West Virginia Tracks

[Kyle]

Seems to be a lot of interest on tracks of the past in West Virginia. I will post what Allan Brown has and then add some info that I have found out (I will put my info in red). I know there will be errors on years ran and what not so maybe we can figure some things out and even learn of new tracks. Here we go.

Beckley - 1/4 mile dirt (7/05/1948) / not Beckley Motor Speedway

Bluefield -1/2 mile dirt (c.1924-1932)

Buckhannon - dirt oval (c.1953) Tennerton?

Camden Park - Huntington - 1/5 mile dirt (1951) / at amusement park

Carmichael Arena - Clarksburg - indoor oval (c.1953)

Charleston Fairgrounds - Dunbar (ak Dunbar Speedway)
1/2 mile dirt (1924)(5/30/1932)(6/23/1935)(6/11/1939-1941)(1946-1955)
at the Kanawha County Fairgrounds
1/4 mile dirt (c.10/23/1949-c.1955) / located on SR 64 / now a golf course

Charleston Speedway - Malden / may have been paved at one time
1/3 mile dirt (1946-1973)(8/06/1983-1985)
1/5 mile dirt (1953) / (ak West Virginia Auto Speedway) - still visible

Clarksburg Fairgrounds - Nutter Fort / at Harrison County Fairgrounds
1/2 mile dirt (c.1921-c.1937)(August 1939)(c.9/30/1951-c.1953)
(ak Clarksburg Speedway, Central West Virginia Fairgrounds, Norwood Park)
site is now Frank Loria Field in the Clarksburg City Park - 2 spectators killed there

Danville Motor Speedway - Danville - 1/4 mile dirt (1980) became a hill climb

Draughny Mountain - Whitesville - dirt oval years unknown / Could this be Drawdy Speedway (Peytona)

Eldora Raceway - Fairmont - dirt oval (c.7/02/1950-c.1953) later became the site of Fairmont Dragway

Elkins Fairgrounds - Elkins - at the Randolph County Fairgrounds
1/2 mile dirt (1920's & 1930's)

Evans Fairgrounds - Evans - at the old Jackson County Fairgrounds
1/3 mile dirt oval (c.1946-mid 1950's) / (ak Evans Speedway) still visible in 1990

Gihon Park - Parkersburg - 1/2 mile dirt (1948) / south side of town, site became Big Bear Store - not visible

Gilbert Speedway - Gilbert - 1/3 mile dirt (c.9/07/1953-1954) not visible

Grafton Fairgrounds - Grafton - at the Taylor County Fairgrounds
1/2 mile dirt (1920's)

Green Valley Springs Speedway - Romney - 1/2 mile dirt (1967)

Hatfield-McCoy Speedway - Hanover - located at old strip mine
4/10 mile dirt (July 1997-200?)

Holloway Memorial Ballpark - Wheeling
1/4 mile dirt (5/14/1940-5/21/1940)

Hookstown Grange - Hookstown - dirt oval (1950's) ran motorcycles

Huntington Fairgrounds - Huntington - at the old Cabell County Fairgrounds
1/2 mile dirt (c.7/0401923) / (ak Tri-State Fairgrounds)

Huntington Memorial Field House - Huntington - located at 26th and 5th St
1/12th mile concrete indoor (3/17/1951-11/08/1953)

Huntington Motor Speedway - Huntington - 1/3 mile dirt (c.1952-c.1961)
not visible

Hurricane Raceway - Hurricane - 1/5 mile dirt oval (c.1975)
still visible, didn't Bills have something to do with the track

Interstate 79 Speedway - Bridgeport
3/8 mile dirt (c.1949-c.1958)(c.1965-1975)(1980-200?)
(ak Thomas Speedway, I-79 Speedway, Brennan's Speedway, Interstate Raceway, Sirk's Super Speedway - grandstands came from Morgantown Speedway

Lewisburg Fairgrounds - Lewisburg - 1/2 mile dirt (years unknown)
at the new West Virginia State Fairgrounds

Littlesburg Speedway - Bluefield - 1/2 mile dirt oval (C.1958-c.1961)
(ak Mercer Speedway, Mountaineer Speedway) not visible

Lost Creek Speedway - Lost Creek - 3/8 mile dirt (6/29/1980-7/26/1980)
track was ruined by flood - (ak Mountaineer Speedway)
I-79 between Bridgeport and Weston on right side of 4 lane

Lumberport - dirt oval (1940's or early 1950's) 5 mile west on US 19 or SR 26
did run in 1958 and is still visible

Marlinton Fairgrounds - Marlinton / at the Pocahontas County Fairgrounds
1/2 mile dirt (c.8/16/1952-c.1953)


Morgantown Speedway - Cheat - 1/4 mile dirt (c.1953-9/24/1978)
(ak Great Lakes Speedway, Cheat Lake Speedway) visible

Moundsville Fairgrounds - Moundsville - at the Marshall County Fairgrounds
1/2 mile dirt (6/08/1952-c.1955) ran motorcycle race in 1915
1/4 mile dirt (1952-c.1955) maybe ran autos in 1910's or 1920's
still visible

Mountaineer Raceway - Martinsburg - 1/4 mile paved (6/03/2000-2001)

Mountaineer Speedway - Parkersburg - 1/4 mile dirt oval (possibly 1971)
arena that held rock concerts / paved road course (possibly ran SCCA in early 1970's) / located 4 miles south of town / had a USAC race scheduled on proposed 1.5 mile paved oval for 08/08/1971 / track was never built
(ak West Virginia International Raceway)
no events were ever held

Ona Speedway - Ona - 7/16 mile paved (8/18/1963-1963)
Fred Lorenzon won first race, it was a NASCAR GN race and pavement broke up / held 4 NASCAR GN races and only WV track to do so
3/8 mile paved (1964-1973)(1975)(1995-1999)(2001-2002)
(ak Huntington International Speedway, Dick Clark's International Raceway Park, West Virginia International Speedway) once owned by Dick Clark
grandstands sold to Langley VA in 1975

Parkers Grove - location unknown - 1/2 mile dirt (early 1940's)

Parkersburg - dirt oval (9/06/1909) / possibly Shattuck Park

Pennsboro Speedway - Pennsboro / at the Ritchie County Fairgrounds
1/2 mile dirt (c.1929-c.1930)(c.1949-early1050's)(c.1964-1987)(1989-1997)(2000-2002)
covered grandstands built in 1891, burned in 1981
(ak Ritchie County Racing at Pennsboro, Ritchie County Speedway, Ritchie Speedway)

Peytona - dirt oval (1950's) not visible, Drawdy Speedway

Potomac Valley Speedway - Fort Ashby - 1/3 mile dirt (1955-c.1964) located on the north side of town on SR 28

Princeton - dirt oval (1950's)

Pyramid Valley - location unknown - dirt oval (5/12/1985-1985)
track also ran karts in 1982 / Mt. Clare WV?

Rice's Speedway - Shinnston - 4/10 mile dirt (c.1953-1957)
built by George Rice, west of US 19 on Clarksburg Rd on south side of town
Also outdoor theatre, behind Lincoln High School, Mason St

Romney - dirt oval (c.1941)

Rupert - dirt oval (1962)

Saint Albans - dirt oval (1950's) / maybe at the Charleston Fairgrounds
St. Albans Valley Raceway (c.1947)

Sandyville - 1/5 mile dirt (late 1940's-early 1950's) in a corn field
visible, Sandy Valley

Sott Field - South Parkersburg - 1/5 mile cinder oval (late 1930's)(c.1947-c.1954)
was located at the Wood County Soccer League fields at 5th and East St.
not visible

Shattuck Park - Parkersburg - at the old West Virginia State Fairgrounds
1/2 mile dirt (7/04/1922)(8/16/1925) located at Calvin and Broadway
ran motorcycle races in 1912 and 1915 - now housing (ak Wood County Fairgrounds)

Short Creek Speedway - Short Creek - dirt oval (1957)

Skyline Speedway - Charleston - 1/4 mile paved (1954)
1/4 mile dirt May 1955-c.1961) located off of US 60 on Snow Hill Dr, not visible

Spencer Fairgrounds - Spencer - at Roane County Fairgrounds
dirt oval (c.1939-c.1940)

Tygart Valley Speedway - Morgantown - 1/4 mile dirt (9/10/1988)
probably near Morgantown as there is a Tygart Lake in that area ?????

Upper Valley - Mill Creek - 3/16 mile dirt (1987)

Vienna - Dirt Oval (1954)

West Virginia Motor Speedway - Mineral Wells - located south near I-77
5/8 mile dirt (1985-1989)(1991-2007)

Weston Raceway - Weston - 1/4 mile dirt (1968)
1/3 mile dirt (1968-c.1970)

Wheeling Creek Speedway - Wheeling - 3/8 mile dirt (late 1970's)
(ak Big Wheeling Creek Speedway)
8 miles from Wheeling Downs, visible

Wheeling Downs - Wheeling - 1/2 mile dirt oval (8/07/1938-c.1940)

Wheeling Fairgrounds - Wheeling - 1/2 mile dirt oval (1911-7/31/1912)(1915-1920's)(1938-1941)
now a horse track

Reedsville - Close to Kingwood (1950's)
Now a cornfield across highway from Reedsville Auction House - 206 Morgantown St, Kingwood - not visible

Bluestone Speedway - on Rt 20

Raleigh County Raceway - Beckley - located at the end of the Grandview Dragway on the left side

Here's an interesting web site for old track lovers.

http://www.motorsportmemorial.org/qu...b=ct&q=circuit

And according to it there were actually 3 deaths at the old Norwood track at Clarksburg.

Also at Rice's Speedway at Clarksburg there was a young boy killed in an accident there and that's why the track closed down.

And, check out the Kanawha Valley Dragstrip record....WOW!

[klunky]

Eldora certainly has had their share of fatalities well.

[johnsonracing]

what about ripley wva there was a track there

[Kyle]

Do you mean I-77? If so, I only posted tracks that are no longer in operation.

[klunky]

I'm not sure if that was the track's name or not, but I did read somewhere that Keith mentioned that it was the track his Dad, Eslie aka the Hulk, built.
I know it didn't last long, but didn't know it was only a year.

I've always found it interesting that the cause of closing of Mountaineer Speedway @ Lost Creek is listed as a flood. The track sat on a high point, as you can see from any of the few old pics that Jim Newkirk took during it's short history. I've heard some crazy stories about other reasons that I've long since forgotten.

[johnsonracing]

YES KYLE THAT WAS THE TRACK,MY DAD SAID IT WAS CALLED JACKSON COUNTY SPEEDWAY,WITCH IS I-77,I WAS YOUNG I THOUGHT IT WAS CALLED RIPLY

Originally Posted by johnsonracing

YES KYLE THAT WAS THE TRACK,MY DAD SAID IT WAS CALLED JACKSON COUNTY SPEEDWAY,WITCH IS I-77,I WAS YOUNG I THOUGHT IT WAS CALLED RIPLY

The old Jackson Co. Fairground track at Evans was sometimes called Ripley as well back in the 40/50's. Evans is just a few miles west of Ripley.

[Racemom]

I remember going to Ona & Richard Petty winning, after winning he had a headache-so he wasn't available after the race.

I also remember going to Ona & we got there & the race was cancelled (not sure if it was a nascar or arca race). Driving back we came up the Ohio side of the river & there was a drag race, so we stopped & there was this cool dragster & my Dad told me to remember the guys name, he was going to be famous some day --it was Don Garlits.

[waygone]

Originally Posted by Racemom

I remember going to Ona & Richard Petty winning, after winning he had a headache-so he wasn't available after the race.

I also remember going to Ona & we got there & the race was cancelled (not sure if it was a nascar or arca race). Driving back we came up the Ohio side of the river & there was a drag race, so we stopped & there was this cool dragster & my Dad told me to remember the guys name, he was going to be famous some day --it was Don Garlits.

King Richard should have took some Goodys Headache powder!
Your Dad was smart man. You can't get more famous in drag racing than Big Daddy!