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Hagerstown Speedway

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Coordinates: 39°39′39″N 77°50′38″W / 39.6607°N 77.8440°W / 39.6607; -77.8440
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Hagerstown Speedway
The Capital of Dirt Track Racing
Outside of Hagerstown Speedway
Location15112 National Pike, Hagerstown, Maryland 21740
OwnerFrank Plessinger
Broke ground1946
OpenedAugust 1948
ArchitectStanley Schetrompf
Former namesConococheague Speedway Hagerstown Motor Speedway
Major eventsLucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
Pennsylvania Sprint Speedweek
Websitehttps://hagerstownspeedway.com
Half Mile Dirt Oval
SurfaceRed Clay
Length0.49 miles (0.8 km)
Race lap record14:945 (Mark Kinser, Mark Kinser, 1999, 410 Sprint Car)
Quarter Midget Track
Length0.070 miles

Hagerstown Speedway is a 0.5-mile-long (0.80 km) red clay oval auto-racing track, 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Hagerstown, Maryland, situated on US Route 40. It hosts weekly local racing of Late Model Sportsman, Pure Stock, and Hobby Stock divisions, and throughout the season hosts regional and national touring series such as the Lucas Oil Late Model Series, International Motor Contest Association, and FASTRAK. Along with the car-racing schedule during the year, Monster Jam has used the track for events for several decades, along with various concerts and special events. The speedway has also hosted World of Outlaws, ARCA, and NASCAR races in the past.

History

Keith Kauffman at Hagerstown in 1986

The Hagerstown Speedway was built in 1946 by Stanley Schetrompf at the former Conococheague Amusement Park between the banks of the Conococheague Creek and US Route 40[1] at a cost of $60,000 ($658,907 in 2019[2]) with the seating of 3000 people.[3] Stanley Schetrompf signed a working agreement with the owner of Williams Grove Speedway Roy Richwine.[3] It finally hosted its first event on August 29, 1948 after being postponed twice due to weather. Legendary NASCAR-driver Curtis Turner won the first feature at the track in what was a 30 lap(15 mile) stock car race with an over 8 second lead in a Ford in a 20 car field.[4] After the 1949 season they changed the name from Conococheague Speedway to its current name Hagerstown Speedway. Frank Plessinger took ownership of the track in 1981 and has since transformed it into a modern circuit.[5] Plessinger has claimed that it is the finest dirt track in the United States.[6] Throughout the years, many NASCAR drivers have raced and found dirt-racing success there, including Cale Yarborough, Ken Schrader and Jeff Gordon.[1] Schrader scored the victory in the 1990 Hagerstown ARCA 150 ARCA event at the track. In July of 2020, NASCAR and open-wheel superstar Kyle Larson dominated the annual PA Sprint Speedweek 30-lap feature at the Maryland track en-route to the prestigious Speedweek points title.

It has 20 metal grandstand sections, two of which bear the last names of the founders Schetrompf and Stouffer[citation needed]. In the 1980s, a 1/10 mile Quarter Midget track was built behind turn 2.[7]In October of 2013, track-owner Plessinger appointed his daughter Lisa Plessinger to become the promoter of the track.[8] In 2018, the Super Late Model category championship would not be handed out due to low car count; it was the first year in the track history for that to happen.[9] For the 2020 season, and for the first time ever in the track’s history, a sanctioning-body would take over sanctioning duties for the speedway, that sanctioning-body being FASTRAK, owners of the ULTIMATE Super Late Model Series.[10] However, the excitement of a new racing year would suddenly have to be put on hold as the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in March 2020 would shut the speedway down and postpone the start of the 2020 racing season to late-May due to the restrictions set in stone by the State of Maryland refusing social gatherings of more than 250 people. [11] They were able to fit a couple races but after the PA Speedweek event they had problem with fans not following protocol and attacking track officials they called off the rest of the 2020 season.[12]

The most successful driver in the history of the track as of 2020 is National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame member Gary Stuhler, who owns over 100 Super Late Model victories at the speedway.

As is the case with most auto-racing tracks, Hagerstown has had its share of driver fatalities. However, thanks to the advancements and innovations in safety-gear over the past several decades, the last reported driver-fatality as of December 2020 was in 1969, when Frank Gorinchky died after being involved in a multiple-car accident.

1996 Late Model Crash

During a 30-lap race in 1996, the Late Model racer Jack Bland crashed on the backstretch of the track. When another driver (number 81) tried to overtake after turn two, Jack attempted to block them but hit the guardrail, which broke his car apart and thrust it into the air. His car flipped and was hit by another racer (number 70) at high speed. He had to be rescued from the vehicle using the Jaws of Life but only sustained a broken leg. It has been called the worst crash in dirt Late Model history. The crash was featured on Discovery Channel show Destroyed in Seconds.[13]

Events

Current

  • Lucas Oil Late Model Series (2009-Current)
  • ULTIMATE Northeast Late Model Series
  • FASTRAK Crate Late Models
  • Mid Atlantic Modifieds
  • IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Series
  • Monster Jam
  • Pennsylvania Sprint Speedweek
  • USAC Regional and National (Midget Track)

Past

Rich Vogler's USAC Silver Crown car in 1986

Most information about races came from The Third Turn[17] and also Hagerstown Speedway schedule.[18]

Records

Half Mile Track
Class Driver Time Date
Super Late

Models

Dan Stone 17.907 6/1/13
Late Model

Sportsmen

Bruce Kane 19.285 9/17/10
Modifieds Billy Decker 19.016 6/23/05
Sprint Cars Mark Kinser 14.945 7/31/99
Midgets Drew Forono 4:07:45

(10 Laps)

3/11/75

Records from 6/1/13[19]

1/20th of a mile track[20]
Class Driver Time
Junior Honda Gavin Miller 7.491
Senior Honda Blake Davis 7.446
Heavy Honda Kane Rogers 7.779
Light 160 Tyler Henry 7.135
Heavy 160 Joey Amantea 7.080
Junior Animal Tyler Henry 7.365
Senior Animal Blake Davis 7.167
Unrestricted Animal Mackenzie Hixon 6.942
Light World Formula Brian Place 6.906
Heavy World Formula Joey Amantea 6.983

Notable Drivers

References

  1. ^ a b hager. "Hagerstown Speedway celebrates 70 years of racing in 2017 – Hagerstown Speedway". Retrieved 2019-07-20.
  2. ^ "Hagerstown Speedway Inflation Calculator". www.saving.org. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
  3. ^ a b "Race Track Near". The Daily Mail (Hagerstown, Maryland). 1948-03-19. p. 14. Retrieved 2020-03-01.
  4. ^ "Clipped From The Morning Herald". The Morning Herald. 1948-08-30. p. 9. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
  5. ^ hager. "Hagerstown Speedway celebrates 70 years of racing in 2017 – Hagerstown Speedway". Retrieved 2019-12-05.
  6. ^ "theconversationaaronplessinger". racerxonline.com. Retrieved 2019-12-06.
  7. ^ "AutoRacingRecords.com". autoracingrecords.com. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
  8. ^ McMillion, Dave. "Hagerstown Speedway introduces new promoters". Herald-Mail Media. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
  9. ^ McFADDEN, KYLE. "Hagerstown Speedway makes changes to stay relevant". Herald-Mail Media. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
  10. ^ "FASTRAK To Sanction Hagerstown Speedway In 2020". FASTRAK to Sanction Hagerstown Speedway in 2020, Performance Racing Industry. Retrieved 2020-03-04.
  11. ^ hager. "Hagerstown Speedway Season Opener set for this Saturday – Hagerstown Speedway". Retrieved 2020-07-16.
  12. ^ jgreene@herald-mail.com, Julie E. Greene. "Excessive crowd brings Hagerstown Speedway shutdown". Herald-Mail Media. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
  13. ^ Destroyed in Seconds - Stock Car Crash, retrieved 2019-08-12
  14. ^ "Hagerstown race report". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
  15. ^ "World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Returns to Hagerstown – Fully Injected Motorsports". fullyinjected.com. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
  16. ^ "NASCAR Midget:1958-14 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
  17. ^ "Hagerstown Speedway - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
  18. ^ "Schedule – Hagerstown Speedway". Retrieved 2019-07-24.
  19. ^ "History – Hagerstown Speedway". Retrieved 2019-08-14.
  20. ^ "HQMA INFORMATION". Hagerstown Quarter Midget Association. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
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39°39′39″N 77°50′38″W / 39.6607°N 77.8440°W / 39.6607; -77.8440

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