Candlelite Stadium – Bridgeport, Connecticut

By John Nelson

Carl Brunetto, co-owner of the Bridgeport Bees minor-league baseball team, built Candlelite Stadium for the team in 1947. Brunetto also owned the adjacent Candlelite Restaurant, which had a terrace overlooking the park. The Bees played at Candlelite until 1951. Bill Tuthill opened a 1/5 mile paved oval track inside the stadium on June 30, 1947 for Midget racing. The stadium had seating for 7,000 spectators; the baseball showers and dressing room were available to the drivers. Stock car racing began March 27, 1949 under the new United Stock Car Racing Club. Ted Tappett won the feature race over Al Keller, Art Cross, Johnny Rogers, and a number of others. The stocks proved so popular that 4,000 seats were added for the start of the 1950 season. In 1953 the speedway ran 52 meets.

Candlelite ran strong during its brief existence, but 1954 proved to be the final full season. The Southern New York Racing Association ran a few shows here early in 1954 before Danbury opened for the season. Candlelite than went back with United. Jerry Humiston won five feature races in 1954. Other feature winners were Chick Stockwell, Doug Benjamin (2), Jack Nalley, and Hal McCarthy. The final stock car event at Candlelite, a 250-lap team race, took place on September 26, 1954.

The stadium was sold early in 1955 to E.M. Loew’s Theater, Inc. for $110,000. Grandstands had already been partially removed when the final Midget racing show took place on May 1. Loew replaced the stadium with two drive-in theaters, which later gave way to assorted commercial properties. The site is on the northeast side of River Street about midway between North Avenue (U.S. Rt. 1) and the Pequonnock River bridge in downtown Bridgeport.