UPDATE!: The bounty has been claimed! Two people came together and got me what I was looking for. You can catch that in the next video, slated for release Sunday morning September 15th, 2019. See you there!
Love videos like these. Extremely relateable, as I've suffered many nights where one random piece of information spirals into hours and hours of researching something the average Joe probably doesn't care about... and it'll happen again. Great work, Slap! I haven't watched Nascar since Childhood, yet this kept me glued to the screen.
This video was an absolute gem of storytelling. I have been watching your channel for about three months or so and I would have to say this up there with my personal favorite, the piece on Bowman Gray. Thank you for making fantastic NASCAR content and keep up the amazing work!
Looks like Michelin owns the property now. Could it have been a test track for tires? A company like Michelin would spend the $ to build a track with no amenities then turn around and abandon it. It would have never been built with with the anticipation of drawing crowds. Just a thought. Good hunting!
It's not actually anymore, that abandoned racetrack was restored but as a track for the school that was built there, search it up on Google earth and you will find it
Flipping that shot to its proper orientation once you discovered the airbase in it was wrong was a total Ace Attorney moment. Just needed Pursuit to start playing.
Dude! You have GOT to keep putting out more material. The level of talent you have is immense. If you consistently put out weekly videos like this one, you are going to have a HUGE following. You've got an amazing gift. Please keep this up!
As for the dead image links, take the image links and change them to postimage from postimg. The site relocated in 2018 but everything is still intact. Doesn't give much else. They're just arial shots and a Google Street view image for "nowadays" but those images can still be accessed.
There is a small company called Varinit Corporation on Antioch Church Road across the street from the Eastern Distribution warehouses. If you park and walk behind the Varinit Corp building you will see a dusty field surrounded by trees and brush. Across the dusty field will be the railroad tracks... this where turn one was located. That dusty field where little is growing is the infield pit area for the race track. The spectator parking lot was where Eastern Distribution sits today. I was there several decades ago before the area was industrialized. You might find some old artifacts in the water runoff wooded area on the west side of the infield. Go grab a hand full of infield dirt and stick it in a mason jar as a novelty before they plow it up. you just might be one of a handful of guys who has dirt from that track.
Sorry, the wooded area is on the east side of the dirt infield, Varinit building north side (turn 2), Spectator stands were on the west side of the field and the RR tracks on the south. Hope this helps. The infield pit area was sprayed as well and thats why it doesn't have much vegetation. There may be DDT in the soil so wash your hands if you handled it. Wish I could get back out there but I live in Texas now.
Gt280 that is very true and has to be, doubt people will just use it once. Maybe the whole community came together to build it up. No wonder they had the budget for that time to build a stadium for nights
If you are looking for older aerial photos- try the USDA Aerial Photo Field Office. Give them the Township Range and section and they will let you know what coverage they have for the site. Also you can try the national archives for pre 1950 or so imagery. I work on historic water rights in MT and have used both sources for research on older imagery. The National Archives are a bit slow on response but they have been very helpful. Most available imagery is post WW2, but I have occasionally found imagery as early as 1935.
Contacted you via Twitter DM Sent you several photos (some color) of the remains of track being used in 1965 for drag racing. Also uploaded a woman racer who drove at the track in the early 1950s
@CallMeOmxga No offense intended, but I was trying to contact the OP of this video. If he doesn't want them, then I'll be happy to share, but until then he asked first and I want to honor that.
Somewhere in some nice old ladies basement there must be a box that has pictures of her husband in some jalopy cranking around this cool old track. I would go to some of the oldest houses in the area and start sleuthing!
That was bad ass. Thanks brotha! I used to live in Florence and I remember the 1st time I saw Darlington RaceWay. I’m so stoked it’s still part of the schedule. A must.
WOW! I'm from Greenville (Living in CA now) I was just there for a race at Anderson Motor Speedway (8-23-19) that was rained out. If I would have watched this before heading home, I would have gone looking for the track too. I do have some old friends in local racing and will start asking questions. I wish my Dad and G'Pops were still here, they would know for sure. I do remember my Dad telling about the track when I was a kid though.
My family grew up in Anderson, S.C. As a kid who grew up in Central PA (Williams Grove Speedway), everytime I would visit, they would take me to Anderson Motor Speedway
I have lived around Augusta most of my life and had ABSOLUTELY no idea that we used to have a road track, 1/2 mile and drag strip all in one. I am glad that I have found your video and started digging into Augusta as well.
I love that I got recommended this! People finding about obscure history in their own area always has amazing outcomes. Especially when multiple people come together to find it!
Now, this is absolutely phenomenal content. I'm a glutton for obscure facts and things like this. Thank you for your efforts and research into this lost speedway!
I love this channel. There are other channels that chronicle the history/drama of the NBA or NFL, but not too many channels that focus on NASCAR, but I'm glad to see the few channels that cover NASCAR aren't lacking in quality, especially this channel. Thank you for putting in the time and effort into these videos. You passion for the sport shines through in these videos.
There’s a NASCAR ghost track right down the road from me in Moyock, NC called Dog Track speedway.its not as obscure as this one though. And I hear it’s still sorta there.
Well now we know the 1992 Winston wasn’t the first night race. I think a great idea for a video would be one about NASCAR’s forgotten champions. Guys like Bill Rexford, Rex White, Steve Grissom, Chuck Bown, & Mike Bliss.
69Charger01 Bristol has been a night race since the 80s the reason many call the 1992 Winston the first night race was because it was the first that took place any track larger than a mile
Hey, watched both vids and just want to say a little about the "chemical" you mentioned for the dust control. it's just plan old calcium or "snowmelt" as we call it here in the Northeast. it's basically granulated calcium that they put on the dirt surface, most likely with a pull behind spreader. It is still used today to control dust on roads, although probably against DEP regulations. Also when it gets tracked onto asphalt surfaces by the wheels of cars it makes the asphalt very slippery. I know this because my local track (Unity Raceway, Unity Me. ,now closed) tried to use it in the dirt pit area and it made a mess of the track. Very nice work digging up this old track. I'm going to subscribe and will be waiting for your next cool video of the areal shots of what's left, if anything.
I live in western North Carolina and used to frequent the dirt tracks in the upstate. Riverside, Cherokee, etc. I would contact Wally Fowler in Little Chicago or Stanly McCarter in Inman. They might be able to give you info.
I normally don't comment, but this was too interesting not to share my thoughts. I really enjoy these kinds of videos from you; well done. I'm glad I stumbled upon this channel a while back
Sometimes if you go to a topographic map you can find race tracks because they are cut into a bank or hill and the topo lines show the area. ALSO GREAT FOR FINDING OLD RAIL RIGHT OF WAYS!
I am not a Nascar guy but again, your videos are entertaining and very well made. There is a tempo to them that keeps them interesting. Seriously, I never watched a Nascar race ever and here I am LOL
@@S1apShoes I think I am up to date on all your videos. I looked around the internet about Nascar and the entry to the sport is a bit complicated (multiple series, The chase.) Do you have any suggestions to a site where it's all broken down for people like me? (The Nascar website is useless as it is setup for people that know everything about it. Maybe that is one of the reasons that new people like me don't really get into it.) Thanks.
@@iix23 That's a really great question and I wish I knew the answer for that. I would try wikipedia as I've seen them set it up the best. As far as the different series are concerned, think of them like the feeder series or minor leagues. Trucks = Div3 Xfinity Series = Div2 and Monster Energy Cup Series = Div1 Typically a driver will work their way up through the ranks and prove themselves in each division before they're picked up by a Cup team. The chase is relatively new, having only been introduced in 2004 and the newer "playoff" knockout style of a post season being introduced in 2014. As it stands now, any driver that wins a race has a slot in the playoffs with any open slots in the 16 car playoff field being filled by whoever was highest in points (you get more points the better you finish). The playoffs are the last ten races of the season and have rounds of 12, 8, and 4, with the final 4 duking it out in the last race of the year.
It's fairly common to see the bathrooms built under the stands or along the ends at old short tracks. That's probably why there's no other buildings showing on an aerial photo. Just a guess. Good video - I have an abandoned 3/8ths. mile paved high bank track with lights about half mile away. Used to snowmobile around it in winter - great fun. Now it has trees growing in the middle of the pavement so you can't do that anymore.
If you really want solid proof, head down to the local tax assessors's office and ask to look up the old records of that location. Should have a map with all of the building details.
It seems like having a race track next to an air base would be a win win. All those service members looking for something to do on a Saturday night, one would think it would be a gold mine! Great video, thanks for sharing.
10:55 PLEASE do a video on Titusville-Cocoa Speedway!! Never knew my hometown hosted a Cup race until just now. With how thorough you are I'm sure your work will not disappoint!!
I'm Aldo, the guy who wrote about the exact place of this track few years ago on racing-reference.info and racersreunion. Very happy to watch this video and how the data and help of all NASCAR mad fans has been used to build up this video. Nice work!
i've been watching a couple of your videos and honestly, coming from a Belgian F1,2,3 and e enthousiast, your content makes me see the allure in NASCAR that other channels have failed to. I'd say that's something for you to be proud of : )
For dust control, around my neck of the woods, the dirt tracks sneak brim water trucks (from oil/gas wells) in at night to water the track. I think it has a lot of salt content and who knows what else. Some use Tide detergent but the brim is free.
@Wilbur Flintstone I have raced at tracks that had the race cars pack the track in for them. That means they didn't take the time to properly do it themselves with their own equipment. Those are also the tracks that have good/enough clay. Not all tracks that I've raced at had good/enough clay but had sandy type dirt that would dry out by the time the heat races were over and sometimes even before that. That's the one's that have a dust problem. They have to water the track before the feature. It's been so dusty before that the driver's were pulling off the track because you couldn't see. People in the grandstands would wear goggles so they could see, especially when the sprints were racing. Those type tracks would do whatever they could to get the track to glaze over to keep the dust down. They were referred to as dry slick and were hard to get traction on. Other tracks with good clay had very little dust at all. Those were usually tacky and easy to get traction. Red clay is so tacky that it feels like your brakes are dragging!
@Wilbur Flintstone Well this track hasn't been in the last ten years. It existed in a time where many of us weren't even born. NASCAR racing war quite new, back then - they simply didn't have the experience how to properly prepare a track. I've seen quite some footage of race from back then where dust was an issue.
Man..... I was recommended this video for no reason. Now I'm intrigued and hooked. What a lovely story. Awesome sleuthing. Going to follow this "hunt" I presume you're going to go and look in person or drone it ? Gotta be some old guys still in town that can remember. You got a sub.
I love this video, there's a couple track local here in Roanoke VA called Starkey speedway, and victory stadium. Both a quarter mile tracks, and both where to compete with bowman grey. Starkey only held 5 Nascar race from 57 to 65, and was paved atfer the first race. Curtis Turner tried promoting victory stadium to complete against bowman grey in the late 50s. Glen wood last Nascar race was at Starkey speedway, which he also promoted.
delcotommy : Great idea. I’ve recently helped my daughter complete a history project for school on our home town, (I was born and raised here). The amount of stuff I found out was incredible. Dozens of old mine workings long since forgotten, the systematic murder of Catholic clergy during the reign of Henry VIII, Black Death mass grave sites, WW1 airstrips, WW2 PoW camps, WW2 German spies, 18th C industrial sabotage, local factories that made cannonballs during the Napoleonic War with France, Top Secret Cold War projects, (the PLUTO line, Operation BackBone and Top Secret Nuclear Bunkers), all in a sleepy little town stuck between Chesterfield and Sheffield. The local library and local historical societies would be a great place to start and are likely to unearth some real gems. Ps; another great vid SlapShoes. I hope you had a great time in Japan, (with your brother wasn’t it?).
I've lived in SC my whole life and have never heard of this track. Thank you so much for the history lesson of my home state. Keep up the good work. Just proves that you never know what wonders you can find if you just look.
There is an image in the 1952 nascar yearbook, I don't have it, nor know anyone who does, but from what I know there is an image of the speedway in there
I lived in Easley, SC, for a long time, about a mile away from Greenville Pickens. This was many years ago. At the time I worked for Doc Layton, a successful construction contractor in the area. Doc was the quintessential good ol' boy. He sponsored a race car for his son. Back then they had a pit wall made of brick and concrete that jutted out into the track. Layton's boy hit the butt end of that wall going full tilt boogie. He lived but laid up in the hospital for a couple of months. Never did race again. I split to follow a new career up north later that year so I lost track of everyone there. I hear they took the wall out soon after. Anyway I subscribe to your channel now and it is good to hear some of the doings down home. I am kind of surprised the track is still there and getting better all the time. Good on ya! So I thought I'd drop a line and say hello. Oh, by the way - I never heard of Air Base Speedway either.
I haven't really been interested in Nascar since the 90's,but stumbled across your channel and have to say it actually makes it fun to pay attention again. Good stuff 👍
i would almost wanna talk about the big 1.5 mile track that use to be .5 mile in the 1950s called Handford motor speedway that's another interesting track i looked up if you wanna know
I know that took a lot of effort so, than you! I've lived in Greenville all my life and love looking up the history of this great town. I used to frequent GPS but never knew about ABS until now. Again, thank you!
We had State Fair Speedway here in Shreveport that hosted NASCAR events. It was the first track in the country to have luxury penthouse-style seating. There was a golf clubhouse in the infield that was used to host the high-rollers of the day during races, IIRC.
Have you thought about contacting the local history group or check the town records for more info about taxes and build INFO? If you have a address you should get details from the tax records for when it was build and who owned the land. Also the town historic group should have some details also about the history of the area.
You should take a look at kalamazoo speedway in kalamazoo michigan. Its the fastest 3/8 mile oval in the world. It was nascar sanctioned until a year or so ago. I think you'll really enjoy looking into this great achievement of man. The track is still in use very much every weekend to be exact.
Long lost track next to airbase. Has lights, chemical treatment on track, concrete walls, no restrooms for visitors, forgotten. Sounds like government tests to me.
What an amazing story. Loved it. You're helping to reignite my interest in NASCAR after not caring for 25 years. You should do a story on lakewood just because of how interesting the area is today. Featured in Smokey and the Bandit, etc. But maybe all the old tracks are that interesting.
I would love to see NASCAR revisit old tracks that they don't use any more and do a small race maybe even rebuild the old tracks that have been forgotten
That’s crazy. I’d literally come home from school past that warehouse everyday and never knew or would’ve thought there was once a NASCAR race that happened there. That’s awesome. I really really wish my dad was still around so I could tell him about it.
This was an amazing story, thank you for this video and still can't believe people got you some images!!! Well done everyone!!! NASCAR Community is one forever!
UPDATE!: The bounty has been claimed! Two people came together and got me what I was looking for. You can catch that in the next video, slated for release Sunday morning September 15th, 2019. See you there!
😲 I wanna see
nice
S1apSh0es can we have a link?
He said 15th Sept, in 5 days time, be patient.
Cant wait! I want to know more
Raid Area 51? Nah. Find Air Base Speedway? Hell yeah.
What if Air Base Speedway was Area 51
This is a joke
maybe Area 51 has details about Air Base Speedway 😮
Carter git
I mean, it held it's only race in '51. The truth is out there. I'm kinda jealous of being that close to a track, to be honest.
Won’t find it new though it’s covered up by another building
forget the $60. i wanna crowdfund to buy the industrial park, tear it down, and rebuild airbase speedway.
true
me to
Hell yeah
HE'LL YA BROTHER
If it was still there I would ride my bmx bike
The hunt is on.
Lee get it
Hi DriveThough!
DriveThrough lmao bitch shut the fuck up
@@kylebuschhasover200winsinn5 Woah there.
@@kylebuschhasover200winsinn5 what's your excuse for kyle bucsh losing
why am i getting scared of a race track
Chance Hackenbruch I was thinking the same thing
Fr 😰
I am from the background music
@@CertainlyCaro yup
Because if something as large as a racetrack can disappear from the world without anyone knowing or caring, what can happen to one person
Have you contacted the NASCAR Hall of Fame? The amount of contacts and archived material they have is mind-blowing.
He doesn't have THAT much clout
They've probably already got a copy of NASCAR Heat 4
@@niktherabbit6747 he's been sponsored by literal race tracks!
Not a nascar fan but super cool video about a part of forgotten American history
Love videos like these. Extremely relateable, as I've suffered many nights where one random piece of information spirals into hours and hours of researching something the average Joe probably doesn't care about... and it'll happen again.
Great work, Slap! I haven't watched Nascar since Childhood, yet this kept me glued to the screen.
This video was an absolute gem of storytelling. I have been watching your channel for about three months or so and I would have to say this up there with my personal favorite, the piece on Bowman Gray. Thank you for making fantastic NASCAR content and keep up the amazing work!
Bob Bob I agree I enjoy all the videos, especially this one and the about Bowman Gray.
I AM DA BOB
Looks like Michelin owns the property now. Could it have been a test track for tires? A company like Michelin would spend the $ to build a track with no amenities then turn around and abandon it. It would have never been built with with the anticipation of drawing crowds.
Just a thought. Good hunting!
That's actually a good thought. They may have tested maybe hundreds or thousands of miles on there without anyone noticing.
Michelin US-1 at Donaldson Center didn't open until 1975. Doubt they even knew Greenville SC existed in the 50s.
It's not actually anymore, that abandoned racetrack was restored but as a track for the school that was built there, search it up on Google earth and you will find it
No, they ran a rail line right through the middle of it.
Flipping that shot to its proper orientation once you discovered the airbase in it was wrong was a total Ace Attorney moment. Just needed Pursuit to start playing.
Ironman1o1 not really since it’s kind of obvious that a plane would have its camera oriented on its direction and not facing north
Dude! You have GOT to keep putting out more material. The level of talent you have is immense. If you consistently put out weekly videos like this one, you are going to have a HUGE following. You've got an amazing gift. Please keep this up!
As for the dead image links, take the image links and change them to postimage from postimg. The site relocated in 2018 but everything is still intact. Doesn't give much else. They're just arial shots and a Google Street view image for "nowadays" but those images can still be accessed.
Just saved those in the internet archive so they won't get lost again
Good job!!
There is a small company called Varinit Corporation on Antioch Church Road across the street from the Eastern Distribution warehouses. If you park and walk behind the Varinit Corp building you will see a dusty field surrounded by trees and brush. Across the dusty field will be the railroad tracks... this where turn one was located. That dusty field where little is growing is the infield pit area for the race track. The spectator parking lot was where Eastern Distribution sits today. I was there several decades ago before the area was industrialized. You might find some old artifacts in the water runoff wooded area on the west side of the infield. Go grab a hand full of infield dirt and stick it in a mason jar as a novelty before they plow it up. you just might be one of a handful of guys who has dirt from that track.
Sorry, the wooded area is on the east side of the dirt infield, Varinit building north side (turn 2), Spectator stands were on the west side of the field and the RR tracks on the south. Hope this helps. The infield pit area was sprayed as well and thats why it doesn't have much vegetation. There may be DDT in the soil so wash your hands if you handled it. Wish I could get back out there but I live in Texas now.
I drive by here quite a bit never knew there was a race track there awesome
there could be hundreds of more races that were just never recorded
makes you think
Stop! Don't fuck my brain up even more...
Very doubtful. Maybe less than 10 around the US.
SHUT UP SHUT UP I CAN'T HEAR YOU
Gt280 that is very true and has to be, doubt people will just use it once. Maybe the whole community came together to build it up. No wonder they had the budget for that time to build a stadium for nights
Holy crap... GREENVILLE I LIVE THERE.
You wanna find it... im on it boss
Google it, wiki has info on it including the old owner
Contact me on discord pls
If you are looking for older aerial photos- try the USDA Aerial Photo Field Office. Give them the Township Range and section and they will let you know what coverage they have for the site. Also you can try the national archives for pre 1950 or so imagery. I work on historic water rights in MT and have used both sources for research on older imagery. The National Archives are a bit slow on response but they have been very helpful. Most available imagery is post WW2, but I have occasionally found imagery as early as 1935.
Great leads!
Thanks!
Contacted you via Twitter DM
Sent you several photos (some color) of the remains of track being used in 1965 for drag racing.
Also uploaded a woman racer who drove at the track in the early 1950s
@CallMeOmxga I sent someone on Twitter the stuff... Was that not you?
@S1apSh0es ??
I sent you the pics on Twitter @S1apSh0es and it said you read the messages and saw the photos, but I've not received a response back from you?
CallMeOmxga he’s not talking about you dude
@CallMeOmxga No offense intended, but I was trying to contact the OP of this video.
If he doesn't want them, then I'll be happy to share, but until then he asked first and I want to honor that.
Hey man I can send you more details my great great grandpa owned the track and built it in 1948
I could gush about this video for hours. Thank you for creating magic and sharing this story!
To be fair. They could’ve added concessions, bathrooms, etc. between when that picture was taken and the race since it was a 7 month gap
This is so interesting!
I've never knew this track existed! The mystery of Air Base Speedway fascinates me a lot.
weebsout NaM
Omaris Bhumiriady because you’re a fucking nerd who likes anime
who hurt you
@@DriveThrough Some two fools called me a weeb, even though calling someone with that is frowned upon.
Omaris Bhumiriady NaM
I'm not a NASCAR fan, but this is such a well put together video with such interesting content. I was enthralled
Somewhere in some nice old ladies basement there must be a box that has pictures of her husband in some jalopy cranking around this cool old track. I would go to some of the oldest houses in the area and start sleuthing!
You can still kinda see it on google maps. They built rail road tracks where turn 1 and 4 were.
*Looks at the one person who disliked*
“I don’t like the sound of this”
How about "Who gives a flying fuck about NASCAR?"
@@azynkron Shut up.
BadTrip how about “Why the fuck are you here then?”
I know what I'm doing this weekend...
Rebuilding this track
Edgy The Shadow in minecraft!
@WK28 ha ah ha
@WK28 "Ferb, I know what we're gonna do today!"
what a goose bump inducing story. ironically enough i just came home from some road racing action at Waterford Hills M.I. at time of upload. Well Done
TrenchFighter, I grew up in Clarkston and used to go to Waterford Hills, are the races still going on? I moved away 8 years ago to Ludington
i love how when he says, "How?" the 2 car at 3:34 comes to a stop
Would someone in the Flock family have the race trophy? Maybe a picture from the winners circle?
Jeremy Spaulding their probably dead
Fonty was buried with it by request 🏆
That was bad ass.
Thanks brotha!
I used to live in Florence and I remember the 1st time I saw Darlington RaceWay.
I’m so stoked it’s still part of the schedule. A must.
WOW! I'm from Greenville (Living in CA now) I was just there for a race at Anderson Motor Speedway (8-23-19) that was rained out. If I would have watched this before heading home, I would have gone looking for the track too. I do have some old friends in local racing and will start asking questions. I wish my Dad and G'Pops were still here, they would know for sure. I do remember my Dad telling about the track when I was a kid though.
My family grew up in Anderson, S.C. As a kid who grew up in Central PA (Williams Grove Speedway), everytime I would visit, they would take me to Anderson Motor Speedway
I have lived around Augusta most of my life and had ABSOLUTELY no idea that we used to have a road track, 1/2 mile and drag strip all in one. I am glad that I have found your video and started digging into Augusta as well.
Nice nod to emp lemon. I love that dude and especially his never ever on Dale Earnhardt.
I love that I got recommended this! People finding about obscure history in their own area always has amazing outcomes. Especially when multiple people come together to find it!
Racing reference is cool, you can see whatever the hell you need for NASCAR and other things like USAC
This makes me want a "Race Track Tycoon" game, badly. From Dirt, to Stock, to NASCAR, to Indy, to F1.
How is that not a thing?!?!?!
#airbasespeedway2021
What In Carnation? #nascartoairbase
We have to rename it.
#BruhSpeedway2021
@@N4SCARfaN powered by YEET
#raidairforcebasespeedway
You talking about his MINECRAFT world? Would be funny, just not the best idea.
Now, this is absolutely phenomenal content. I'm a glutton for obscure facts and things like this. Thank you for your efforts and research into this lost speedway!
Just here to say your my favorite NASCAR channel out there :)
I love this channel. There are other channels that chronicle the history/drama of the NBA or NFL, but not too many channels that focus on NASCAR, but I'm glad to see the few channels that cover NASCAR aren't lacking in quality, especially this channel. Thank you for putting in the time and effort into these videos. You passion for the sport shines through in these videos.
There’s a NASCAR ghost track right down the road from me in Moyock, NC called Dog Track speedway.its not as obscure as this one though. And I hear it’s still sorta there.
hmmm, i'm in Chesapeake...i'm gonna have to check that out!
Wait there's a track in moyock
@@christanknight1497 yeah kinda behind Southland bbq. Dog Track speedway. Google it. It shows up.
I've lived here in Greenville for years and have done a lot of work at the Donaldson Center. I have never heard of this old track.
Well now we know the 1992 Winston wasn’t the first night race.
I think a great idea for a video would be one about NASCAR’s forgotten champions. Guys like Bill Rexford, Rex White, Steve Grissom, Chuck Bown, & Mike Bliss.
69Charger01 Bristol has been a night race since the 80s the reason many call the 1992 Winston the first night race was because it was the first that took place any track larger than a mile
Bristol didn’t start at night.
Hey, watched both vids and just want to say a little about the "chemical" you mentioned for the dust control. it's just plan old calcium or "snowmelt" as we call it here in the Northeast. it's basically granulated calcium that they put on the dirt surface, most likely with a pull behind spreader. It is still used today to control dust on roads, although probably against DEP regulations. Also when it gets tracked onto asphalt surfaces by the wheels of cars it makes the asphalt very slippery. I know this because my local track (Unity Raceway, Unity Me. ,now closed) tried to use it in the dirt pit area and it made a mess of the track.
Very nice work digging up this old track. I'm going to subscribe and will be waiting for your next cool video of the areal shots of what's left, if anything.
I live in western North Carolina and used to frequent the dirt tracks in the upstate. Riverside, Cherokee, etc. I would contact Wally Fowler in Little Chicago or Stanly McCarter in Inman. They might be able to give you info.
Appreciate the work you put into finding this speedway and putting it on video.
Ghost Tracks: Las Vegas Park Speedway
What about South Boston Speedway (in my state of Virginia)
Or old dominion raceway which was right by me before they closed it and tore it down
@@NaSBYT South Boston was pretty well known, wouldn't say it was a Ghost Track
NSDCA old dominion raceway I don’t think was a known
@@NSDCA shit that is my backyard, I still know locals who went there
It’s in the state you live in you said? Try going down there and see if you can find it
I would think, that Richard Petty or Jr Johnson would have some recollection or info.
I have no idea why, but this video is so rewatchable. The first S1ap video I watched, and I've been intrigued and watching the rest.
I normally don't comment, but this was too interesting not to share my thoughts. I really enjoy these kinds of videos from you; well done. I'm glad I stumbled upon this channel a while back
Sometimes if you go to a topographic map you can find race tracks because they are cut into a bank or hill and the topo lines show the area. ALSO GREAT FOR FINDING OLD RAIL RIGHT OF WAYS!
Since Lee Petty raced here, maybe Richard Petty could shed some light on this for you, or at least know someone who could. GL.
Your probably Wright
Do you have any idea how many hundreds of track Lee and Richard raced over the years that are gone now? I'd be surprised he'd remember.
Joel Marksbury you’d be surprised what they remember
@@guybussieres4218 aren't the wright brothers dead?
Richard Petty started racing in 1958, Lee petty raced here so Richard was a teenager around this time so he wouldn’t remember
I am not a Nascar guy but again, your videos are entertaining and very well made. There is a tempo to them that keeps them interesting. Seriously, I never watched a Nascar race ever and here I am LOL
I try my hardest to make my videos as accessible and entertaining to newcomers as they are to diehards. Glad to hear that you like them!
@@S1apShoes I think I am up to date on all your videos. I looked around the internet about Nascar and the entry to the sport is a bit complicated (multiple series, The chase.) Do you have any suggestions to a site where it's all broken down for people like me? (The Nascar website is useless as it is setup for people that know everything about it. Maybe that is one of the reasons that new people like me don't really get into it.)
Thanks.
@@iix23 That's a really great question and I wish I knew the answer for that. I would try wikipedia as I've seen them set it up the best.
As far as the different series are concerned, think of them like the feeder series or minor leagues.
Trucks = Div3
Xfinity Series = Div2
and Monster Energy Cup Series = Div1
Typically a driver will work their way up through the ranks and prove themselves in each division before they're picked up by a Cup team.
The chase is relatively new, having only been introduced in 2004 and the newer "playoff" knockout style of a post season being introduced in 2014. As it stands now, any driver that wins a race has a slot in the playoffs with any open slots in the 16 car playoff field being filled by whoever was highest in points (you get more points the better you finish). The playoffs are the last ten races of the season and have rounds of 12, 8, and 4, with the final 4 duking it out in the last race of the year.
@@S1apShoes Thank you.
It's fairly common to see the bathrooms built under the stands or along the ends at old short tracks. That's probably why there's no other buildings showing on an aerial photo. Just a guess.
Good video - I have an abandoned 3/8ths. mile paved high bank track with lights about half mile away. Used to snowmobile around it in winter - great fun. Now it has trees growing in the middle of the pavement so you can't do that anymore.
If you really want solid proof, head down to the local tax assessors's office and ask to look up the old records of that location. Should have a map with all of the building details.
It seems like having a race track next to an air base would be a win win. All those service members looking for something to do on a Saturday night, one would think it would be a gold mine! Great video, thanks for sharing.
It was a race held in L.W. Wright's backyard. Legit 😂
jeez the way you narrate i just love I've watched a few of your videos before and i just have subscribe!
same here
Very interesting SlapShoes
happy to see you back keep up these amazing videos!
10:55
PLEASE do a video on Titusville-Cocoa Speedway!! Never knew my hometown hosted a Cup race until just now. With how thorough you are I'm sure your work will not disappoint!!
Really interesting video dude. I always have to watch your videos as soon as there uploaded because their just that good! Keep up the good work
How did you watch a 13 min video in 3 minutes? It was uploaded it 3 min ago.
@@TylerTinsley75 I watched the first 3 minutes of it and continued watching it while I was typing and I thought it was interesting so far
I'm Aldo, the guy who wrote about the exact place of this track few years ago on racing-reference.info and racersreunion. Very happy to watch this video and how the data and help of all NASCAR mad fans has been used to build up this video. Nice work!
HES BACK!
i've been watching a couple of your videos and honestly, coming from a Belgian F1,2,3 and e enthousiast, your content makes me see the allure in NASCAR that other channels have failed to. I'd say that's something for you to be proud of : )
I have no clue what the promoters were thinking. "Lights and dustless Dirt!"
*Nah, they don't need bathrooms.*
I guess they thought folks could just go to the woods to do their business
For dust control, around my neck of the woods, the dirt tracks sneak brim water trucks (from oil/gas wells) in at night to water the track. I think it has a lot of salt content and who knows what else. Some use Tide detergent but the brim is free.
@Wilbur Flintstone I have raced at tracks that had the race cars pack the track in for them. That means they didn't take the time to properly do it themselves with their own equipment. Those are also the tracks that have good/enough clay. Not all tracks that I've raced at had good/enough clay but had sandy type dirt that would dry out by the time the heat races were over and sometimes even before that. That's the one's that have a dust problem. They have to water the track before the feature. It's been so dusty before that the driver's were pulling off the track because you couldn't see. People in the grandstands would wear goggles so they could see, especially when the sprints were racing. Those type tracks would do whatever they could to get the track to glaze over to keep the dust down. They were referred to as dry slick and were hard to get traction on. Other tracks with good clay had very little dust at all. Those were usually tacky and easy to get traction. Red clay is so tacky that it feels like your brakes are dragging!
@Wilbur Flintstone Well this track hasn't been in the last ten years. It existed in a time where many of us weren't even born.
NASCAR racing war quite new, back then - they simply didn't have the experience how to properly prepare a track. I've seen quite some footage of race from back then where dust was an issue.
4:50 - Weather for November in Greenville is typically between 50F and 75F. So it may not have been that cold out.
Hope you had fun in Japan, wonder how many non-major circut tracks have been lost to time.
Man..... I was recommended this video for no reason. Now I'm intrigued and hooked. What a lovely story. Awesome sleuthing.
Going to follow this "hunt" I presume you're going to go and look in person or drone it ? Gotta be some old guys still in town that can remember.
You got a sub.
Definitely will be subscribing. I love history and Nascar. And I live 15 miles from Greenville
I love this sort of sleuthing for old local points of interest. Especially with old racetracks, airfields and WW2 structures.
Did anyone think to contact Varinit or the contractor/building company that built their facilities?
I love this video, there's a couple track local here in Roanoke VA called Starkey speedway, and victory stadium. Both a quarter mile tracks, and both where to compete with bowman grey. Starkey only held 5 Nascar race from 57 to 65, and was paved atfer the first race. Curtis Turner tried promoting victory stadium to complete against bowman grey in the late 50s. Glen wood last Nascar race was at Starkey speedway, which he also promoted.
What about a library or local historical society that might have newspaper clippings or pictures.
delcotommy : Great idea. I’ve recently helped my daughter complete a history project for school on our home town, (I was born and raised here).
The amount of stuff I found out was incredible. Dozens of old mine workings long since forgotten, the systematic murder of Catholic clergy during the reign of Henry VIII, Black Death mass grave sites, WW1 airstrips, WW2 PoW camps, WW2 German spies, 18th C industrial sabotage, local factories that made cannonballs during the Napoleonic War with France, Top Secret Cold War projects, (the PLUTO line, Operation BackBone and Top Secret Nuclear Bunkers), all in a sleepy little town stuck between Chesterfield and Sheffield.
The local library and local historical societies would be a great place to start and are likely to unearth some real gems.
Ps; another great vid SlapShoes. I hope you had a great time in Japan, (with your brother wasn’t it?).
I've lived in SC my whole life and have never heard of this track. Thank you so much for the history lesson of my home state. Keep up the good work. Just proves that you never know what wonders you can find if you just look.
There is an image in the 1952 nascar yearbook, I don't have it, nor know anyone who does, but from what I know there is an image of the speedway in there
Would NASCAR have an archive of those?
Great story! I love this kind of deep-dive into the history of the events long gone today. Thank you for sharing! Good luck with the bounty!
Welcome back from the trip! Hope you had fun.
I lived in Easley, SC, for a long time, about a mile away from Greenville Pickens. This was many years ago. At the time I worked for Doc Layton, a successful construction contractor in the area. Doc was the quintessential good ol' boy. He sponsored a race car for his son. Back then they had a pit wall made of brick and concrete that jutted out into the track. Layton's boy hit the butt end of that wall going full tilt boogie. He lived but laid up in the hospital for a couple of months. Never did race again. I split to follow a new career up north later that year so I lost track of everyone there. I hear they took the wall out soon after.
Anyway I subscribe to your channel now and it is good to hear some of the doings down home. I am kind of surprised the track is still there and getting better all the time. Good on ya! So I thought I'd drop a line and say hello.
Oh, by the way - I never heard of Air Base Speedway either.
I really liked this video! Keep up the good work.
I haven't really been interested in Nascar since the 90's,but stumbled across your channel and have to say it actually makes it fun to pay attention again. Good stuff 👍
i would almost wanna talk about the big 1.5 mile track that use to be .5 mile in the 1950s called Handford motor speedway that's another interesting track i looked up if you wanna know
I still LOVE the fact I live in Gville SC near what use to be this track. Like 15-20mins from me near the Mauldin / Conestee area :)))
Great video, Glad your back from japan
I know that took a lot of effort so, than you! I've lived in Greenville all my life and love looking up the history of this great town. I used to frequent GPS but never knew about ABS until now. Again, thank you!
You’re videos are great and I like the videos about all of the interesting tracks most people don’t know about, and keep up the good work
We had State Fair Speedway here in Shreveport that hosted NASCAR events. It was the first track in the country to have luxury penthouse-style seating. There was a golf clubhouse in the infield that was used to host the high-rollers of the day during races, IIRC.
Have you thought about contacting the local history group or check the town records for more info about taxes and build INFO? If you have a address you should get details from the tax records for when it was build and who owned the land. Also the town historic group should have some details also about the history of the area.
You should take a look at kalamazoo speedway in kalamazoo michigan. Its the fastest 3/8 mile oval in the world. It was nascar sanctioned until a year or so ago. I think you'll really enjoy looking into this great achievement of man. The track is still in use very much every weekend to be exact.
Long lost track next to airbase. Has lights, chemical treatment on track, concrete walls, no restrooms for visitors, forgotten. Sounds like government tests to me.
What an amazing story. Loved it. You're helping to reignite my interest in NASCAR after not caring for 25 years. You should do a story on lakewood just because of how interesting the area is today. Featured in Smokey and the Bandit, etc. But maybe all the old tracks are that interesting.
The hunt is on for this obscure track.
I would love to see NASCAR revisit old tracks that they don't use any more and do a small race maybe even rebuild the old tracks that have been forgotten
Me: *Talks to friend on facetime*
*sees S1apSh0es video*
Me: "SORRY GTG NEW VIDEO!!!"
I love documentary like old abandoned things....this best time of the year to go on a long road trip.
The best NASCAR youtuber.
That’s crazy. I’d literally come home from school past that warehouse everyday and never knew or would’ve thought there was once a NASCAR race that happened there. That’s awesome. I really really wish my dad was still around so I could tell him about it.
RIP Anthoine Hubert 1996-2019
This was an amazing story, thank you for this video and still can't believe people got you some images!!!
Well done everyone!!! NASCAR Community is one forever!
NOW THIS CAN BE A CREEPYPASTA!
Your videos are one of the only that make NASCAR actually look and sound exciting.