![]() | |
![]() The "kidney bean" shaped oval (1969–1980) | |
Location | Hamilton Township, Mercer County, near Trenton, New Jersey |
---|---|
Coordinates | 40°14′20.5″N74°43′01.5″W / 40.239028°N 74.717083°W |
Owner | George A. Hamid Jr. |
Opened | September 24, 1900 |
Closed | June 29, 1980 |
Former names | Trenton International Speedway |
Major events | CART Trenton 150 (1946, 1949, 1957–1979) NASCAR Winston Cup Northern 300 (1958–1959, 1967–1972) |
Dog-leg oval "Kidney Bean" (1969–1980) | |
Surface | Asphalt |
Length | 1.500 miles (2.41 km) |
Turns | 5 |
Banking | Turns 1–2: 10° Dogleg: 4° Turns 3–4: 15° |
Mile oval (1946–1968) | |
Surface | Asphalt (1957–1968) Dirt (1946–1957) |
Length | 1.000 miles (1.609 km) |
Half-mile oval (1900–1941) | |
Surface | Dirt |
Length | 0.500 miles (0.805 km) |
Trenton Speedway was a racing facility located near Trenton, New Jersey at the New Jersey State Fairgrounds. Races for the United States' premier open-wheel and full-bodied racing series of the times were held at Trenton Speedway.
The first race at the Fairgrounds was held on September 24, 1900, but there was no further racing there until 1907. Regular racing began in 1912 and continued until 1941. A new 1.000 mi (1.609 km) dirt oval was opened in 1946. In 1957 the track was paved. It operated in that configuration until 1968 when the track was expanded to 1.500 mi (2.414 km) and a "kidney bean" shape with a 20° right-hand dogleg on the back stretch and a wider turn 3 & 4 complex than turns 1 & 2. The track closed in 1980 and the Fairgrounds itself closed 3 years later. The former site of the speedway is now occupied by the Grounds for Sculpture, a UPS shipping facility, and the housing development known as "Hamilton Lakes". [1]
Trenton was a long-time stop for the AAA and USAC Championship Car series. Its first recognized Champ Car race was held in 1949 on the dirt mile. The series did not return until 1957 when the track was paved, but when it did, at least one Champ Car race was held every year until 1979. The final Champ Car races held in 1979 at the track were sanctioned by CART. During his career A. J. Foyt won twelve Indy Car races at Trenton Speedway. The May 1976 race was Janet Guthrie's first IndyCar appearance.
Trenton hosted many races sanctioned by AAA and USAC Stock Car divisions. In 1957, Mike Klapak won the Trenton 500, intended to become the most prestigious race on the USAC calendar.
Trenton hosted the NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup series 8 times: once each May in 1958 and 1959, and once each July from 1967 to 1972, a race known as the Northern 300. Richard Petty led all drivers with three Trenton Grand National victories. [2] In July 1973 the Northern 300 ran time trials but rain washed out the race and it was never rescheduled. The Northern 300 was placed on NASCAR's 1974 Winston Cup Grand National schedule (Stock Car Racing magazine listed it on the schedule in its early 1974 season issues) but was dropped early in the year and replaced by Pocono Raceway's Purolator 500.
From 1958 to 1971, a NASCAR National Championship race for modified stock car racing was held annually at Trenton Speedway, promoted by Sam Nunis. Through 1962, these were hundred-lap races. In 1963, the race was expanded to 200 laps, making it one of the longest and highest-paying races for Modified and Sportsman racers in the country. Ray Hendrick from Virginia was the leading winner of these races, driving the Jack Tant-owned number 11. [3]
From 1972 to 1976, Trenton Speedway hosted the Race of Champions modified race. Five different drivers won the five RoC events at Trenton. In 1977, the Race of Champions was moved to Pocono Raceway.
All winning drivers were American.
Season | Date | Winning Driver | Manufacturer |
---|---|---|---|
1958 | May 30 – 500 miles | Fireball Roberts | Chevrolet |
1959 | May 17 – 500 miles | Tom Pistone | Ford |
1967 | July 9 – 300 miles | Richard Petty | Plymouth |
1968 | July 14 | LeeRoy Yarbrough | Ford |
1969 | July 13 | David Pearson | Ford |
1970 | July 12 | Richard Petty | Plymouth |
1971 | July 18 | Richard Petty | Plymouth |
1972 | July 16 | Bobby Allison | Chevrolet |
Rodger Morris Ward was an American racing driver best known for his open-wheel career. He is generally regarded as one of the finest drivers of his generation, and is best known for winning two National Championships, and two Indianapolis 500s, both in 1959 and 1962. He also won the AAA National Stock Car Championship in 1951.
Oval track racing is a form of motorsport that is contested on an oval-shaped race track. An oval track differs from a road course in that the layout resembles an oval with turns in only one direction, and the direction of traffic is almost universally counter-clockwise. Oval tracks are dedicated motorsport circuits, used predominantly in the United States. They often have banked turns and some, despite the name, are not precisely oval, and the shape of the track can vary.
Paul Edward Goldsmith was an American racing driver. During his career he raced motorcycles, stock cars, and Indianapolis cars, achieving success in each discipline.
Nazareth Speedway is a defunct auto racing facility in Lower Nazareth Township in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, which operated from 1910 to 2004. The racing facility operated in two distinct course configurations. In its early years, it was a dirt twin oval layout. In 1987, it was reopened as a paved tri-oval that measured just slightly under 1 mile.
Richard Ernest Evans, was an American racing driver who won nine NASCAR National Modified Championships, including eight in a row from 1978 to 1985. The International Motorsports Hall of Fame lists this achievement as "one of the supreme accomplishments in motorsports". Evans won virtually every major race for asphalt modifieds, most of them more than once, including winning the Race of Champions three times. Evans was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on June 14, 2011. As one of the Class of 2012, Evans was one of the Hall's first 15 inductees, and was the first Hall of Famer from outside the now NASCAR Cup Series.
Richmond Raceway (RR) is a 0.750 mi (1.207 km), D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in unincorporated Henrico County. It currently hosts one NASCAR Cup Series race weekend and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. It formerly hosted events such as the NASCAR Xfinity Series, International Race of Champions, Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown, and the USAC sprint car series. Richmond Raceway's "D" shape allows drivers to reach high speeds.
Langhorne Speedway was an automobile racetrack in Middletown Township, Bucks County, near the borough of Langhorne, Pennsylvania, a northern suburb of Philadelphia.
Concord Speedway was a motorsports facility located in the town of Midland, North Carolina, southeast of Concord, North Carolina. The complex featured a 1⁄2-mile asphalt tri-oval and a 1⁄4-mile asphalt oval.
Joseph Paul Leonard was an American professional motorcycle racer and racecar driver.
The Indy Richmond 300 is an IndyCar Series race held at Richmond Raceway near Richmond, Virginia from 2001 to 2009,. From 2001–2007, the race was scheduled for 250 laps ; from 2008 to 2009, the race distance was extended to 300 laps.
Donald "Dutch" Hoag was an American racing driver who won the Langhorne National Open five times when it was the most prestigious event for Modified and Sportsman racers.
There has been auto racing in Illinois for almost as long as there have been automobiles. Almost every type of motorsport found in the United States can be found in Illinois. Both modern and historic tracks exist in Illinois, including NASCAR's Chicagoland Speedway and Gateway International Speedway. Notable drivers from Illinois include Danica Patrick, Tony Bettenhausen, and Fred Lorenzen.
Lakewood Speedway was a race track located south of Atlanta, Georgia, in Lakewood, just north of the eastern arm of Langford Parkway. The track held many kinds of races between 1919 and 1979, including events sanctioned by AAA/USAC, IMCA, and NASCAR. It was a one-mile (1.6 km) dirt track which was located adjacent to Lakewood Fairgrounds. Lakewood Speedway was considered the "Indianapolis of the South" as it was located in the largest city in the Southern United States and it held an annual race of the Indy cars.
Norman Huber "Norm" Nelson was an American racing driver. Known primarily for his stock car career, Nelson competed in AAA and USAC Stock Cars from the 1950s through 1970s. He won the season championship in 1960, 1965, and 1966 as a driver.
The USAC Stock Car division was the stock car racing class sanctioned by the United States Auto Club (USAC). The division raced nationally; drivers from USAC's open wheel classes like Indy cars, Silver Crown, sprints, and midgets frequently competed in races and won championships. Several NASCAR drivers raced in USAC Stock Cars at various points in their careers.
The 1960 NASCAR Grand National season was the 12th season of professional stock car racing in the United States. Emanuel Zervakis was disqualified upon post-race inspection for the April 17 race due to an oversized fuel tank. This would be the last disqualification of a driver who had won the race on the track until 2022.
Wilbur Darnell was an American racing driver from Lake Bluff, Illinois. He raced mainly in USAC Stock Cars, but he did have a few Indy Car and NASCAR Grand National Series starts. His grandson Erik Darnell is a current NASCAR driver.
The Hoosier Hundred is a USAC Silver Crown Series race scheduled for Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park as of 2023. It is a revival of the original race held from 1953-2020 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds Speedway, a one-mile dirt oval in Indianapolis, Indiana. The race was first held in 1953, and through 1970 was part of the National Championship.
The Syracuse Mile was a 1-mile (1.6 km) dirt oval raceway located at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, New York. Originally built for harness racing in 1826, the first auto race was run in 1903, making it the second oldest auto racing facility in United States history. The racetrack was also nicknamed "The Moody Mile" after driver Wes Moody turned a 100-mile-per-hour lap in 1970. The track and grandstands were torn down in 2016 by state government officials with the plan to modernize facilities.
Kenny Brightbill, nicknamed the "Shillington Slingshot" and "Mr. Excitement" is a former NASCAR and professional dirt modified driver from Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania. He has won 441 career professional races and is also the all time wins leader of Reading Fairground Speedway with 135 career wins. Brightbill has won many of the most noted races for dirt track modifieds in the Northeastern United States, most notably 1988 Syracuse Miller High Life 300.