliffs with the grandstands sitting on top of the rock cliffs some 20 to 25 feet above in turns 3 and 4 and continued halfway down the front stretch still elevated by the cliffs. There was grandstands that set on the back straightaway but was at ground level and as you came around towards the turn 3 and 4 stands the white rock cliffs rose above the ground level  and the pit entrance to the infield crossed midway down the back stretch which was where the grandstands ended. One of the white rock cliffs pertruded out into the front straightaway and the front stretch had a slight dog leg towards the infield in order to stay clear of the ledge. Another unique aspect of the Old Bowl was the Announcers and Scoring Judges Booth was a raised wooden box platform that set in the infield just inside the back straightaway. The early circle dirt track was notable for its Modified Jalopys, noise, and flying dust and the last year of competition at the John West location was the 1966 racing season . In 1967 the Devil’s Bowl Speedway moved to its current location on Lawson Road in Mesquite due to the encroaching neighborhoods sprouting up all around the track.  Roy Carter sold the track shortly after the first season at the new location to another retired racer Cotton Farmer who ran the track for several years before selling out in 1972 to current owners and promoters Lanny and Beverly Edwards. Lanny and Beverly owners of Lawton Speedway a 1/4 mile dirt track in Lawton, Oklahoma decided to buy the Bowl and still have both tracks to this date.