speedway staple
Inside the abandoned NASCAR track once ‘fastest in the country’ overrun by nature and flattened for a parking lot
FLEMINGTON Speedway was once the oldest operating race track to hold weekly racing events until its closure at the start of the century.
The speedway was created as a nineteenth-century fairgrounds horse racing track before converting to vehicles.
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Originally the track was a half-mile, four-cornered dirt oval.
In 1911, motorcycles were first allowed to race on the track.
Soon after, the venue's grandstand was constructed and remained standing until the speedway's demolition in 2005.
Auto races became a high point of the annual Flemington Fair, with stock car racing becoming the weekly attraction after lighting was built in 1955.
In 1966, the speedway was reworked and received a major upgrade.
It was increasing it's length to a 5/8th mile, semi-banked rounded rectangle, dubbed "The Square."
24 years later, the track got its last renovation.
Flemington speedway was paved in 1990, increasing speeds dramatically and causing a series of crashes.
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After the crashes and injuries drivers endured, Flemington made final improvements by adding foam blocks to the walls.
Speeds got so high that fans claimed the speedway was the "fastest in the country."
Unfortunately, Flemington continuously lost money after being paved and closed in 2002.
The property was sold off to developers and demolished in 2005.
It's still viewable via renderings from Google Earth, but the speedway is completely flattened.
A parking lot and Lowe's store now occupies the defunct speedway property.
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