Carl Weisinger, Racer and Former Owner of Orlando Speed World Dragway in Florida, Passes Away at Age 78
Multi-time National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) class winner and former lease holder of Orlando Speed World Dragway, Carl Weisinger passed away Wednesday evening at the age of 78.
With over 60 years in racing, including stints as a racer, track worker, promoter and manager, Carl was a big part of expanding drag racing in not just the central part of the state of Florida, but on a much bigger scale.
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The Orlando Speed World Dragway has been instrumental to the heads-up and street car racing landscape.
The birthplace of the World Street Nationals, the event celebrated its 30th anniversary in November of 2023. In the early years of the World Street Nationals, the streetability of the cars was verified by driving them from the track to the Race Rock restaurant, located about 30 miles away on the popular International Drive in Orlando, Florida.
The track also plays home base for this year’s Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive.
Carl got his start in racing with a 1940 Plymouth coupe, his first car that also provided his first track runs in June of 1961. It only took a couple track visits before he was rewarded with a trophy for his efforts, and it started a lifetime relationship with drag racing.
Just over a decade later, Carl moved from racer to track worker at Orlando Speed World Dragway in a variety of jobs starting in 1972.
Trying his hand at promoting a drag race, Carl added another item to his drag racing resume when he promoted his first event at the now-defunct Lakeland Drag Strip in nearby Lakeland, Florida in 1976. That led to manager stints at Orlando Speed World Dragway, as well as Jackson County Sports Park in Oregon.
When Carl returned to Florida, he managed both Moroso Motorsports Park and Miami-Hollywood Motorsports Park, but it wouldn’t be long until he returned to Orlando again. “My heart was always really in the Orlando track though,” said Carl. When the track was sold to the Hart family in 1987, Carl signed a lease for the drag racing side of the property.
In February of 2013, the chapter of running Orlando Speed World Dragway would close for Carl, as Ozzy Moya assumed the assets of the facility, including the drag strip and the circle track. This gave Carl a chance to retire from a daily job and race more, which he would do on both a local and national level with a variety of cars.
Carl won several races in a pair of big block 1969 Chevrolet Camaros with good friend Tom Callis, Carl wheeled a couple potent Mopars in his retirement years, including a show quality 1964 Savoy and a modern Challenger.
Carl’s granddaughter, Shelby Wood, posted the following on Facebook:
“It is with a heavy and broken heart that I announce that my grandfather, Carl Weisinger, has passed away today. CC, as most of our family knows him as, lived life in the fast lane and enjoyed bringing a smile to just about everyone he met. My grandfather has been one of my biggest support systems through everything life has thrown at me. This man has saved me from myself more times than I can count and his advice, no matter how blunt, will be missed so much. Our racing adventures and movie dates will forever be some of my best memories. CC passed today unexpectedly surrounded by my grandmother Diane, Aunt Tammy, my husband Derrick and I, and his son Randy. Details on a service will be posted at a later time.”
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Carl’s family and friends, as the racing community has lost one of their own.
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Carl Weisinger and Thomas Gaines Photography.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com