by ScottKo in RacingIn News. All over the world, motorsport enthusiasts have abandoned racetracks, and these days they're a sad sight to behold. Once the race track was sold, maintenance took a massive hit due to limited funding. 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What a year as we transition onto dirt racing! It fell on hard times and closed down in 2009, despite being home to some of the greats, like Rusty Wallace and Larry Phillips. Several weeks ago, I revisited theIndiana Army Ammunition Plant. Windy Hollow Drag Strip, unlike similar named Windy Hollow Speedway, is no longer in operation. Since the track was abandoned in the 70s, "A partial demolition" occurred in 2002 according to Urban Ghosts. Download. L. It has actually been through various plans to reopen it, one scheme in 2008 suddenly changing tack and turning its back on the track completely. Social. Learn how your comment data is processed. Formula One also took place here back in 1976. Another California-based race track, it has gone by other names in the past. It was also a rather dangerous one and ended up taking the lives of 19 drivers. Ironically, probably the best race the circuit ever saw. Whats left of it is in a run-down state, some of it now though having reverted to road usage. Of course, the convenience of the tracks locations largely depends on where one lives and what kind of car racing they offer. 15 Fried then acquired a 68-acre property from the Pharo family for $88,500 in 1960 14 and established the Nazareth National Speedway, a semi-banked 1-mile D-shaped dirt oval that opened for dirt, midget, sprint, and stock car races in April 1966. February 27, 2023 . The 67,000-seatracetrack opened to packed houses in 1999 and hosted both NASCAR auto racesandhorse races. 13 Columbia Speedway, South Carolina via Twitter Submit Speedway . As packed as California can get, being one of the most popular states to live at in the US, theres plenty of room for race tracks. The last race happened in 1971, and by 1986 it was closed. The course would change its structure throughout the years. For fans of car racing in Missouri, I-70 Speedway was the place to go. The Middle Georgia Raceway opened in 1966, with many of the racing biggies earning victories there. The track had a long series of owners in the 2000s and 2010s before it was closed off and offered for sale in 2016. From 1951 all the way until 1971, some of the best NASCAR races happened here. Though it appears to be occupied by two cars in the above picture, this is actually two main roads located near the actual race track which has been abandoned for some time. While vacationing earlier this year in Cape May, New Jersey, I came across the remains of an old military battery that was an integral part of the Cape May Military Reservation in New Jersey. Several different types of cars raced there and it was very popular among local residents. For instance, the race track in the above picture is located in Brazil and primarily specializes in Formula One car racing. According to Hooniverse the former raceway has now turned into a park; It sat vacant for a quarter-century until local park districts bought the north end of the facility in 1994, followed by the rest of the land in 2002. Take these 15 NASCAR race tracks for example. Both NASCAR and IndyCar held events at the venue. Miami-Hollywood Motorsports Park. And needless to say, it has thousands of stories to tell after more than a century of racing that included IndyCar, Formula One, and. Make it a 2 day show with practice and qualifying Friday, and 500 miles of total racing Saturday. How Much Did Law And Order: SVU Star Richard Belzer Win From His Lawsuit With Hulk Hogan. Simply the Worlds Most Interesting Travel Site, 20 Photos Of Abandoned Race Tracks Nobody Dares To Use, The Real Reason For Brendan Fraser's Weight Gain, The Biggest Scandal Of Tom Selleck's Career Involved Stealing 1.4 Million Gallons Of Water For His Avocado Farm, Cooper Hefner Knows The Exact Moment His Dad Hugh Stopped Being Friends With Donald Trump. Mesa Marin Raceway. The track was leased by a gas and oil company in 2017, but nothing else has really happened yet. by KyleBrinkmannRacing in KyleBrinkmanRacing, a racer from Elkhorn, WI, BMARA RACERS HELP EACH OTHER One abandoned spot is the Flemington Speedway that first opened in 1910. But cars are not the only thing that gets forgotten with time. Katuya have about 46 image published on this page. IndyCar and NASCAR both raced at the track but it never really took off, low attendance a big problem for the circuit. Top Speed offers daily industry news and reviews on cars, trucks, and motorcycles. Busch Series drivers get a final crack at Nazareth., Nazareth National Speedway Operators Are Hoping to Stave Off Bankruptcy., Meixell, Ted. The Riverside Intl Raceway became a part of motorsport in 1957 and was considered one of the finest race car tracks on this side of the world. It was one of the most deadly tracks the world has ever seen and did claim the lives of several drivers. Ryan Gosling Blamed His Failed Relationships With Sandra Bullock And Rachel McAdams On One Specific Thing, Melissa Rauch Got Emotional During The Night Court Pilot When She Was Surprised By Her Former Big Bang Theory Colleagues On-Set, Serving Jennifer Lopez At A Restaurant Seems Like More Of A Curse Than Blessing, Ryan Gosling And Eva Mendes Are Teaching Their Children At Home That Gender Norms Do Not Exist. Exploring ABANDONED Nascar Race Track - Nazareth Speedway (PA) - YouTube 0:00 / 0:00 Exploring ABANDONED Nascar Race Track - Nazareth Speedway (PA) JMR Spartan 3.49K subscribers Subscribe. It was also a rather dangerous one and ended up taking the lives of 19 drivers. Unfortunately due to high maintenance costs the stadium was forced into complete abandonment during the late 1970s. This in turn led to A brief renaissance in 2010 following the tracks successful reopening, Urban Ghosts states, before it closed down again not long after. Its also one of the most endangered. It was demolished in 2005 after being closed in 2002. Fortunes seem slightly better these days and it was perhaps the sight of the most epic battle F1 ever saw. It seems like the North Carolina circuit was the perfect fit according to Sporting News. Auto Racing. Although as safety procedures with cars have improved, so have their capabilities in terms of speed so the danger of the sport persists even into the modern age. The reason for this is because Ferrari is one of the various car manufacturers who have a division that specifically designs cars to compete in the Formula One races which are held in Italy and many other places that have been highlighted in this article. Some like the Nrburgring, Silverstone, Le Mans, and Indianapolis have become the stuff of legend and been written into folklore. Sadly though, the circuit is no more and whats left of it is in a sorry state. The latest movie news, trailers, reviews, and more. Since then, there has been an eerie silence on and around it, usually related to abandonment. Within a decade, the audience dipped, and the flag was never raised again at this Speedway after 1980. Once they were in great demand, playing host to thousands of screaming fans and booming NASCAR race cars, and considered hallowed grounds of racing history. His dream is to drive around the world; even if it takes more than eighty days. Lets see if its luck changes. Despite the number of abandoned race tracks that are out there in the world, there are just as many functioning ones which people can still visit. It was a unique track to say the least. Related: 10 Superminis We'd Bring To A Track Day Over Any Supercar. It wasnt riddled with sharp turns, and instead it was as basic as they come. Seeing as its very much destroyed, it doesnt look like the race track is going to become a race track again anytime soon. Towering over the modest residences in its vicinity, the soaring blue limestone and Ohio sandstone faced Roman Catholic church is one of the most recognizable symbols of Albany, New Yorks rich history. However, eventually in 1969 the location was completely abandoned due to limited funding. Even now, Spa is a fearsome track but it was more so in the 1950s and 1960s. The new tracks inaugural race was won by Michael Andretti on September 20, 1987. This track opened in 1966, but the owners could not keep up with the high maintenance costs. Related: Here's Everything You'll Need (and Want) for Your First Track Day. RELATED:15 Fast Facts About The Indy 500 That Will Make You Want To Burn Rubber. Yet as cars improved over time, so did the tracks. Considered to be One of America's most iconic tracks, Road & Track says, its easy to see why as the image above looks like the kind of thing most people envision when they think of a typical car race. So while parts of it are linear, it's far from an easy track to drive down. For F1 enthusiasts photos of the location nowadays is pretty hard to digest. The stadium section, start/finish straight and a small chunk of the first straight remained. The venue had some great success with various races during the 1950s and 60s. The abandonment of some of these tracks isnt a pretty sight in the slightest. Photos of the racetrack nowadays make it look like an area nobody wants to walk through late at night. Abandoned Race Track - Moc A Tek Speedway JPVideos 191K subscribers 35K views 5 years ago Back in the 80's & 90's one of the things i did as a young man was watch live racing. Theres more than enough and it could even make a whole road trip. IAAP, which manufactured smokeless gunpowder and other ordinances, was the largest of its type in the world at the time of its completion. Given how long it has been since some of these tracks last saw a race, they have deetiolated almost beyond recognition. Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. "Preserving history one track at a time" Raising awareness and bringing back old memories! The area is completely abandoned and making matters worse the isolation of the area really doesnt help things especially in terms of restoring the former drag strip. Described by Road & Track as having A few blind crests, and plenty of high-speed bends, the hilly terrain that fits its namesake would make for some interesting driving like Mount Panorama. After all, both states are known for having lots of green hills further inland from their respective eastern coastlines. It is described by Urban Ghosts as reeking of Silence and neglect due to being fenced off from the main roads and left to decay. Yet this place is noteworthy because it apparently has A rhythm that a lot of today's new tracks can't even match Road & Track claims. You will NOT be disappointed. At one point this location welcomed 140,000 fans in attendance. Despite shutting down two years ago, it reopened last year as the shutdown was only temporary according to Global Film Locations. 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