Occoneechee Speedway
{{short description|American auto racing venue}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox motorsport venue
|name = Occoneechee Speedway
|location = Elizabeth Brady, 0.3 N of US 70 Business, Hillsborough, North Carolina, United States
|coordinates =
|image = Occoneechee-Flagstand-2010.jpg
|image_caption = Revitalized flag stand - 2010 Car Show
|image_size =
|owner = Classical American Homes Preservation Trust
|opened = May 5, 1947
|closed = June 1968
|construction_cost=
|architect =
|former_names = Orange Speedway
|events = Hillsboro 150 (1949–1968)
|layout1 = Oval
|surface = Dirt
|length_km = 1.5
|length_mi =0.9
|miles_first = true
|turns = 4
{{Infobox NRHP
| name = Occoneechee Speedway
| embed = yes
| nrhp_type =
| image =
| caption =
| location =
| coordinates = {{coord|36|4|23|N|79|4|57|W|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin = USA North Carolina
| area = {{convert|44|acre}}
| architect =
| architecture =
| added = May 2, 2002
| refnum = 02000435{{NRISref|2009a}}
}}
}}
Occoneechee Speedway was one of the first two NASCAR tracks to open. It closed in 1968 and is the only dirt track remaining from the inaugural 1949 season.[http://www.carolinacountry.com/storypages/ourstories/speedway/speedway.html#intro Brief History, Page 1]
It is located just outside the town of Hillsborough, North Carolina.
Site history
=Occoneechee Speedway / Orange Speedway =
The Occoneechee Farm occupied the land in the late 19th century. The farm was named after the Occaneechi Indians that lived in the area in the late 17th century and late 18th century. The landowner, Julian S. Carr, raced horses, and built a half mile horse racing track on the site.[http://www.carolinacountry.com/storypages/ourstories/speedway/speedway2.html Brief History, Page 2]
Bill France noticed the horse racing track and expanse of open land while piloting his airplane. On the site of the earlier horse track, he built a 0.9-mile dirt track in September 1947, two months before NASCAR was organized. In its earliest days, Fonty Flock and his brothers Bob and Tim dominated the track. Louise Smith became NASCAR's first female driver at the track in the fall of 1949.{{Cite web | author =Jennifer Martin and Sarah Woodard, and Virginia Freeze| title =Occoneechee Speedway | work = National Register of Historic Places — Nomination and Inventory | date =August 2001| url = https://files.nc.gov/ncdcr/nr/OR1542.pdf | publisher = North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office | access-date = 2015-02-01}} The Occoneechee Speedway hosted stock car racing legends such as Fireball Roberts, Richard Petty, Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson. It was a crown jewel in NASCAR for most of its existence.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}}
The Sunday racing schedule prompted grassroots opposition in Hillsborough, and the final race at the track, which by that time was called the Orange Speedway, was a Richard Petty victory on September 15, 1968.Cruze, Sidney. "[https://www.carolinacountry.com/carolina-stories/kickin-up-dust-again-at-the-orange-speedway Kickin' Up Dust Again at the Orange Speedway], North Carolina Electric Cooperatives, 2004-01. Accessed 2017-12-26.{{Cite web|url=http://www.historicspeedwaygroup.org/track-history.html|title=History Speedway Group: History|website=Historic Speedway Group|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191116020905/http://www.historicspeedwaygroup.org/track-history.html|archive-date=November 16, 2019|access-date=November 15, 2019}}
The loss of the speedway later made Bill France look for a new spot in the area to build a bigger, better, and faster track with speeds in excess of Daytona International Speedway. Eventually he looked towards South Carolina and eventually Alabama where he built the Talladega Superspeedway which opened a year later where it took Occoneechee Speedway’s date on the schedule.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}}
The Occoneechee/Orange speedway, along with North Wilkesboro Speedway, is one of the inspirations for the dirt track Thomasville Speedway in the Pixar movie Cars 3 in which Petty voices the character Strip Weathers.{{cite web|url=http://autoweek.com/article/nascar/cars-3-will-pay-tribute-abandoned-ghost-tracks |title='Cars 3' will pay tribute to abandoned 'ghost' tracks | author=Mark Vaughn |publisher=AutoWeek|date=May 22, 2017}}
The track was featured on the Peacock original series, Lost Speedways hosted by NASCAR Hall of Famer, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Matthew Dillner.{{Cite web |date=2020-07-09 |title=Earnhardt revisits racing’s past with ‘Lost Speedways’ |url=https://www.bostonherald.com/2020/07/09/earnhardt-revisits-racings-past-with-lost-speedways/ |access-date=2023-11-23 |website=Boston Herald |language=en-US}}
=Historic Occoneechee Speedway Trail=
The Occoneechee Speedway site is now heavily forested with pines and sycamores. A short walk from Hillsborough via wooded footpaths, the site is a common destination for residents going for a stroll. The grandstands are still visible, as is much of the mile–long oval track. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and now comprises {{convert|44|acre|m2}} with over {{convert|3|mi|km}} of trails. A walking trail was built in 2003 that crisscrosses the clay track. A non-profit local group, [https://web.archive.org/web/20191202125855/http://www.historicspeedwaygroup.org/ The Historic Speedway Group], continues to organize volunteers to renovate historic structures and maintain the track and trails. The group has collected an impressive archive of videos, photographs, and historical information about the site.
In 2022, the site, owned by the Classical American Homes Preservation Trust, was transferred to state ownership to become part of Eno River State Park.{{cite news |first=Aaron |last=Keck |url=https://chapelboro.com/news/development/historic-speedway-trail-to-be-part-of-eno-river-state-park-expansion |title=Historic Speedway Trail To Be Part of Eno River State Park Expansion |date=2022-03-11 |accessdate=2022-12-24 }}
{{clear}}
Winners
| class="wikitable sortable" | |||||||||
| Race | Date | Cars | Winner | Make / Model | Length | Miles | Purse | Pole | Speed (mph) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949-03 | 08/07/49 | 28 | Bob Flock | 1948 Oldsmobile | 1.000 | 200 | $5,000 | 76.800 | |
| 1950-10 | 08/13/50 | 27 | Fireball Roberts | 1949 Oldsmobile | 1.000 | 100 | $3,975 | ||
| 1950-19 | 10/29/50 | 29 | Lee Petty | 1949 Plymouth | 1.000 | 175 | $4,675 | 85.898 | |
| 1951-05 | 04/15/51 | 33 | Fonty Flock | 1950 Oldsmobile | 1.000 | 95 | $4,665 | 88.287 | 80.889 |
| 1951-31 | 10/07/51 | 24 | Herb Thomas | 1951 Hudson | 1.000 | 150 | $3,550 | 79.628 | 72.454 |
| 1952-15 | 06/08/52 | 19 | Tim Flock | 1951 Hudson | 1.000 | 100 | $3,425 | 91.977 | 81.008 |
| 1952-30 | 10/12/52 | 29 | Fonty Flock | 1952 Oldsmobile | 1.000 | 150 | $5,045 | 75.901 | 73.489 |
| 1953-26 | 08/09/53 | 19 | Curtis Turner | 1953 Oldsmobile | 1.000 | 100 | $3,425 | 89.078 | 75.125 |
| 1954-08 | 04/18/54 | 28 | Herb Thomas | 1954 Hudson | 1.000 | 100 | $3,825 | 86.767 | 77.386 |
| 1955-07 | 03/27/55 | 21 | Jim Paschal | 1955 Oldsmobile | 1.000 | 100 | $3,800 | 91.896 | 82.304 |
| 1955-45 | 10/30/55 | 25 | Tim Flock | 1955 Chrysler | 1.000 | 100 | $4,285 | 81.673 | 70.465 |
| 1956-17 | 05/13/56 | 31 | Buck Baker | 1956 Chrysler | .900 | 90 | $4,285 | 89.305 | 83.720 |
| 1956-50 | 09/30/56 | 23 | Fireball Roberts | 1956 Ford | .900 | 99 | $4,560 | 88.067 | 72.734 |
| 1957-07 | 03/24/57 | 19 | Buck Baker | 1957 Chevrolet | .900 | 99 | $3,835 | 87.828 | 82.233 |
| 1958-06 | 03/23/58 | 18 | Buck Baker | 1957 Chevrolet | .900 | 99 | $3,585 | 83.076 | 78.502 |
| 1958-47 | 09/28/58 | 33 | Joe Eubanks | 1957 Pontiac | .900 | 99 | $3,885 | 87.308 | 72.439 |
| 1959-04 | 03/01/59 | 22 | Curtis Turner | 1959 T-Bird | .900 | 99 | $3,785 | 87.544 | 81.612 |
| 1959-40 | 09/20/59 | 22 | Lee Petty | 1959 Plymouth | .900 | 99 | $3,945 | 85.533 | 77.868 |
| 1960-18 | 05/29/60 | 23 | Lee Petty | 1960 Plymouth | .900 | 99 | $3,985 | 88.190 | 83.583 |
| 1960-39 | 09/18/60 | 18 | Richard Petty | 1960 Plymouth | .900 | 99 | $3,785 | 85.285 | 80.161 |
| 1961-11 | 04/02/61 | 20 | Cotton Owens | 1960 Pontiac | .900 | 99 | $3,895 | 91.836 | 84.695 |
| 1961-52 | 10/29/61 | 20 | Joe Weatherly | 1961 Pontiac | .900 | 149 | $5,625 | 95.154 | 85.249 |
| 1961-62 | 1/7/62 | 19 | Josh Arnold | 1961 Ford | .900 | 500 | $5,580 | 25.190 | 170.941 |
| 1962-09 | 03/18/62 | 21 | Rex White | 1961 Chevrolet | .900 | 99 | $4,575 | 96.285 | 86.948 |
| 1963-10 | 03/10/63 | 23 | Junior Johnson | 1963 Chevrolet | .900 | 149 | $6,900 | 95.716 | 83.129 |
| 1963-54 | 10/27/63 | 24 | Joe Weatherly | 1963 Pontiac | .900 | 150 | $6,650 | 93.156 | 85.559 |
| 1964-15 | 04/12/64 | 27 | David Pearson | 1964 Dodge | .900 | 150 | $6,800 | 99.784 | 83.319 |
| 1964-55 | 09/20/64 | 28 | Ned Jarrett | 1964 Ford | .900 | 150 | $7,000 | 89.280 | 86.725 |
| 1965-08 | 03/14/65 | 23 | Ned Jarrett | 1965 Ford | .900 | 150 | $6,600 | 98.570 | 90.663 |
| 1965-53 | 10/24/65 | 20 | Dick Hutcherson | 1965 Ford | .900 | 101 | $4,540 | 98.810 | 87.462 |
| 1966-45 | 09/18/66 | 23 | Dick Hutcherson | 1966 Ford | .900 | 150 | $6,600 | 95.716 | 90.603 |
| 1967-44 | 09/17/67 | 28 | Richard Petty | 1967 Plymouth | .900 | 150 | $6,850 | 94.159 | 81.574 |
| 1968-43 | 09/15/68 | 24 | Richard Petty | 1968 Plymouth | .900 | 150 | $6,900 | 93.245 | 87.681 |
Gallery
Image:Hillsborough 1938 aerial.jpg|The horse racetrack on Occoneechee farm, 1938
Image:Hillsborough 1955 aerial.jpg|Aerial view of Occoneechee Speedway in 1955
File:Occoneechee tickets.jpg|Former ticket office
File:Occoneechee outhouse.jpg|Former outhouse location
File:Occoneechee Pepsi.jpg|Pepsi coolers at the concession area
File:Occoneechee lights.jpg|View of the grandstand lights
File:Occoneechee stairs.jpg|Stairs leading from the track level through the grandstands
File:Occoneechee stands.jpg|Overgrowth covers the remains of the grandstand
File:Occoneechee Speedway straightaway.jpg|The track around the start/finish line
File:Occoneechee-Stands-2010.jpg|Grandstands back in use – 2010 Car Show
File:Old car at the Occoneechee Speedway, NC.jpg|A rusted car that was modified for racing on the speedway
References
{{reflist}}
Further reading
- Occoneechee-Orange Speedway — Magazine (Speedway Spotlite Publications) by Ed Sanseverino (1994)
External links
{{commonscat|Occoneechee Speedway}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20191202125855/http://www.historicspeedwaygroup.org/ The Historic Speedway Group]
- [http://www.carolinacountry.com/index.php/carolina-stories/item/kickin-up-dust-again-at-the-orange-speedway Kickin' Up Dust At The Orange Speedway]
- [https://www.racing-reference.info/tracks/Occoneechee_Speedway NASCAR track history at racing-reference.info]
{{National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina}}
{{Triangle sports venues}}
Category:Motorsport venues in North Carolina
Category:Sports venues on the National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina
Category:Sports venues in Orange County, North Carolina
Category:Companies based in Hillsborough, North Carolina
Category:National Register of Historic Places in Orange County, North Carolina
Category:1947 establishments in North Carolina