abandoned race tracks

**Rob00Taws6** · 08-18-2011, 03:31 PM

So, I've always been kinda interested in abandoned things. and I say that new durango commercial, and it got me thinking, I'm new to southern Maryland, I wonder if there is an abandoned track near me? And, to my surprise I found two.

Marlboro Motor Raceway, witch was running from 1952-69. It looks like it must have been an amazing place, there is a circle track and a road course.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=...&om=1 look up (Wssc Treatment Plant Road, Greater Upper Marlboro, MD) its closer to rt 301
you can see the oval really well, and kinda see the faint outline of the road course, wouldn't mind going there to see it some day soon.
Marlboro Motor Raceway

The other one is a drag strip Aquasco Speedway.
Aquasco Speedway
neck rd aquasco md - Google Maps
Its right next to Neck road. It opened in 1957 and closed in 78 for "environmental reasons"

Think it be interesting to remember these places and see how many of them are actually out there!

***SMWS6TA*** · 08-18-2011, 05:17 PM

I would love to own a track.

**pajeff02** · 08-18-2011, 05:42 PM

The track owner at Beaver Springs Dragway stopped by our house one afternoon last Fall. He had us go for a ride with him and we headed off east of Beaver Springs towards Selinsgrove on Route 522. On the other side of Middleburg, he took a left onto a side road and after a couple of turns pulled into a commercial chicken facility. He stopped the car, we got out and looked around -- not having a clue why we were there. He told us that we were at the original U.S 522 Dragway where he first raced, I am guessing in the late 1960's. We were standing in the area of the staging lanes and what had been the track was now a long building that housed the chicken coops built right over the track surface. The track ceased operation some time in the 1970's. It was damn near a religious experience being there and listening to the story about how it lead him to open Beaver Springs Dragway.

**ls1camino** · 08-18-2011, 05:57 PM

Wow...it's really cool to see the skeleton of the tracks from the air. I wonder how bad the surface really is. I don't think I could get a 10 second pass on it, but it would be cool place to stage street racing, considering it's out of the public's way.

**silverWS6** · 08-18-2011, 08:41 PM

We had one just close here a few years ago, well maybe like 10ish years now. It was a 1/4 mile strip called "Thunder Alley", I went there once before it closed but my dad says we went a lot of times when I was a little kid and he went too before I was born.

Here it is! If you follow "Araceli Rd" its right up that road, you can see the burnout boxes, turnaround, tower and all!
Google Maps Type in this "15701 Montana Ave El Paso, TX 79938"

Here's a youtube vid that I found too:

And last but not least, I tried visiting the track once cause I heard there was a way to get it but the gate was locked up and my car was not gonna offroad to get in

**Mark98SS** · 08-19-2011, 08:35 AM

I attended SCCA races at Marlboro way back as a kid was a fun time. There was also Beltsville Speedway on Powder Mill Rd at the BW Parkway. 1/2 mile banked oval late model track, ran from 1965 to 1978. There's a technical school on the site now. Link: Beltsville Speedway

***SMWS6TA*** · 08-19-2011, 12:28 PM

I swear if I won the lotto I would find an old airfield and convert it to a track and use the hangers as a self help car shop with multiple bays.

**Rob00Taws6** · 08-19-2011, 05:54 PM

This is the only 1966 Pontiac GTO to run in Competition on the NASCAR Grand Circuit from 1966 to 1969. This car was originally built by Bobby Allison and Associates. It was raced only twice by Bobby bearing the number 12 and painted this gold and red with the Coca-Cola sponsorship. The car was then sold to HB Bailey of Houston, Texas. He painted the car gold and black and changed the number to 36. It was crashed at Darlington and sold to Roy Tyner of Red Springs, North Carolina. Roy converted the car to a 1967 by changing the rear clip and the front grilles. He painted the car white with red numbers 9 (and sometimes 09). After engine failure the GTO was retired after a total of 33 Grand National Races and 6,576 laps of competition. The car never won a Grand National Race and the highest it finished was 4th. The car was then sold to Herb Houston of Rapseburg, Mayland in 1971. The car was put back together with the help of Smokey Yunick. Its number was changed to 24 and competed in NASCAR late Model Sportsman races at Beltsville Speedway from 1971 until the track closed in 1979. The car made occasional trips to Manassas, VA and Langley Field, VA, two trips to Concord, NC and one trip to Martinsville, VA, but Beltsville was 'home track'.

(Here's what it looked like after 1971)

http://ultimategto.com/1966/66_00296_3.jpg

Was looking up the Beltsville track and found this! I saw Smokeys Best Damn Garage in town as a sponsors of this GTO. Read a few of Smokey's books and all i can say is the guy was genius!

**Rob00Taws6** · 08-19-2011, 06:28 PM

Originally Posted by ls1camino

Wow...it's really cool to see the skeleton of the tracks from the air. I wonder how bad the surface really is. I don't think I could get a 10 second pass on it, but it would be cool place to stage street racing, considering it's out of the public's way.

they show a picture of the current track surface, I probably wouldn't, be a very cool place to see though, i wish the road surface was better at Malboro. Its all personal preference, but for me, their is nothing better than a 6 speed and a real twisty road! that's one thing i haven't found yet here in Maryland. In Connecticut i lived about an hour away form Lime Rock, i never was on the track but I'd have a ball on music mountain road.

**TLS_Addict** · 08-19-2011, 06:38 PM

Jeff, there is a dirt track up on top the hill from Elkland to Addison. On the top of the hill going towards Addison if you look left you can see a circle dirt track. However, 15 miles away is another dirt track that is slightly larger named Woodhull Raceway. This track though looks decent. The dirt track is still able to be seen and you can make out the outside of the track and the in-field.

I would LOVE to open it and turn it in to a flat track or with slight banking. It would be a hoot.

**Mark98SS** · 08-19-2011, 06:56 PM

Originally Posted by Rob00Taws6

they show a picture of the current track surface, I probably wouldn't, be a very cool place to see though, i wish the road surface was better at Malboro. Its all personal preference, but for me, their is nothing better than a 6 speed and a real twisty road! that's one thing i haven't found yet here in Maryland. In Connecticut i lived about an hour away form Lime Rock, i never was on the track but I'd have a ball on music mountain road.

Summit Point, WV

Link Summit Point Motorsports Park

**silverWS6** · 08-19-2011, 10:09 PM

Originally Posted by SMWS6TA

I swear if I won the lotto I would find an old airfield and convert it to a track and use the hangers as a self help car shop with multiple bays.

Our old track here was a airport strip actually

then they closed it down also and about 3 yrs ago they opened up our current track which is making alot of progress

**Rob00Taws6** · 08-20-2011, 05:12 PM

Originally Posted by Mark98SS

Summit Point, WV

Link Summit Point Motorsports Park

Place looks amazing, one of these days I'll have to take a road trip up there.

**INMY01TA** · 08-21-2011, 05:45 AM

That Marlboro circle track is about 20 minutes from my house. I'm gonna drive by and check it out next time I got the TA out.

**Rob00Taws6** · 08-21-2011, 01:14 PM

Originally Posted by INMY01TA

That Marlboro circle track is about 20 minutes from my house. I'm gonna drive by and check it out next time I got the TA out.

ya some day soon Im going to take a trip over there! let me know how it looks!

**allbaugh_04** · 08-22-2011, 06:12 PM

Here's ours.... scribner ne - Google Maps

It was in the middle of bumfk no where but yet it was packed when I went there. Dad only took me once, maybe twice, but it was one of the few things I remember as a kid. It only takes a little seed to plant the drag racer in me

**INMY01TA** · 11-02-2011, 11:50 AM

I drove down today and checked out the Upper Marlboro track. There was a guy sitting at a picnic table there. He said the tracks been closed for long time and they operate a plumbing business from there. (I couldn't see where, every dwelling there looks like someplace Jason from Friday the 13th would live in) but the guy was nice and said I could look around. It was definaetely a cool thing to see. I forgot my damn camera but I'm gonna go back one day with it.

**SiggyZ** · 11-02-2011, 12:37 PM

As of now ours is now in that category (until it becomes a place for more rocks).

**suede** · 11-02-2011, 02:36 PM

my lil ol hometown had a 1/4 mile circle track that noone wanted to run anymore when the owner died, so it still just sits, hell the last year it was up and running i got to see the world of outlaws come and tear it up, even all the big names themselves

**cpop98ws6** · 11-02-2011, 04:50 PM

Pocno Drag Lodge, it closed in the early 70's. Its 15 min from my house, about 3 years ago they started a reunion and they get hundreds of people there. Back in the day it was a pretty good drag strip.
Drag Racing Story of the Day - Pocono Drag Lodge Lives Again