Racing History
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Racing History
Martinsville: A Cup Series Standard
Martinsville: A Cup Series Standard
Martinsville Speedway has been known for its tight corners, fast straightaways and fender-rubbing action since the track opened on Sept. 7, 1947. In its 75th season of operation, the famed Virginia track continues to be a cornerstone of the NASCAR Cup Series schedule. The .525-mile oval was the vision of H. Clay Earles, who […]Premium
Racing History
The Hurricane Hot Rods
The Hurricane Hot Rods
Squeezed between the heyday of midget auto racing and the meteoric rise of weekly short-track stock car racing was hot rod racing. Known as track roadsters in some areas, the stripped and chopped-down racing machines, mostly consisting of early day Fords with Ford or Mercury power and minimal safety equipment, seemed to popup overnight […]Premium
Racing History
Board-Track Hero Jimmy Murphy
Board-Track Hero Jimmy Murphy
Jimmy Murphy rose from the abject poverty of San Francisco’s Irish slums to stardom during the Golden Era of American auto racing — the board -track racing of the roaring 20s. On wooden bowls with banking of up to 50 degrees and turns as high six-story buildings, drivers fought for supremacy in excess of 100 […]Premium
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Pine Brook: Tiny Track, Towering Titans
Pine Brook: Tiny Track, Towering Titans
New Jersey is one of our most densely populated states. That means it’s crammed with people, cars and roads to get them places. Since the 1930s, the Garden State enthusiastically adopted traffic circles, called roundabouts in some places, as a strategy for reducing gridlock at conventional intersections. For a while, they worked, and several circles […]Premium
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Harry Gant’s Magical 1991 Run
Harry Gant’s Magical 1991 Run
When it comes to winning traditions in NASCAR, even the most hardcore fans may not know of one that took place in Taylorsville, N.C., 30 years ago. According to a Washington Post story at the time, when native racer Harry Gant won a race, someone ran a green-and-white Skoal Bandit Racing Team banner up the […]Premium
Racing History
1991: An Elite WoO Class
1991: An Elite WoO Class
To many of the fans who filled the grandstands and cheered for their racing heroes, the 1991 season was simply another year in which Steve Kinser dominated the nomadic World of Outlaws sprint car series that had been crisscrossing the nation since 1978. Under the leadership of series founder Ted Johnson, the 1991 WoO season […]Premium
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Joe Boyer’s Unlikely Indy Victory
Joe Boyer’s Unlikely Indy Victory
Joe Boyer, co-winner of the 1924 Indianapolis 500, was born into wealth. A distant relative, William Seward Burroughs, invented and manufactured the Burroughs Adding Machine. And when Boyer was born on May 30, 1890, his father was the CEO of the profitable company. Proficient in sailing and an accomplished equestrian, in 1915 he became […]Premium
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An Ode To Jack Johnson
An Ode To Jack Johnson
The recent passing of DIRT modified hero Jack Johnson was like the year’s first big snowstorm; everyone knows it’s coming but it’s still a shock. Stricken with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, Johnson was bedridden for more than seven years before his passing, effectively giving the tough-as-nails racer one last win. Known as […]
Racing History
A Look Back At The First NASCAR Cup Race At MIS
A Look Back At The First NASCAR Cup Race At MIS
Editor’s Note: The first NASCAR Cup Series race run at Michigan Int’l Speedway was the Motor State 500, which took place on June 15, 1969. Here’s the race report from the June 18, 1969 issue of National Speed Sport News. JACKSON, Mich. — Cale Yarborough survived a hair-raising crash with fellow Mercury driver Lee Roy […]Premium
Racing History