Hagerstown Speedway, The Early Years (1948 to 1973)

By John Nelson

Pesotum, Illinois

July 1, 2020

Years of Struggle 1948 to 1962

         Hagerstown Speedway came into being in May 1947 when Tom Stenger, owner of an amusement park six miles west of Hagerstown, started to build a half-mile dirt track on his property.  For inspiration, he looked north to Williams Grove Speedway, which opened in 1939, also as an adjunct to an amusement park and quickly becoming one of the most renowned speed plants in the East.  As with the Grove, Stenger planned to operate on a specials-only basis, bringing in top-level Midget, Big Car, stock car, and motorcycle touring circuits.  Stenger named his new track Conococheague Speedway after Conococheague Creek, which flows next to the property.  

         The debut took place on August 29, 1948 with modified stock cars of the American Stock Car Racing Association.  Organized in October 1947 in Trenton, New Jersey, ASCRA actually was two months older than NASCAR, which in its debut 1948 season, was running exclusively Modified stocks. Conococheague’s advertised $3,000 purse (over $30,000 in today’s money) attracted leading drivers from North and South, including several who normally raced with Bill France’s organization.  Leading the pack to the checkered flag was Curtis Turner from Roanoke, Virginia.  Second through fifth were Wally Campbell of Trenton, the defending 1947 ASCRA champion and future NASCAR Modified champion; the future NASCAR Grand National champion Buck Baker, Buddy Shuman, and Tommy Bradshaw.

         Hagerstown held seven more racing meets in 1948, including Central States Racing Association (CSRA) Midgets and Big Cars, AMA motorcycles, and open-wheel Roadsters from the Eastern Roadster Racing Club of Albany, New York. Although sometimes derided as “jalopies” or “hot rods”, the Roadsters were an important training ground for big-time open-wheel racing (including Indianapolis) and they were also featured at Williams Grove during this time period.

         For 1949, Conococheague continued with the same type of program.  Again, there were AAA Midgets and Big Cars, Roadsters, stock cars, and AMA motorcycles. Joie Chitwood’s thrill show made two appearances, and in the fall the raceway hosted a rodeo and a Western music performance by the Sons of the Pioneers. 

         A temporary roadblock came in June 1949 when Speedway promoter Calvin Shank was arrested and charged with violating Maryland’s ancient “blue law” forbidding certain forms of entertainment on Sunday.  Determined to press forward a test case, Shank pled not guilty and demanded a jury trial.  Although he was convicted and fined $5, the speedway soon reverted to its traditional Sunday-afternoon schedule. A flurry of similar cases were brought to trial around the state, many ending in hung juries and apparently convincing prosecutors of the futility of enforcing this outdated law. An item in the 12/28/72 Daily Mail implied that the law still hadn’t been repealed – but obviously was no longer enforced, as Hagerstown ran on Sundays throughout the period covered by this article.

         In early 1950 a new corporation purchased the entire property.  Seeking easier recognition, they renamed the facility Hagerstown Speedway.  Midgets, Northern Auto Racing Association Big Cars, and ASCRA stock cars again were booked along with an auto thrill show presented by former Indianapolis winner Bill Holland.  More of the same took place in 1951.

         The 1952 season fell flat.  Rain forced cancellation of the opener.  Drag racing was announced for May 4 – how this was done on a dirt oval track was not explained!  Two weeks later, Ed Otto leased the speedway and started weekly NASCAR Sportsman racing.  Despite the fame and talent of the promoter, this first attempt at weekly racing lasted less than a month.  After canceling the June 22 program due to extreme heat, Otto announced a switch to night racing, but no further news from the speedway came until October, when a Midget race was held.

         A new promoter, Jim Raupach, built a flat ¼-mile dirt oval inside the larger track and reopened in late July 1953.  Raupach alternated weekly between motorcycle racing and stock cars of the Interstate Racing Association (no relation to the current Wisconsin-based Sprint Car club of the same name).  Two stock car shows were held before the speedway went silent for the balance of the season.

         Clem Lamaster tried his hand at promoting in 1954.  He returned to the half-mile track, with stock cars on Sunday afternoons.  Lamaster advertised throughout the season, but only a couple of race results made the local papers.  Much better documented is the 1955 season, when the Free State Stock Car Association took over sanction.  They ran Modified and Strictly Stock classes Sunday afternoons on the half- mile.  Several of the top regional drivers raced with Free State.  They included Glenn Guthrie, Ray Kable, Ed Lindsey, Pee Wee Pobletts, and Ralph Smith.  In August, Smith won so many features that Lamaster posted a $100 bounty for any driver who could beat him.  Lamaster himself would return later to Hagerstown as a driver, before taking on promoting at Winchester, Virginia.

         The 1956 season went by in a blur.  The promoter (name unknown) ran advertisements all season, but only one race result made the papers.  The weekly program comprised “Class A Stock Cars”, evidently all local drivers of little renown. 

         Bud Messner came onto the scene in 1957 and seems to have operated with a fair degree of success.  He started with weekly “Jalopy stock car racing”, mixing in a few special events.  These included United Racing Club (URC) Sprint Cars in August, and ALMARC (MARC/ARCA?) new-model stock cars on September 8.  Elmo Langley, Harold Brokhoff, and Roscoe “Pappy” Hough took part in the stock car event.  Specials in 1958 included MARC new cars on June 15, Penn-Mar new cars in July, and a one-time appearance by NASCAR Modifieds on September 14.  For 1959, Messner brought back the Free State club for weekly competition, featuring most of the drivers who raced in 1955.  New names who would figure in Hagerstown’s future were Johnny Roberts, Mert Stine, Bud Tester, and Red Nininger.  Penn-Mar new cars raced twice, Frankie Schneider taking the top prize on June 21.

         Bud Messner left Hagerstown at the end of the 1959 season.  A new promoting group came on for 1960.  They tried “Modified-Sportsman” cars, sanction unnamed.  The few reports mentioned Gene Goodling, Clem Lamaster, Red Nininger, and Mert Stine among the drivers.  But in July, Hagerstown Speedway fell silent, and would remain closed throughout 1961 and 1962. 

Years of Triumph 1963 to 1973   

         Howard Whittington, Adrian Durham, and Wayne Stouffer leased the speedway for the 1963 season.  Following two and a half years of neglect, the physical plant needed major work.  The grandstands had totally collapsed under heavy snow in February 1961.  With background in motorcycle racing, the new promotion team started with a mixed program of Midget, Sprint Car, and motorcycle competition.  The newly christened Hagerstown Raceway opened on April 21 with ARDC Midgets. 

         Facing lackluster turnout for the open-wheel program, the promoters turned to Modified racing in late June.  These were a mix of full coupes and sedans along with cut-down “bugs” as then were current at Lincoln and Williams Grove, Port Royal, and Winchester, Virginia.  Initially Modifieds raced every other Sunday afternoon, with a Limited Sportsman class in support.  The Modified purse was $1,200 with $200 going to the Modified feature winner and $100 to the Sportsman victor.  Among the leading drivers in 1963 were Ace Canupp, Bobby Gearhart, Glenn Guthrie, Clem Lamaster, Red Nininger, Pee Wee Pobletts, the two-time NASCAR National Modified champion Johnny Roberts, Ralph Smith, and Millard “Smokey” Stover.  Leading Sportsman pilots included Clem Lamaster (doing double duty), Pete Mitten, Mert Stine, and Bob Warren. No points were kept for the 1963 season.

         The Modifieds had virtually no engine restrictions.  They could run fuel injection and alcohol fuel.  Detailed specs for Limited Sportsman aren’t available; most likely these were mostly pre-war coupes and sedans limited to flathead V-8 and inline six-cylinder engines.  Many of the same drivers raced in this class at the St. Thomas Speedway in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.

         For 1964 Hagerstown went to weekly Sunday-afternoon open Modified and Limited Sportsman racing.  Notable new drivers joining the Modified fray were Bobby Abel, Gerald Chamberlain, and Ray Tilley.  As a sideline, a new ¼-mile oval was built in the infield for motorcycle and Midget events, but this was used on only a few occasions. For added variety, the URC Sprints came in on August 16, Bill Brown picking up his sixth feature win for the season.  Red Riegel set a time of 22.3 seconds in time trials, proclaimed an Eastern record for Sprint Cars on a half mile dirt track.  For comparison, Bobby Abel broke the Modified record with a clocking of 24 seconds flat on the same day.  Jack Bowsher of Springfield, Ohio was victorious in the ARCA stock car event on May 31.  This was the first year the club was titled ARCA (previously MARC).

         Hagerstown closed out the 1964 Modified season with the first running of the Hub City 100, paying the winner $500 out of a $2,000 purse.  The awards banquet in November crowned Bill Nalley the Modified point champion.  He won 33 main events in 1964, 6 of them at Hagerstown.  The Limited Sportsman class champion was Charles Beeler.

         The Limited Sportsman class was dropped for 1965 in favor of a new Limited Late Model class.  This was open to cars from 1950 to 1957 model years, with engines from manufacturer’s line.  As spectator counts grew, management installed 1,000 new bleacher seats in May, and raised the base purse to $1,750.  Among the Modifieds, many teams now were running “bugs” powered by 427 Ford and Chrysler Hemi engines.  Yet Johnny Roberts, driving a full-bodied Modified, was leading the Hagerstown points when he lost his life in a crash at Lincoln Speedway on July 25.  Hagerstown honored Roberts by retiring his number #8 and instituting an annual Johnny Roberts Memorial race, held throughout the Supermodified/Sprint era on Independence Day weekend.        

         Iggy Katona of Willis, Michigan won the ARCA 100-lapper on Memorial Day. 

         Another big change came in late June when at the request of many racing teams, Hagerstown switched from afternoon to night racing.  Under the blazing sun, the track became rock-hard and abrasive, very rough on tires.  Night racing made for much better multi-groove racing and naturally, the spectators favored it as well.  Average weekly attendance bloomed from 1,700 in 1964 to 2,700 in 1965, with car counts in the two classes pushing 80.  In September, the purse was again boosted to $2,750 with $400 to Modified feature winner.  After losing money the first two seasons, 1965 put Hagerstown Raceway solidly into the black.

         Growth continued apace for 1966.  Some 6,000 fans packed into the stands for the April 3 opener with 66 cars in the pits.  New faces among the Supermodifieds were future Sprint Car Hall of Famers Lynn Paxton, Mitch Smith, and Dick Tobias. The following season another Hall of Famer, Bobby Allen, joined the fray. One of the “original Outlaws”, Bobby Allen currently (2020) serves as crew chief for his son Jacob Allen and his grandson Logan Schuchart, both leading contenders on the World of Outlaws Sprint Car circuit. By August, some of the Hagerstown Supermodifieds were fitted with “air scoops” – top wings. 

         For 1967 Allen Stouffer, cousin of Wayne, joined the promotion team.  The guardrail was replaced, additional bleachers erected, and the track resurfaced with clay.  Opening day drew a crowd of 7,500.  The following week, 39 Supers and 44 Semi-Lates came through the gates.  Like most tracks in the areas, Hagerstown did not run time trials for regular weekly shows.  The program consisted of heat races, semi-feature or consolation, and main event.  Racing took place Sunday afternoons early and late season, switching to evenings during the summer.  Hagerstown news columnist John Frye noted that in 1967 Chevy-powered Supers captured 14 features, Fords 9.  Other cars had Pontiac and Chrysler Hemi power. The 30 X 90 frame was now pretty much standard. Semi-Lates were restricted to 330 cubic inches, although larger engines could be run in original chassis and body.  Rules called for one carburetor, gasoline fuel, and a locked rear end but no quick change.   1967 saw 11 different Supermodified feature winners, telling of highly competitive fields.

         For 1968 Hagerstown added another 1,250 bleacher seats, yet the opener played to standing room only.  For a short time, they tried racing twice weekly, Fridays and Sundays.  The purse was now $4,500, with $500 to the Supers and $150 to the Limited winner.  Among the Supermodifieds, nearly all now sported wings.  Port Royal already was allowing Sprint Cars to run, but Hagerstown held out till the end of the regular point season, allowing “converted Sprints” to race for the first time in post-season, open competition shows.  Kenny Weld made his first appearance in 1968.

         1969 saw the transition from the 30 X 90 Supermodified to the full-fledged Super Sprint.  Compared to the traditional Sprint Car (as in USAC and the URC), the Super Sprint had (1) full roll cage, (2) top wing, and (3) no engine size limit.  Although the small-block Chevy engine became dominant, a number of teams used big-block engines in the central Pennsylvania area and later, on the World of Outlaws tour, until about 1984, when the present 410-cubic-inch limit was adopted.  Some builders preferred the big blocks not only for power (albeit with a weight penalty), but claimed lower cost to build and longer intervals between costly rebuilds than the more highly stressed small-blocks.  However, by 1969 the high purse demands of the Super Sprints were beginning to tell.  Winchester dropped them in favor of Late Models. 

         Also 1969 saw continued influx of top professional drivers from distant states.  Lou Blaney and Rick Ferkel from Ohio made a number of shows along with Ralph Quarterson from western Pennsylvania.  Already on the scene were Kenny Weld of Kansas City and Bobby Allen and Bobby Adamson from Florida, all of whom relocated to Pennsylvania in quest of the highest paying Supermodified and Super Sprint events.  For the time being, with huge crowds overflowing the grandstands, Hagerstown gloried in this level of competition.

         1969 also was the final season for the Semi-Late division.  Claiming the championship title in his rookie season was Dennis Bonebrake – who went on to race through 45 seasons crowned by his 2014 induction into the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame.  His father was a longtime car builder, who previously won Hagerstown championships with drivers Mert Stine and Red Nininger.  At this juncture, Hagerstown transformed the Semi-Lates into a full-fledged Late Model class.

         Both divisions were retitled for 1970, Supermodifieds becoming Super Sprints and Semi-Lates becoming Modern Stocks.  While last year’s cars were still eligible in the latter class, the field now was opened  to cars up to the current year of manufacture, with minimum 115-inch wheelbase, admitting intermediate-size cars (such as Chevelle and Fairlane) but not compacts (Nova, Falcon).  Frame and front suspension had to be stock configuration, any size engine in manufacturer’s line could be fitted, with a single carburetor, no fuel injection.  This became the basic template for dirt Late Model cars until the early 1980s, when fully fabricated chassis and bodies took over.  In the March 12 Morning Herald, John Frye indicated that the old idea of using Semi-Lates as a training ground for the top division simply did not work out.  A single driver, John Ebersole, actually made the transition.  In the late 1960s the Semi-Late drivers, tired of being overlooked as a Hobby-type division, began to ask speedway management for parity.  This was not fully granted, although the weekly feature winner’s take was boosted to $300 and Hagerstown scheduled more frequent, better paying extra-distance specials for the Moderns.  Looking to Winchester’s experience, Hagerstown expected to see an influx of Late Model drivers from outside the immediate area, and this gradually came to pass.

         Speedway management surely was pleased when 90 race cars rolled through the gates on opening day for 1970.  And the Sprint field hosted three new future Hall of Famers: Jan Opperman, Lee Osborne, and Steve Smith, Sr. Duane “Pancho” Carter and multi-time URC champion Buck Buckley also made appearances.  Kenny Weld took winner’s trophies in the Johnny Roberts Memorial and the Wynn’s Nationals, while Bobby Allen copped the Hub City 100.  On the Late Model side, Buddy Armel won the 100-lap Maryland State Championship race on October 4, banking $800. 

         Few changes were introduced for 1971.  The ARDC Midgets made their first appearance since 1963.  This was, in fact, one of the few times touring groups came to Hagerstown since the speedway reopened.  The regular program was so strong that management had no need to spice up the program by bringing in outside series.  At this time, the only touring group for Super Sprints was the newly formed All Star Circuit of Champions, which (after a mid 1970s hiatus) is still going strong today.  The All Stars raced at Jennerstown, Selinsgrove, and Williams Grove during the early 1970s, but did not visit Hagerstown.

         Seven rainouts impacted the 1971 season.  Otherwise, the season seems to have gone well, with the Moderns attracting increased fan interest.  They were added to the Hub City program this year; Gary Snellbaker (no relation to Sprint standout Smokey) taking the Modern prize while Bobby Allen prevailed among the Sprints.  Allen also took the $1,500 first prize at the National All Star 100 on August 19, while Kenny Weld claimed the Johnny Roberts 100 trophy.

         A stock 6-cylinder class called Cadets was added to the program for 1972, making a three-division weekly card.  Also, Hagerstown Raceway began advertising more heavily in the local newspapers.  These developments likely reflected the drop-off in attendance for 1971 versus previous seasons.  John Frye observed that 1971 was in fact the first season when attendance at Hagerstown did not increase over the previous season.  In part this might have resulted from saturation of the market, but hard times were in store over the next few seasons.

         Swollen by torrential rains from tropical storm Agnes, Conococheague Creek surged out of its banks in late June, completely submerging the speedway and wrecking the grandstands.  Amazingly, speedway crews missed only two shows making repairs before reopening with the Johnny Roberts Memorial on July 9.  On August 13, Hagerstown took part in a five-track Sprint Car series, each race paying $800 to win and $2,500 going to the overall champion.  Steve Smith claimed the top prize, winning four out of the five events including Hagerstown’s.

           For 1973, Raceway management opted to present Super Sprint and Late Model (formerly Modern Stock) racing on alternate Sundays.  “The move is being made to increase interest in our two racing divisions,” explained Wayne Stouffer.  In previous seasons, the Sprint crews habitually loaded up and left after their feature while the Moderns were racing, depriving fans of the opportunity to meet Sprint drivers in the pits after the races.  In view of what was about to transpire, perhaps Stouffer had another motive, to directly gauge spectator interest in the Super Sprints versus to Late Models.

         There was no shortage of top drivers among the Sprints, with Keith Kaufmann and Kramer Williamson making their first appearances at the Raceway.  This year, however, the five-race “Summer Nationals” tour, a predecessor of Pennsylvania Sprint Week, skipped Hagerstown.

         In November 1973, Allen Stouffer announced that Hagerstown was dropping Super Sprints and “changing to a complete Late Model program in 1974…We have decided on the Late Models.  These are the cars that the local drivers want to run.  The Supers are campaigned by drivers from all over the country…This means that we had to depend on other areas for cars and drivers, and with stiff competition [from other speedways] or bad weather, this really hurt us last season,” Stouffer told John Frye in the November 9 Morning Herald. 

         Ultimately, the high purse demands of Super Sprint owners coupled with declining attendance was the deciding factor.  Most American speedways that raced Supermodifieds during the 1960s shifted to some form of Late Models in the early 1970s.  Only speedways with the strongest fan support could continue meeting payout requirements for the professionally built and driven Super Sprints.  In Hagerstown’s market area, Lincoln, Port Royal, Williams Grove and (at times) Penn National, Selinsgrove, and Susquehanna continued to field the sprinters.  These operations fully occupied the available race dates, fan base, and pool of racing teams – with the latter already depleted by the All Star circuit and shortly, by the World of Outlaws.  Then as now, south-central Pennsylvania was the epicenter for the hottest weekly winged Sprint Car racing in the nation.  Meanwhile, for the time being, the production-based Late Models offered a less costly alternative both for car owners and for raceway promoters.  In time, that would change…

         The primary sources for this narrative are the Hagerstown Morning Herald and other daily newspapers, accessed on www.newspapers.com.