This is the online historical record for The Time Travelers, a history club for middle and high school students. As a group chartered by the North Carolina Museum of History, we strive to learn, preserve, and share the state's rich history.
Exploring the Occoneechee Speedway
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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. Manyfamous 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 producers of the cartoon movie Cars 3 visited to research dirt tracks. Junior Johnson told them in an interview about going into the river when he took a turn too fast.
Watch this video to learn more about the history of the Occoneechee Speedway.
Footage of actual racing
Aerial view of Occoneechee Speedway in 1955...
Walking track map. Photo credit AB
Today, you can walk the track and imagine how it once looked. With the grandstands in place, the flag tower rebuilt, and natural beauty everywhere, it's a great place to visit.
Have you visited the Occoneechee Speedway? Share your thoughts and memories in the comments below!
Cruze, Sidney. “Kickin' Up Dust Again at the Orange Speedway.” Carolina Country, 4 June 2008, www.carolinacountry.com/carolina-stories/kickin-up-dust-again-at-the-orange-speedway.
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