Trenton Speedway was a racing facility located near Trenton, New Jersey at the New Jersey State Fairgrounds. Races for the United States' premier open-wheel and full-bodied racing series of the times were held at Trenton Speedway.
Racing history[]
The first race at the Fairgrounds was held on September 24, 1900 but racing wouldn't return until 1907. Regular racing began in 1912 and continued until 1941. A new 1 mile dirt oval was opened in 1946. In 1957 the track was paved. It operated in that configuration until 1968 when the track was expanded to 1.5 miles (2.41 km) and a "kidney bean" shape with a 20° dogleg on the back stretch and a wider turn 3 & 4 complex than turns 1 & 2. The track closed in 1980 and the Fairgrounds itself closed 3 years later. The former site of the speedway is now the Grounds for Sculpture.
NASCAR at Trenton Speedway[]
Trenton hosted the NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup series 8 times: once each May in 1958 and 1959, and once each July from 1967 to 1972. Richard Petty led all drivers with three Trenton Grand National victories.[1]
AAA and USAC at Trenton Speedway[]
Trenton was a long-time stop for the AAA and USAC Championship Car series. Its first recognized Champ Car race was held in 1949 on the dirt mile. The series didn't return until 1957 when the track was paved, but when it did, at least one Champ Car race was held every year until 1979. The final Champ Car races held in 1979 at the track were sanctioned by CART. During his career A. J. Foyt won twelve Indy Car races at Trenton Speedway.
Major races for NASCAR Modifieds[]
Race of Champions[]
From 1972 to 1976, Trenton Speedway hosted the Race of Champions modified race. Five different drivers won the five RoC events at Trenton. In 1977, the Race of Champions was moved to Pocono Raceway.
Other National Championship races for NASCAR Modifieds[]
From 1958 to 1971, a NASCAR National Championship race for Sportsman-Modified Stock Cars was held annually at Trenton Speedway, promoted by Sam Nunis. Through 1962, these were hundred-lap races. In 1963, the race was expanded to 200 laps, making it one of the longest and highest-paying races for Modified and Sportsman racers in the country. Ray Hendrick from Virginia was the leading winner of these races, driving the Jack Tant-owned number 11.[2]
State Fair "Triple Headers"
During the mid 1960's, at the time of the State Fair in September, the speedway hosted a special "Triple Header" event. A 50 lap modified-sportsman race and two 25 lap races, one for URC Sprint Cars and one for ARDC Midgets was staged. These were some of the most exciting races for local drivers to compete on the 1 mile asphalt track. The likes of the colorful drivers of the era were named "Jiggs" Peters, "Gig" Stephens, "Wiggles" Johnson and "Pee Wee" Griffin.
A 100 mile Super-Modified race was also held in 1968 and many racers from the Oswego Speedway competed. Steve Krisiloff, aged 21 (later to become an Indy Car driver) won the race to the surprise of many.
Race results[]
All winning drivers were Template:Country flagicon American.
AAA Championship Car[]
| Season | Date | Winning Driver | Chassis | Engine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | June 19 | Myron Fohr | Marchese | Offy |
USAC Championship Car[]
| Season | Date | Winning Driver | Chassis | Engine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | September 29 | Pat O'Connor | Kuzma | Offy |
| 1958 | March 30 | Len Sutton | Kuzma | Offy |
| 1958 | September 28 | Rodger Ward | Lesovsky | Offy |
| 1959 | April 19 | Tony Bettenhausen | Kuzma | Offy |
| 1959 | September 27 | Eddie Sachs | Meskowski | Offy |
| 1960 | April 10 | Rodger Ward | Watson | Offy |
| 1960 | September 25 | Eddie Sachs | Kuzma | Offy |
| 1961 | April 9 | Eddie Sachs | Ewing | Offy |
| 1961 | September 24 | Eddie Sachs | Kuzma | Offy |
| 1962 | April 8 | A. J. Foyt | Meskowski | Offy |
| 1962 | July 22 | Rodger Ward | Watson | Offy |
| 1962 | September 23 | Don Branson | Watson | Offy |
| 1963 | April 21 | A. J. Foyt | Meskowski | Offy |
| 1963 | July 28 | A. J. Foyt | Trevis | Offy |
| 1963 | September 22 | A. J. Foyt | Trevis | Offy |
| 1964 | April 19 | A. J. Foyt | Watson | Offy |
| 1964 | July 19 | A. J. Foyt | Watson | Offy |
| 1964 | September 27 | Parnelli Jones | Lotus | Ford |
| 1965 | April 25 | Jim McElreath | Brabham | Offy |
| 1965 | July 18 | A. J. Foyt | Lotus | Ford |
| 1965 | September 26 | A. J. Foyt | Lotus | Ford |
| 1966 | April 24 | Rodger Ward | Lola | Offy |
| 1966 | September 25 | Mario Andretti | Brawner | Ford |
| 1967 | April 23 | Mario Andretti | Brawner | Ford |
| 1967 | September 24 | A. J. Foyt | Coyote | Ford |
| 1968 | April 21 | Bobby Unser | Eagle | Offy |
| 1968 | September 22 | Mario Andretti | Brawner | Offy |
| 1969 | July 19 | Mario Andretti | Brawner | Ford |
| 1969 | September 21 | Mario Andretti | Brawner | Ford |
| 1970 | April 26 | Lloyd Ruby | Laycock | Offy |
| 1970 | October 3 | Al Unser | Colt | Offy |
| 1971 | April 25 | Mike Mosley | Watson | Ford |
| 1971 | October 3 | Bobby Unser | Eagle | Offy |
| 1972 | April 23 | Gary Bettenhausen | McLaren | Offy |
| 1972 | September 24 | Bobby Unser | Eagle | Offy |
| 1973 | April 15 | A. J. Foyt | Coyote | Foyt |
| 1973 | April 15 | Mario Andretti | Parnelli | Offy |
| 1973 | September 23 | Gordon Johncock | Eagle | Offy |
| 1974 | April 7 | Bobby Unser | Eagle | Offy |
| 1974 | September 22 | A. J. Foyt | Coyote | Foyt |
| 1974 | September 22 | Bobby Unser | Eagle | Offy |
| 1975 | April 6 | A. J. Foyt | Coyote | Foyt |
| 1975 | September 21 | Gordon Johncock | Wildcat | DGS |
| 1976 | May 2 | Johnny Rutherford | McLaren | Offy |
| 1976 | August 15 | Gordon Johncock | Wildcat | DGS |
| 1977 | April 30 | Wally Dallenbach, Sr. | Wildcat | DGS |
| 1978 | April 23 | Gordon Johncock | Wildcat | DGS |
| 1978 | September 23 | Mario Andretti | Penske | Cosworth |
CART Champ Car[]
| Season | Date | Winning Driver | Chassis | Engine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | June 10 | Bobby Unser | Penske | Cosworth |
| 1979 | June 10 | Bobby Unser | Penske | Cosworth |
| 1979 | August 19 | Rick Mears | Penske | Cosworth |
NASCAR Grand National/Winston Cup[]
| Season | Date | Winning Driver | Manufacturer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | May 30 | Fireball Roberts | Chevrolet |
| 1959 | May 17 | Tom Pistone | Ford |
| 1967 | July 9 | Richard Petty | Plymouth |
| 1968 | July 14 | Lee Roy Yarbrough | Ford |
| 1969 | July 13 | David Pearson | Ford |
| 1970 | July 12 | Richard Petty | Plymouth |
| 1971 | July 18 | Richard Petty | Plymouth |
| 1972 | July 16 | Bobby Allison | Chevrolet |