Fading Thunder...Abandoned Racetracks in Virginia and the Carolinas

Wow this amazing. I am to young to add much here but this is awesome. Is there anymore abandon track in the upstate of south Carolina?

 

A guy I work with just told me about this one in woodruff South Carolina call confederate speedway!! Closed some time in the late 80's from what he can recall. The link has pics.


http://www.dirtfans.com/ConfederateMotorSpeedway.html

 

does anybody have any info or pics from the old drag strip in kingsport tn called tennessee valley ? the only thing ive seen is what the first funny car champ shirl greer had on 8mm

 

No thread about lost racing sites in Va. would be complete without a mention of Mason's Speed Shop. I have a pic somewhere of the old weathered sign taken several years back, think it was on one of LaSheef's Mod pages, maybe the Perk Brown page. A dear friend that passed a few years back (Miles Nelson) who used to run around with Ed Flemke "back in the day" always loved to tell about how well the Yankees were treated when they came to Martinsville and especially passing around a jar of the clear stuff at Mason's garage.
I grew up going to Southside, Langley (both still dirt at the time), and South Boston as well as Martinsville, the old fairgrounds at Richmond, Old Dominion, Beltsville, Metrolina and more than a few others that are gone now. Started out watching Mods, then LMS when fenders took over down South. Best short track driver I ever saw in a stock car (of any kind) was Ray Hendrick. When he drove the Flying 11 for Tant/Mitchell he was about unbeatable and as good as any of the Yanks (and yes, I know it's blasphemy to many but I'm including Richie Evans, Ray was that good).
Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread, keep 'em coming!

 

The recent post made me also think of Fredericksburg, Va. The stadium had some races that there were real battles of the North & South. An extra distance event on Oct. 1, 1961 drew the Eastern Bandits of Ed Flemke and Denny Zimmerman and a few New York drivers. Maryland sent the reigning champ, Johnny Roberts and Jimmy Mairs and Virginia had Ted Hairfield, Wendell Scott, Bubba Tatum, Al Grinnan, Clay Eastridge, Sam Bandy, Mel Bradley and more.

At the end the coupe of Ed Flemke took home the win. Its number was $.

 

Author Perry Allen Wood was at the November 5th Occoneechee Orange Speedway Reunion selling the book accompanied by car owner Bud Moore's son, Greg. In fact Greg called Bud in Spartanburg and put him on the cell phone with me.

 

Author Wood has a new book out titled Declarations of Stock Car Independents. Here is a link to an April interview done by Greg Moore.
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/14394575

 

IIRC, Ted Hairfield's shop was right outside of Hopewell, Va. He was a great racer and his son, who he nicknamed "Bugs" after his good friend Bugsy Stevens was a top Late Model driver in the area.

 

While not really in N.C., the defunct Tennessee-Carolina Speedway was located at the fairgrounds in Newport, Tennessee and was the home track to future 2 time Late-Model Sportsman champ, L.D. Ottinger. Anyone have any pics from there?...Don.

 

I sent you a PM On here Phartman. Did you get it?

 

A little more history on Log Cabin/Oak Level. They are two different tracks. Log Cabin sits in Franklin County and has been closed your at least 20 years. Oak Level sits in Henry County and French Grimes has one race a year there. The Log Cabin property is for sale for $750,000 the last I heard. That is 128 acres. We visited the track last summer and you could probably get half your money back on timber if you bought it. The grandstands and retaining walls are in pretty good shape, but it would take a ton of work and capital to get it going.

 

KE, yes, I did get your PM. I'm not on Facebook, so we'll need to communicate here. I can forward to you and you can post on Facebook if you'd like.

Now I'm really confused. Where exactly is Log Cabin??? I lived in Franklin County (Ferrum) and didn't know there was any track there other than Calloway. Is the track on the Henry Road??? Need your help, fellas.

And how about Fairy Stone??? Where is that??? Around Philpott Lake? Wasn't the sign for it right off Route 57 before you get to where Blondie Pilson had his junkyard???

I know where Oak Level is, but I'm turned around on the others. If you Roanoke/Franklin Co./Henry County guys can straighten me out, it would be much appreciated.

And while you are at it, how about the same for directions to the old dragstrip near Fieldale. I understand it's close to the golf course??? Correct?

 

Those pics are fantastic. Thanks for posting. I'll need to stop by on my next trip to SC.

 

Don, here you go....

http://www.localracechat.com/forums/showthread.php?51748-Tennessee-Carolina-Raceway

 

Many thanks, Phartman........Don.

 

Images and super 8 movie from Golden Strip Speedway, Fountain Inn, SC. RIP.







The Youtube clip is complete with commentary. Priceless. You gotta listen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGY0tQCPrzw&feature=related

 

Princess Anne Speedway, Norfolk, VA. RIP.

 

Dog Track Speedway, Moyock, NC. RIP.

 

Wilson County Speedway, Wilson, NC. Palmgren Brothers, circa 1973. RIP.

 

Motorcycles at the old Darlington, 1950.

 

I can help with Log Cabin. It is on Providence Church Rd. It is the Philpott Lake exit off of 220 south between Sydnorsville and Collinsville. It is about 2 miles off of 220.

...and those pics of Franklin County, I would love to post them to that facebook page and give you full credit. You should really get you a facebook account and check out the page. There are close to 2,500 pictures on there from LMS, Modified and other cars on Southern tracks.

 

You gotta love that line from the 1953 Princess Anne program...."Home of the Feud Races"

 

KELang, so the old Log Cabin sounds like where the track was that we called "Oak Level." Still don't know where the old Fairy Stone used to be.

And how about the drag strip at Fieldale? Where is that located?

 

NHRA has done the same thing in Drag Racing, the stands have way too many empty seats these days.
Just like NASCAR, NHRA got rid of the racers that were running the business and hired young people that that have business knowlege but know nothing about racing and they made a game out of the sport.

 

Pete ,you have really brought out the the past in this thread....Good Job...

 

Thanks, Jack. It means a lot. A labor of love. Had a long talk this morning with Roddy Moore about what we haven't even gotten to: roadster racing, hill climbs, sprint cars.... Stay tuned. We're just now getting to the good stuff!

 

Just discovered another excellent book about the early days of racing in Virginia. Full of more ghost tracks, closed down long ago. Posters, photos and great stories.



Available through Amazon. Here is the link:

http://www.amazon.com/Tales-Track-S...=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324220224&sr=1-1

 

More Wendell Scott photos. He drove #11:



From the early days immediately after Martinsville was paved:

 

On the "Endangered Racetrack" list, maybe at the top. Richmond's Southside Speedway. Nice article here from Style Weekly:

http://www.styleweekly.com/richmond/southside-rises/Content?oid=1605697

Richmond's first race track opened in 1907, part of the state fairgrounds at North Boulevard and Hermitage Road, but racing didn't really take off until later. In 1946 the emergence of midget cars, with open wheels and open cockpits, drew 16,000 people to City Stadium to see the tiny cars bolt around a quarter-mile, oval track. After nearby residents complained about the crowds and noise, a judge shut down the weekly races. The promoters, Sherman Crise and Robert Streeter, were allowed to finish the 1947 season, but by the next year they were in search of a new home.

They found it in Chesterfield, off Genito Road, and worked with Royall. The first midget car races were held in the county on July 21, 1948.

But the matchbox racers quickly gave way to the bigger stock cars, which exploded in popularity with the rise of NASCAR in the early 1950s. France's NASCAR started a nationwide racing circuit, coming through Richmond twice a year by 1955, racing on a mile-long track at the fairgrounds.

It wasn't enough to satiate the local appetite for racing, however. When Wilkinson reopened Southside Speedway as a NASCAR track, the races ran weekly, every Friday night.