Dover News and Notes: Racing in the Mid-Atlantic


Programming Note: I'll be in the pits for Saturday's Xfinity Series race.

The Mid-Atlantic region of the US has long been better-known as a hotbed for drag-racing than for its interest in stock-car racing.  So it follows that, other than the venerable Dover International Speedway, all of the other tracks in the region have long-since closed, falling prey to rising property values and a general lack of interest in oval racing in the area.  Here’s a look back at four of the region’s top tracks from the past:

Langhorne Speedway--note the proximity
to housing developments
Langhorne Speedway (Langhorne, PA)
The mile-long track earned its nickname “The Big Left Turn” from it’s almost-perfect circle shape.  However, it earned its other nickname “The Track That Ate Heroes” from it’s reputation for numerous fatalities.  Furthermore, the unofficial Turn 2 (remember, the track was a circle) was nicknamed “Puke Hollow” for its rough surface, rutted from years of abuse to its dirt base.  Hosting numerous top racing series, Nascar was no exception, hosting “Strictly Stock”/Grand National (later renamed the Cup Seires) races from 1949 through 1957.  Luminaries such as Curtis Turner, Herb Thomas, Dick Rathmann, and Tim & Fonty Flock notched wins at the track.  Shut down after the 1971 racing season, the property is currently the site of a shopping plaza.
Trenton International Speedway in its
final form

Trenton International Speedway (Trenton, NJ)
Originally a half-mile dirt track, the circuit was doubled in size after World War II, and was paved in 1957.  Then, in 1969, the track was increased in size once more, topping-out at 1.5 miles long.  However, the final iteration of the track, located at the New Jersey State Fairgrounds, was best-known for its bizarre “kink” in the backstretch, which required drivers to make a slight RIGHT-hand turn.  In addition to IndyCar and Modified races, the Nascar Cup Series ran eight total races at the track, including six straight from 1967-1972, and had a scheduled race for 1973 that was rained-out and never rescheduled.  The track would shut down in 1980, soon to be followed by the fairgrounds itself, which have since been turned into a sculpture garden.

Flemington Speedway (Flemington, NJ)
Flemington Speedway
Opened in 1915, the distinctive square-like 5/8ths mile track didn’t attract national attention until it was paved in 1990.  Truck Series races were held from 1995-1998, with Ron Hornaday Jr. as the only repeat winner.  While a popular local track as a dirt facility, the track was unable to maintain profitability as an asphalt track and is now the site of a Lowe’s “big box” hardware store.  However, the track contributed to Nascar’s modern-day history in two interesting ways.  After a number of serious head-on crashes (due to the track’s square-shape), foam bricks were installed in the corners, which, while not optimum from a safety or clean-up standpoint, were able to stop the rash of driver injuries, being the spark that would eventually lead to Nascar’s current SAFER barriers.  Furthermore, one of the drivers seriously injured pre-foam was local driver Ray Evernham, who instead became a crew chief upon recovery.  If not for this injury, who knows if he would have gone on to crew chief for Jeff Gordon, or lead Dodge’s return to the sport.

The track's surface reused as the
school's parking lot
Beltsville Speedway (Laurel, MD)

Located in the Washington DC suburbs, Beltsville Speedway had a short lifespan, opening in 1965 and closing in 1978.  While ten Nascar premiere series (aka Grand National or Cup) were held at the track, local racing was its bread-and-butter, and eventually its downfall.  Noise restrictions forced the track to first erect a sound wall barrier, then force cars to run with mufflers.  Uniquely, after shutting down the track property was bought by Capitol Technical University, which maintains a portion of the racing surface as a parking lot.