January 26, 2010
By Allen Madding
Built in 1948 near Hillsborough, North Carolina, Occoneechee-Orange Speedway was a one-mile dirt track, the third dirt track built for NASCAR and is only one of three auto race tracks listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The other two race tracks listed are the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Bonneville Salt Flats. The track was a joint business effort by W. H. G. "Bill" France, Ben R. Lowe, M. J. Dawson, C. F. Powell and Enoch H. Staley
Sitting on 350 acres of land, the track was originally named the Occoneechee Speedway named for Occoneechee Indian tribe that occupied the North Carolina Piedmont region until the 17th century. When constructed, the speedway borrowed a straightaway from an old half-mile horse track.
NASCAR’s Grand National Division held its first event at the Occoneechee Speedway on August 7, 1949. The 200-lap event was won by Bob Flock in front of a reported crowd of 17,500 and was awarded a prize of $2,000.
Glenn “Fireball” Roberts won his first NASCAR Grand National career win at Occoneechee Speedway on August 13, 1950. The final event on the 1950 NASCAR Grand National schedule was held at Occoneechee on October 29, 1950 and was won by Lee Petty.
NASCAR returned to Occoneechee in 1951. On April 15th, Fonty Flock won the pole and won the rain shortened event. The series returned on October 7th. Fonty Flock led 85 laps before losing an engine. Leonard Tippett won the event driving a Hudson Hornet.
In 1952, the NASCAR Grand National Division competed at Occoneechee on June 8th. Tim and Fonty Flock swapped the lead for the majority of the event with Tim Flock scoring the win. The series returned to Occoneechee on October 12, 1952, Fonty Flock won the 150-mile event.
The NASCAR Grand National Division only paid one visit to Occoneechee in 1953. On August 9th, Curtis Turner sat on the pole and won the 100-lap event in dominating fashion.
In 1954, NASCAR found Bill France, Sr. renamed the track Orange Speedway because the press could not spell Occoneechee. On April 18, 1954, the NASCAR Grand National Division competed on the newly renamed Orange Speedway. Herb Thomas won the 100-lap event.
Jim Paschall took the victory at Orange Speedway on March 27, 1955. The NASCAR Grand National Division returned for the final event of the season on October 30th. Tim Flock sat on the pole, won the event and claimed the NASCAR Grand National Championship.
In 1956, the Orange Speedway was re-measured and declared to be a 9/10th-mile D-shaped speedway. On May 13, 1956, the NASCAR Grand National Division competed at Orange Speedway for Mother’s Day. Buck Baker qualified on the pole and won the event by a mere two feet over Speedy Thompson.
The series returned on September 30th. Speedy Thompson set on the pole. After several dramatic crashes, a car fire and Brownie King flipping three times, Fireball Roberts took the lead with 25 laps to go and scored the win.
On March 24, 1957, the Grand National Division returned to Orange Speedway. Fireball Roberts grabbed the pole for the event in his No. 22 DePaolo Engineering Ford, but Buck Baker won the event driving Hugh Babb’s No. 87 Chevrolet.
The NASCAR Grand National Division competed at Orange Speedway on March 23, 1958. Buck Baker qualified on the pole and won the 110-lap event. The series returned on September 28, 1958. Tiny Lund qualified on the pole in his No. 86 Buck Baker owned Chevrolet but an a-frame broke on lap 46 eliminating him from the event. Joe Eubanks would win the event in his No. 6 Jim Stephen’s Pontiac.
On March 1, 1959, NASCAR Grand National cars were circling Orange Speedway. Curtis Turner, Bob Welborn, and Tom Pistone swapped the lead and swapped paint for 100-laps before Turner took the checkered flag in his No. 41 Delta Auto Sales Ford owned by Doc White.
The Grand National cars returned to Orange Speedway September 20, 1959. Jack Smith grabbed the pole driving his No. 47 Chevrolet, but Lee Petty scored the win in his No. 42 Plymouth.
Lee Petty won again when the NASCAR Grand National Division returned to Orange on May 29, 1960. Lee’s son Richard would return to Orange for the win on September 18 to pocket $800.
NASCAR’s Grand National Division returned to Orange Speedway on a cold April 2, 1961. Ned Jarrett sat on the pole but was eliminated from the event when a rear hub broke. Cotton Owens and Junior Johnson would set the pace of the event for the day. When Johnson suffered and ignition failure with seven laps left in the event, the race lead was handed over to Cotton Owens who would grab the checkered flag.
The NASCAR Grand National division held its final race of the year at Orange Speedway on October 29th. Joe Weatherly qualified on the pole and dominated the event diving Bud Moore’s No. 8 Pontiac leading 164 laps of the 165 lap event.
The NASCAR Grand National cars would only visit Orange Speedway once in 1962. On March 18th, George Green qualified on the pole. A huge crash on the first lap brought out the red flag for an hour while the track was cleaned up and then watered to try and control the dust. Joe Weatherly led for 79 laps until a transmission failure put him on the sidelines. Richard Petty assumed the lead before being passed by Rex White with five laps remaining. White won the event driving his No. 4 Chevrolet.
On March 10, 1963, the NASCAR Grand National Division competed at Orange Speedway. Joe Weatherly qualified on the pole, but Junior Johnson would win the event driving the Ray Fox owned No. 3 Holly Farms Chevrolet after leading 148 of the 165 laps.
NASCAR’s top series returned to Orange Speedway on October 27, 1963. Joe Weatherly qualified on the pole again and won the event driving Moore’s No. 8 Pontiac leading 127 of the race’s 167 laps.
Joe Weatherly was killed while competing in the Motor Trend 500 at Riverside, California January 19, 1964. Orange Speedway elected to name its April 12th event in his honor. David Pearson qualified on the pole for the Joe Weatherly Memorial 150 and led 116 laps to win the event in Cotton Owen’s No. 6 Dodge.
When the NASCAR Grand National Division returned to Orange Speedway on September 20, 1964, David Pearson qualified on the pole again. But Ned Jarrett scored the win driving the Bondy Long No. 11 Ford.
Junior Johnson at on the pole for the March 14, 1965 NASCAR Grand National event at Orange Speedway and led 137 laps, but a flat tire would hand the lead over to Ned Jarrett who would lead the final 29 laps and score the win.
The Grand National cars returned to Orange on October 24, 1965. Dick Hutcherson qualified on the pole in the No. 47 Holman-Moody Ford and won the event after leading 53 laps.
The NASCAR Grand National Division only visited Orange Speedway once in 1966 for the Joe Weatherly Memorial 150 on September 18th. Dick Hutcherson would again win the event and took home $1,400.
The Hillsboro 150 at Orange Speedway was held September 17, 1967. Richard Petty qualified on the pole and won the event in his No. 43 Plymouth after leading 88 laps.
On September 15, 1968, Richard Petty won the final NASCAR event held at the Orange Speedway. Petty qualified on the pole and led 155 of the 167 lap Hillsboro 150.
After wrangling with a local minister’s group that wanted to outlaw stock car racing on Sunday’s in Orange County for several years, Bill France, Sr. closed the track in 1968.
As of late, the North Carolina Department of Transportation has proposed routing a new interstate through the middle of the middle of the historic speedway - a move that has met significant opposition.
The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.
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