Middletown Track Continues a Tradition That Began in 1919
Story By: JOHN SNYDER / OCFS MEDIA
Photos By: HARRY & JANE CELLA / RACERSGUIDE.COM
MIDDLETOWN, NY – April 9, 2017-.While the Saturday, April 22 Opening Night marks the 68th consecutive year of weekly stock car racing at Orange County Fair Speedway, the track’s history dates back to 1857 when it was first laid out for horse racing. The first automobile race on the Middletown, New York oval took place on August 15, 1919, when Jim Benedict of Katonah, New York drove a Duesenberg Special to victory.
From that first event through September 1941, open wheel racing—in cars similar to those raced at Indianapolis and the predecessors of modern sprint cars—was an annual staple on the fairgrounds track.
In early 1942, a one-fifth-mile asphalt track was constructed inside the larger dirt oval. One or more races may have taken place on the little track before all racing was halted for the duration of World War II, but no records of these events have ever surfaced.
The midget racing craze that swept the nation following the War rolled into Middletown as well. The first post-War race was an ARDC midget event held on June 12, 1946. Winning the feature race that historic evening was Wild Bill Holmes.
Over the next two years midget and “Big Car” racing held sway at Orange County, but on September 18, 1948 the first stock car race was run. Rocky DiNatale was credited with the victory over Frankie Schneider. At least ten stock car races were run the following year, although they were not scheduled on a weekly basis.
That would change in 1950. Mark April 15, 1950 as the first official weekly stock car race meet at Orange County. Tex Enright, who gained more fame as a starter, won the feature that night. Russ Dodd, who posted seven feature wins in 1950, was the first stock car champion.
And so 68 years later, stock car racing continues to be the featured attraction on the Orange County Hard Clay track. Over the course of those first 67 seasons, many of the greatest names in Modified stock car history have raced and won at Orange County. That tradition continues in 2017.
Sponsored by Halmar International, opening night action on the five-eighths-mile Orange County “Hard Clay” will include four divisions—the headline Big-Block Modifieds, Small Block Modifieds, Sportsman, and Street Stocks—in a series of qualifying races that will set the fields for the feature events. The first race gets the green flag at 6:30 P.M.
Adult admissions to Orange County Fair Speedway weekly races remains at $15, seniors $13, and children 12 and under $1.00. Advance ticket sales and track information is available at the Track Office. Call 845-342-2573 during business hours.
