Flemington Speedway was a

motor racing Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of tw ...

circuit in Flemington,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

which operated from 1915 to 2002. The track was once known for being the fastest 5/8 dirt track in the United States.

Early history

Flemington Speedway was created as a mid-nineteenth century fairgrounds horse track hosting horse racing events during the Hunterdon County 4-H Agricultural Fair starting in 1848. It was a half mile, four-cornered dirt oval. Motorcycles first raced on this horse track in 1911, and the "Speedway" hosted its first automobile race in 1915 as a half mile

dirt Dirt is an unclean matter, especially when in contact with a person's clothes, skin, or possessions. In such cases, they are said to become dirty. Common types of dirt include: * Debris: scattered pieces of waste or remains * Dust: a gener ...

oval. The first race was promoted and won by Ira Vail. The track's grandstand opened in 1917 and remained standing until the track was demolished in January 2005. Auto races were a nearly annual event at Flemington Fair. Stock Car Races became the weekly Saturday night featured attraction when lights were added in 1955. The track was reconfigured over the 1966-1967 off-season into a (nearly) 5/8 mile, semi-banked rounded rectangle, nicknamed "The Square." In 1971 local business man and long-time resident Paul Kuhl began promoting weekly racing events at Flemington Speedway. Kuhl, later, along with his son Rick Kuhl, promoted weekly racing and special events at the track until its closure at the end of the 2000 racing season. Until the end of the 2000 racing season, Flemington Fairgrounds Speedway stood as the oldest operating race track to hold weekly racing events (title now held by the Orange County Fair Speedway). The track remained dirt until the end of the 1990 season when the decision was made to pave the track due to local resident / business complaints and EPA standards.

Life as a paved track

After being paved, speeds at the track dramatically increased. The higher speeds led to "a series of horrible crashes," leaving drivers, such as future

NASCAR Sprint Cup The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. In 1971, ...

team owner Ray Evernham, severely injured. After talking to crew chiefs and drivers, track officials decided to add foam blocks to lessen the impact of crashes. The foam bricks allowed crashes at up to leaving no serious injuries. The track hosted the modified

Race of Champions The Race of Champions (ROC) is an international motorsport event held at the end/start of each year, featuring some of the world's best racing and rally drivers. It is the only competition in the world where stars from Formula One, World Ral ...

from 1992 to 1995, taking over from Pocono Raceway. The race moved to

Oswego Speedway The Oswego Speedway is a 5/8 mile race track in Oswego, New York. It was built in 1951 and was paved with asphalt since the 1952. The track has held dates on several national tours - the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, ASA National Tour, and USAC ...

in Oswego, New York from 1996-2014, 2016. In 2015 at

Chemung Speedrome The Chemung Speedrome is a 3/8 mile asphalt race track in Chemung, New York, USA. Built in 1951 by the Bodine family (becoming the home track of Geoff Bodine, Brett Bodine and Todd Bodine), the track was first dirt-surfaced, then paved. It was ...

. The track also hosted the

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, and is the only series in NASCAR to race production pickup truck based stock cars. The series is one of thr ...

for four races, from 1995 to 1998. All four races were won by Chevrolet, with

Ron Hornaday Jr. Ronald Lee Hornaday Jr. (born June 20, 1958) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He is the father of former NASCAR driver Ronnie Hornaday and son of the late Ron Hornaday Sr., a two-time Winston West Champion. Hornaday is ...

winning two. The last Pro-Touring series to race at the speedway was the then ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Series (now ARCA Menards Series) "Flemington ARCA 150". The winner was Frank Kimmel, who would go on to win his first series title that season. The race was to be run on August 14, 1999, but due to a severe thunderstorm that hit the track after qualifying, the race was run the next day before a nearly empty house. It was the only ARCA race at the Speedway. Flemington Speedway hosted one

NASCAR Busch North Series The ARCA Menards Series East (formerly Busch East Series, Busch North Series, Camping World East Series, and NASCAR K&N Pro Series East) is a regional stock car racing series owned and operated by the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) an ...

race in 1991 which was won by Ricky Craven. The facility also hosted six NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races between 1991 and 1998. The track continuously lost money after being paved, and closed on November 8, 2002. The track was sold off to developers and demolished in early January 2005.Flemington speedway history
/ref> A multi-use development called Raritan Town Center now occupies the surrounding area, and a Lowe's store sits on the defunct speedway property.Courier News Online - Shopping: DOWNTOWNS, MALLS, OUTLETS AND MORE
/ref>

Special Events

The speedway hosted one of a handful of public appearances by 1992 Presidential candidate H. Ross Perot. More than 25,000 people attended and tied up local roads for hours.

Post-Racing Existence

In 1999, the Flemington Fair ceased its annual operation soon followed by the closing of the speedway. In 2002, teen vandals set fire to the fairgrounds office building causing damage to several structures on the property. The track was sold off to developers and demolished in early January 2005. A multi-use development called Raritan Town Center now occupies the surrounding area, and a Lowe's store sits on the defunct speedway property.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series history

Race Results at Flemington Speedway - Racing-Reference.info
/ref>

References

External links

NJ Auto Racing HistoryFlemington Speedway archive
at Racing-Reference {{coord, 40, 31, 35, N, 74, 51, 10, W, type:landmark, display=title Flemington, New Jersey NASCAR tracks ARCA Menards Series tracks Motorsport venues in New Jersey Defunct motorsport venues in the United States Buildings and structures in Hunterdon County, New Jersey