Occoneechee Speedway
Encyclopedia
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.
It is located just outside the town of Hillsborough, North Carolina
.
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 dirt mile 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.
The Occoneechee Speedway hosted stock car racing legends such as Fireball Roberts
, Richard Petty
, Ned Jarrett
and Junior Johnson
.
The track was renamed Orange Speedway in 1954.
In part due the resistance of the local religious authorities, William France Sr.
finally gave up on the Occoneechee Speedway. On September 15, 1968 France shut down the operation after Richard Petty
's win. He moved to Alabama
, where he had bought an 1800 acres (7 km²) site forty miles east of Birmingham
. There he built the biggest and fastest NASCAR
track of them all: the famous Talladega Superspeedway
.
The Occoneechee Speedway site is now heavily forested with pines and sycamores. 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 44 acres (178,061.8 m²) with over 3 miles (4.8 km) of trails. A walking trail was built in 2003 that crisscrosses the clay track.
Occoneechee-Orange Speedway - Magazine (Speedway Spotlite Publications) by Ed Sanseverino (1994)
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
tracks to open. It closed in 1968 and is the only dirt track remaining from the inaugural 1949 season.
It is located just outside the town of Hillsborough, North Carolina
Hillsborough, North Carolina
Hillsborough is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 5,653 at the 2008 census. It is the county seat of Orange County....
.
Site history
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.Bill France
William France Sr.
William Henry Getty France Sr. , also known by Bill France Sr. or Big Bill, was an American race car driver. He is best known for co-founding and managing NASCAR, a sanctioning body of United States-based stock car racing.-Early life:France was born in Washington, D. C...
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 dirt mile track in September, 1947, two months before NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
was organized. In its earliest days, Fonty Flock
Fonty Flock
Truman Fontello "Fonty" Flock of Fort Payne, Alabama was an early NASCAR driver.-Flock family:He was the brother of NASCAR pioneers Tim Flock and Bob Flock, and the second female NASCAR driver Ethel Mobley...
and his brothers Bob
Bob Flock
Robert Newman Flock of Fort Payne, Alabama, USA was an early NASCAR driver. He qualified on the pole position for NASCAR's first Strictly Stock race.-Flock family:...
and Tim
Tim Flock
Julius Timothy Flock was one of NASCAR's early pioneers, and a two time series champion. He was a brother to NASCAR's second female driver Ethel Mobley and NASCAR pioneers Bob Flock and Fonty Flock.- NASCAR career :...
dominated the track. Louise Smith
Louise Smith
Louise Smith was tied for the second woman to race in NASCAR at the top level. She was known as "the first lady of racing."...
became NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
's first female driver at the track in the fall of 1949.
The Occoneechee Speedway hosted stock car racing legends such as Fireball Roberts
Fireball Roberts
Edward Glenn Roberts, Jr. , nicknamed "Fireball", was one of the pioneering race car drivers of NASCAR.-Background:...
, Richard Petty
Richard Petty
Richard Lee Petty is a former NASCAR driver who raced in the Strictly Stock/Grand National Era and the NASCAR Winston Cup Series...
, Ned Jarrett
Ned Jarrett
Ned Jarrett is a retired race car driver and two-time NASCAR champion.Jarrett was best known for his calm demeanor, and he became known as "Gentleman Ned Jarrett", yet he was an intense competitor when he put his two hands on the steering wheel of a NASCAR Grand National stock car...
and Junior Johnson
Junior Johnson
Robert Glenn Johnson, Jr. , better known as Junior Johnson, is a retired moonshiner in the rural South who became one of the early superstars of NASCAR in the 1950s and 1960s. He won 50 NASCAR races in his career before retiring in 1966...
.
The track was renamed Orange Speedway in 1954.
William France Sr.
William Henry Getty France Sr. , also known by Bill France Sr. or Big Bill, was an American race car driver. He is best known for co-founding and managing NASCAR, a sanctioning body of United States-based stock car racing.-Early life:France was born in Washington, D. C...
finally gave up on the Occoneechee Speedway. On September 15, 1968 France shut down the operation after Richard Petty
Richard Petty
Richard Lee Petty is a former NASCAR driver who raced in the Strictly Stock/Grand National Era and the NASCAR Winston Cup Series...
's win. He moved to Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, where he had bought an 1800 acres (7 km²) site forty miles east of Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
. There he built the biggest and fastest NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
track of them all: the famous Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama, United States. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base just outside the small city of Lincoln. It was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family, in...
.
The Occoneechee Speedway site is now heavily forested with pines and sycamores. The grandstands are still visible, as is much of the mile–long oval track. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
and now comprises 44 acres (178,061.8 m²) with over 3 miles (4.8 km) of trails. A walking trail was built in 2003 that crisscrosses the clay track.
Winners
| Race | Date | Cars | Winner | Make / Model | Length | Miles | Purse | Pole | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949-03 | 08/07/49 | 28 | Bob Flock | '48 Oldsmobile | 1.000 | 200 | $5,000 | 76.800 | |
| 1950-10 | 08/13/50 | 27 | Fireball Roberts | '49 Oldsmobile | 1.000 | 100 | $3,975 | ||
| 1950-19 | 10/29/50 | 29 | Lee Petty | '49 Plymouth | 1.000 | 175 | $4,675 | 85.898 | |
| 1951-05 | 04/15/51 | 33 | Fonty Flock | '50 Oldsmobile | 1.000 | 95 | $4,665 | 88.287 | 80.889 |
| 1951-31 | 10/07/51 | 24 | Herb Thomas | '51 Hudson | 1.000 | 150 | $3,550 | 79.628 | 72.454 |
| 1952-15 | 06/08/52 | 19 | Tim Flock | '51 Hudson | 1.000 | 100 | $3,425 | 91.977 | 81.008 |
| 1952-30 | 10/12/52 | 29 | Fonty Flock | '52 Oldsmobile | 1.000 | 150 | $5,045 | 75.901 | 73.489 |
| 1953-26 | 08/09/53 | 19 | Curtis Turner | '53 Oldsmobile | 1.000 | 100 | $3,425 | 89.078 | 75.125 |
| 1954-08 | 04/18/54 | 28 | Herb Thomas | '54 Hudson | 1.000 | 100 | $3,825 | 86.767 | 77.386 |
| 1955-07 | 03/27/55 | 21 | Jim Paschal | '55 Oldsmobile | 1.000 | 100 | $3,800 | 91.896 | 82.304 |
| 1955-45 | 10/30/55 | 25 | Tim Flock | '55 Chrysler | 1.000 | 100 | $4,285 | 81.673 | 70.465 |
| 1956-17 | 05/13/56 | 31 | Buck Baker | '56 Chrysler | .900 | 90 | $4,285 | 89.305 | 83.720 |
| 1956-50 | 09/30/56 | 23 | Fireball Roberts | '56 Ford | .900 | 99 | $4,560 | 88.067 | 72.734 |
| 1957-07 | 03/24/57 | 19 | Buck Baker | '57 Chevrolet | .900 | 99 | $3,835 | 87.828 | 82.233 |
| 1958-06 | 03/23/58 | 18 | Buck Baker | '57 Chevrolet | .900 | 99 | $3,585 | 83.076 | 78.502 |
| 1958-47 | 09/28/58 | 33 | Joe Eubanks | '57 Pontiac | .900 | 99 | $3,885 | 87.308 | 72.439 |
| 1959-04 | 03/01/59 | 22 | Curtis Turner | '59 T-Bird | .900 | 99 | $3,785 | 87.544 | 81.612 |
| 1959-40 | 09/20/59 | 22 | Lee Petty | '59 Plymouth | .900 | 99 | $3,945 | 85.533 | 77.868 |
| 1960-18 | 05/29/60 | 23 | Lee Petty | '60 Plymouth | .900 | 99 | $3,985 | 88.190 | 83.583 |
| 1960-39 | 09/18/60 | 18 | Richard Petty | '60 Plymouth | .900 | 99 | $3,785 | 85.285 | 80.161 |
| 1961-11 | 04/02/61 | 20 | Cotton Owens | '60 Pontiac | .900 | 99 | $3,895 | 91.836 | 84.695 |
| 1961-52 | 10/29/61 | 20 | Joe Weatherly | '61 Pontiac | .900 | 149 | $5,625 | 95.154 | 85.249 |
| 1962-09 | 03/18/62 | 21 | Rex White | '61 Chevrolet | .900 | 99 | $4,575 | 96.285 | 86.948 |
| 1963-10 | 03/10/63 | 23 | Junior Johnson | '63 Chevrolet | .900 | 149 | $6,900 | 95.716 | 83.129 |
| 1963-54 | 10/27/63 | 24 | Joe Weatherly | '63 Pontiac | .900 | 150 | $6,650 | 93.156 | 85.559 |
| 1964-15 | 04/12/64 | 27 | David Pearson | '64 Dodge | .900 | 150 | $6,800 | 99.784 | 83.319 |
| 1964-55 | 09/20/64 | 28 | Ned Jarrett | '64 Ford | .900 | 150 | $7,000 | 89.280 | 86.725 |
| 1965-08 | 03/14/65 | 23 | Ned Jarrett | '65 Ford | .900 | 150 | $6,600 | 98.570 | 90.663 |
| 1965-53 | 10/24/65 | 20 | Dick Hutcherson | '65 Ford | .900 | 101 | $4,540 | 98.810 | 87.462 |
| 1966-45 | 09/18/66 | 23 | Dick Hutcherson | '66 Ford | .900 | 150 | $6,600 | 95.716 | 90.603 |
| 1967-44 | 09/17/67 | 28 | Richard Petty | '67 Plymouth | .900 | 150 | $6,850 | 94.159 | 81.574 |
| 1968-43 | 09/15/68 | 24 | Richard Petty | '68 Plymouth | .900 | 150 | $6,900 | 93.245 | 87.681 |
External links
- The Historic Speedway Group
- Occoneechee Speedway Trail
- Historic Occoneechee Speedway Trail
- Racing vs. Religion: A Brief History of Occoneechee Speedway
- Kickin' Up Dust At The Orange Speedway
- Occoneechee Speedway: from Eno River website
- NASCAR track history at racing-reference.info
Occoneechee-Orange Speedway - Magazine (Speedway Spotlite Publications) by Ed Sanseverino (1994)