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Orange Speedway
Occoneechee Speedway was one of the first two NASCAR tracks to open. It closed in 1968 and is the only dirt track remaining from the inaugural 1949 season. It is located just outside the town of Hillsborough, North Carolina. Site history Occoneechee Speedway / Orange Speedway The Occoneechee Farm occupied the land in the late 19th century. The farm was named after the Occaneechi Indians that lived in the area in the late 17th century and late 18th century. The landowner, Julian S. Carr, raced horses, and built a half mile horse racing track on the site. Bill France noticed the horse racing track and expanse of open land while piloting his airplane. On the site of the earlier horse track, he built a 0.9-mile dirt track in September 1947, two months before NASCAR was organized. In its earliest days, Fonty Flock and his brothers Bob and Tim dominated the track. Louise Smith became NASCAR's first female driver at the track in the fall of 1949. The Occoneechee Speedway hoste ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hillsborough, North Carolina
The town of Hillsborough is the county seat of Orange County, North Carolina, United States, and is located along the Eno River. The population was 6,087 in 2010, but it grew rapidly to 9,660 by 2020. Its name was unofficially shortened to "Hillsboro" during the 19th century. In the late 1960s, residents voted to change the name back to its original, historic spelling. History Native American history Local Native American groups had lived in the Hillsborough area for thousands of years by the time Spanish explorers entered the region. The Great Indian Trading Path, used by generations of Native Americans, crossed the Eno River in this area. Historic Siouan-language tribes such as the Occaneechi and the Eno were living in the Hillsborough area at the time of European contact. The English explorer John Lawson recorded visiting "Occaneechi Town" here when he traveled through North Carolina in 1701. The tribes suffered high losses due to new infectious diseases brought by Eu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway (Alabama International Motor Speedway from 1969 to 1989) is a tri-oval superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. Built in 1969, the track has hosted a variety of racing events, primarily races sanctioned by NASCAR. The track is owned by NASCAR and led by track president Brian Crichton. The grandstand can seat 80,000 as of 2022. Along with the main track, the track complex also has a roval-style road course. In the early 1960s, NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. built the track near Talladega, Alabama, after a failed proposal to build one in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Over its first couple decades, the track gained a reputation as fast, wild, and chaotic, with speeds of over , major accidents, and unusual occurrences. NASCAR's introduction of the restrictor plate and the appearance of pack racing in the late 1980s exacerbated its chaotic reputation, with several "The Big One (motorsport), Big One" accidents involving 10 or more cars. Description Configuration ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cotton Owens
Everett "Cotton" Owens (May 21, 1924 – June 7, 2012) was an American NASCAR driver. For five straight years (1957–61), Owens captured at least one Grand National Series win. Owens was known as "the King of the Modifieds" for his successes in modified stock car racing in the 1950s. Early racing career Owens was born in Union, South Carolina. His career began after his tour in the U.S. Navy in 1946, in the Modified division that would eventually be organized by NASCAR and pre-dated their Stock Car (Grand National, later Cup) division. Owens earned the nickname "King of the Modifieds" by claiming over 200 feature wins, including the prestigious Gulf Coast championship race. In 1949 he entered 23 races and won 19 of them. In 1951 he sped to victories all over the South, racking up 54 wins. Cotton put together a string of 24 straight wins in 1950–51, a feat he repeated twice. Switching from Dodge to the Chrysler-powered Plymouth he continued to dominate the modified circuit, w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joe Eubanks
''Joseph "Joe" Eubanks'' (August 9, 1925 – June 21, 1971) was a ''NASCAR Grand National'' driver from Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA.''Joe Eubanks'' career information at Racing Reference He entered the along with fellow NASCAR veterans Bud Moore and .Joe Eub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Buck Baker
Elzie Wylie Baker Sr. (March 4, 1919 – April 14, 2002), better known as Buck Baker, was an American stock car racing, stock car racer. Born in Richburg, South Carolina, Richburg, South Carolina, Baker began his NASCAR career in 1949 and won his first race three years later at Columbia Speedway. Twenty-seven years later, Baker retired after 1976 National 500. During his NASCAR Cup Series career, Baker won two championships, 46 races and 45 pole positions, as well as recorded 372 top-tens. In 1957, he became the first driver to win two consecutive championships in the series. Between 1957 and 1959 Baker competed in the NASCAR Convertible Division. From 1972 to 1973, he competed in the Grand National East Series, where he recorded five top-tens in twelve races. On May 23, 2012, it was announced that he would be inducted into the 2013 class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame on February 8, 2013. Racing career Baker entered his first race in 1939 in Greenville, South Carolina, He entered ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jim Paschal
James Roy Paschal, Jr. (December 5, 1926 – July 5, 2004) was a NASCAR Grand National Series and Winston Cup Series driver. Career summary Paschal won twenty-five races and twelve poles over his career. Elected to the "Stock Car Racing Hall of Fame" in 1977, he won the World 600 in 1964 and 1967 at Charlotte Speedway. He competed in the first 18 Southern 500s (1950–1967) and won 16 of 73 Grand American races (1969–1972). Paschal's 1967 win in the World 600 established a race record of 335 laps led, which would not be broken until 2016 when Martin Truex Jr. led 392 laps. His strongest racing was found on short tracks where he would finish an average of 11th place. Paschal would find his weakness on road courses, where the sharp corners and the right turns would cause him to finish in an agonizing 27th place on average. He has the most wins in the Cup series among drivers who are not in the NASCAR Hall of Fame and are eligible. Retirement After retiring from ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Curtis Turner
Curtis Morton Turner (April 12, 1924 – October 4, 1970) was an American stock car racer who won 17 NASCAR Grand National Division races and 38 NASCAR Convertible Division races. Throughout his life, he developed a reputation for drinking and partying. He also fought to form a drivers union, which got him banned by NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. for four years. History He was born in Floyd, Virginia, to Morton and Minnie Turner on April 12, 1924. Curtis grew up with a brother and two sisters. His father, Morton Turner, was into the moonshine business and had a productive still. Curtis was responsible for delivering his father's moonshine to the customers. From a very early age, long before he was old enough for a driver's license, Curtis developed his driving talents by running moonshine through the mountains from the law. Curtis was never caught with alcohol, yet came to grief with a 500 lb bag of stolen sugar (for making alcohol) in the post-WWII ration days. After a gunfig ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Herb Thomas
Herbert Watson Thomas (April 6, 1923 – August 9, 2000) was a stock car racing, stock car racer who was one of NASCAR's most successful drivers in the 1950s. Thomas was NASCAR's first multi-time Cup Champion. Background Born in the small town of Olivia, North Carolina, Thomas worked as a farmer and worked in a sawmill in the 1940s before his interest turned to auto racing. NASCAR career In 1949, Thomas took part in NASCAR's first Strictly Stock (the forerunner to the NASCAR Grand National, Grand National and ultimately the modern NASCAR Cup Series) race and made four starts in the series' first year. The following year, he made thirteen appearances in the series, now renamed the Grand National division. He scored his first career win at Martinsville Speedway in a privateer (motorsport), privateer Plymouth (automobile), Plymouth. He started the 1951 season with moderate success in his Plymouth (plus one win in an Oldsmobile) before switching to a Hudson Hornet, at the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lee Petty
Lee Arnold Petty (March 14, 1914 – April 5, 2000) was an American stock car racing driver who competed during the 1950s and 1960s. He is the patriarch of the Petty racing family. He was one of the early pioneers of NASCAR and one of its first stars. He was NASCAR's first three-time Cup champion. He is the father of Richard Petty, who went on to become one of the most successful stock car racing drivers in history. He is also the grandfather of Kyle Petty and great grandfather of Adam Petty. Career Petty was born near Randleman, North Carolina, the son of Jessie Maude (née Bell) and Judson Ellsworth Petty. He was thirty-five years old when he began his racing career. He participated in 1949 NASCAR Strictly Stock Series inaugural race, NASCAR's inaugural race, held at the three-quarter mile long dirt track, Charlotte Speedway; he raced in a 1948 Buick Roadmaster he borrowed from his neighbor under the assurance that the prize money earned from the race could pay off any da ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eno River State Park
Eno River State Park is a North Carolina state park in Durham and Orange Counties, North Carolina. Together with the adjoining West Point on the Eno city park, the two parks preserve over 14 miles (22.5 km) of the Eno River and surrounding lands. There are five public access areas with features including twenty-four miles of hiking trails, canoe launches, picnic areas, and historic structures. Trails Buckquarter Creek Beginning at the parking lot for the Piper-Cox Museum, the Buckquarter Creek Trail goes up the river at Few's Ford. A staircase takes visitors to a view of the Eno River rapids down below. This loop is marked by red blazes. Holden Mill loop and the Ridge Trail branch off from the Buckquarter Creek Trail. Cabelands The Cabelands Trail is long and is marked by red blazes. The trail passes through the few remains of the Cabe Mill. The stretch of the river is very rocky and is usually known as Cabe's Gorge. Cox Mountain The Cox Mountain Trail is marke ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
National Register Of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Historic districts in the United States, districts, and objects deemed worthy of Historic preservation, preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic value". The enactment of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) in 1966 established the National Register and the process for adding properties to it. Of the more than one and a half million properties on the National Register, 95,000 are listed individually. The remainder are contributing property, contributing resources within historic district (United States), historic districts. For the most of its history, the National Register has been administered by the National Park Service (NPS), an agency within the United States Department of the Interior. Its goals are to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dale Earnhardt Jr
Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr. (born October 10, 1974) is an American professional stock car racing driver, team owner, and broadcaster. A third-generation driver, he is the son of the late 7-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt and relative to many former and current drivers in the NASCAR ranks. Since retiring from full-time competition after the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, 2017 season, he has competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro for his team, JR Motorsports. He became a color commentator for ''NASCAR on NBC'' in 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, 2018 after retiring from driving full-time in NASCAR. After his contract with NBC expired after the 2023 season, he left for ''Amazon'' and ''NASCAR on TNT, TNTs new NASCAR coverage in NASCAR's next NASCAR on television and radio, TV contract that begins in 2025. Earnhardt Jr. drove the No. 8 Budweiser-sponsored Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI), his father's te ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
