Exploring the Occoneechee Speedway
Recently, we decided to explore an outdoor location that racing enthusiasts love: historic Occoneechee Speedway in Hillsborough, North Carolina. The location was originally a quarter-mile horse track on a plantation. This one-mile race track was built in 1947 and the track was one of Nascar's first dirt tracks. The first race had twenty-eight cars and was won by Bob Flock. Many famous people, like Richard Petty, his father Lee Petty, Junior Johnson, the Flock brothers, and others raced there. The last race was won by Richard Petty in 1968. Expansion plans were made but the birth of the Talladega Speedway killed the income for the track owners. The track soon became abandoned and was left to rot. Eventually Hillsborough turned the track into a walking track but kept much of the historic integrity, such as the grandstands. Photo credit AB Two of the original racecars remain on the location. This site still holds significant historic value. An example of this is when the prod