Reliving History

[Whiplash]

I have a problem and would need assistance and apologize if this is the incorrect column.
It has been a dream of mine to ride throught history and revisit all the lost and forgotten race tracks in the US and other countries.

Can anyone tell me where I could find information of the tracks and their locations?

Might even make a good story in the ON. :brow

[PAULBACH]

Try this site (http://www.equineinfo.com/horseracing/racetrack.htm)

[1flyer]

I was hopeing he was thinking about tracks like Riverside and Bridgehampton.

[RevWillie]

If it is old automobile racetracks that you are interested in, then come on down to Hillsborough,NC. Down by the Eno River is one of the original NASCAR racetracks from 1948. The last race was held in 1968 and the local high school used the infield as a football field for some years afterwards. Some local history fans have started a non-profit organization to clear the area and have put up some signs to tell the visitors the story of the old track. A good bit of the dirt track is accessable and the old concrete bleachers are a ghostly reminder of the "old days". If you are interested in seeing the site, let me know and I'll show you the site.

Occoneechee-Orange Speedway

The Occoneechee-Orange Speedway is a 44-acre site which sits on the bank of the Eno River across from Ayr Mount and includes the one-mile dirt track that was one of NASCAR'S first. Now, with the support of Classical American Homes Preservation Trust (CAHPT), the owner of Ayr Mount, work is being done to save the remains of the racetrack. Though the track has been taken over by three decades of natural growth, signs of its glory days remain. Trails have been cleared to allow for a walk around the remaining outbuildings and the track.

The speedway was well known for the natural hazards that it posed for those who dared to run the course. With the dust and mud that would coat the windshields, driving was difficult for most drivers and with no barricade to the river's bank, many drivers came to rest there after losing control of their cars. The last race ran in Hillsborough in 1968, with Richard Petty grabbing the last checkered flag. Races were moved to a new super speedway in Talladega (Alabama) in 1969 because the newer model cars were too fast to be running on the Occoneechee-Orange Speedway.

In 1997, PNC bought the site from the estates of NASCAR founder William France, and Enoch Staley with funding provided by the James M. Johnston Trust and CAHPT. CAHPT took title to the site with extensive protective covenants. The site, which will provide a rare glimpse into the developmental years of NASCAR is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

[PAULBACH]

My error! I live near Saratoga and race tracks mean horses where horsepower of most rides = 1. :laugh

But, just down the road is Albany Saratora Raceway which used to be on the NASCAR circuit.

[Whiplash]

I have a problem and would need assistance and apologize if this is the incorrect column.
It has been a dream of mine to ride throught history and revisit all the lost and forgotten race tracks in the US and other countries.

Can anyone tell me where I could find information of the tracks and their locations?

Might even make a good story in the ON. :brow

I guess I need to be more specific. MOTORCYCLE RACE COURSES!
Thank you very much. :bikes

[Whiplash]

My error! I live near Saratoga and race tracks mean horses where horsepower of most rides = 1. :laugh

But, just down the road is Albany Saratora Raceway which used to be on the NASCAR circuit.

Hmmmm, never heard of a horse called BMW or motorcycle. :confused:

[John Brase]

I could direct you to a place in Ft. Wayne, IN that used to be the site of a 5/8 mi. high banked track that used to host AMA races (and cars). But there is not a trace of the old track left, unless you count the bar down the street named "Speedway Bar & Grill." The bar has been torn down and rebuilt so even it is no longer original.

John

[jwhite518]

I think a lot of the old racetrack sites now contain new development, and there would be nothing recognizable as a track. You'd be visiting houses and shopping centers. Most likely not even a marker. (At least that's how they do it in California.) Time marches on. Cue Joni Mitchell song.