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From Braselton to Disney World: Tracks Lost to The Early Days of NASCAR’s National Series

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The NASCAR schedule is historically full of tracks that saw few races and are essentially lost to time. After the modernization of the NASCAR Cup schedule in 1972, which cut the schedule from 48 races to 31, few of these tracks remained in the modern Cup Series schedule. However, being lower divisions of NASCAR, the Xfinity and Craftsman Truck Series also had early schedules full of tracks that only hosted a few races before schedule shifting left them to be forgotten by fans.

Orange County Speedway – NASCAR Xfinity Series

The 3/8ths of a mile track found in Rougemont, North Carolina, has now become synonymous with late model racing, but at one time was a staple of the then NASCAR Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series. Hosting its first Xfinity Series race in 1983, the track would host three more races that season. This would continue as a trend for the track, which hosted the series for three races in 1985 and 1987. The schedule would settle to two races until its final year on the schedule in 1994.

In its place, the series would add the track now known as Homestead-Miami Speedway for 1995; in all, the track hosted 27 races from 1985 to 1994. Notably, Hermie Sadler won the last two races at the track, his first and only wins in NASCAR’s National Series. The track still operates and runs an extensive late model schedule, including series such as the CARS Tour.

Lanier National Speedway – NASCAR Xfinity Series

Now known as Caffeine and Octane’s Lanier Raceway, the .375-mile oval hosted the NASCAR Xfinity Series from 1988 to 1992. Located in Braselton, Georgia, the track found a consistent spot in the early part of the Xfinity Series schedule during its four years in the series. At the time of the first race, the track was less than ten years old, but the small market was not enough for the track to remain on the schedule. Notably, that market was crowded by the top-tier road course Road Atlanta, located across the street.

With a shortened schedule for 1993 and the addition of Milwaukee, the track was removed after 1992. Despite a quiet time in the Xfinity Series, the track had two notable events. First, in 1990, Chuck Bown qualified on the pole, led all 200 laps, and, more notably, lapped all but two cars in the 30-car field. Second, in 1991, future Xfinity Series Champion David Green won his first race at the track, leading 111 laps and leaving second-place finisher Jeff Gordon in the dust. Caffeine and Octane now own the track and host a diverse schedule of events yearly.

Jefco Speedway – NASCAR Xfinity Series

Opened in 1967, Jefco Speedway, more recently known as Gresham Motorsports Park, hosted the NASCAR Xfinity Series from 1986 to 1987. Despite its short time in the series, the track in Jefferson, Georgia, has a winding history with NASCAR. The track hosted the NASCAR Cup Series in 1968 and 1969 before the downsizing of the schedule in 1972. Bobby Isaac showed a knack for the half-mile oval in the two races, winning one race and leading 282 of the 400 laps he ran at the track in the Cup Series. On the Xfinity side, Larry Pearson ran well at the track, winning both races in 1987 while not qualifying out of the top five in all three races.

After the departure of the Xfinity Series, a NASCAR touring series would not return to the facility for 23 years. With its return, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, now the ARCA Menards Series East, brought the future of NASCAR to the track, with Ty Dillon winning the 2010 race and Kyle Larson winning at the track in 2012. However, this would be the last go-round for the track; 2014 would be the final year of racing at the track, with a one-off race in 2020 marking the end of the track’s life.  During that life, the track notably hosted the World Crown 300, an event won by short track legend Dick Trickle and NASCAR Champion Chase Elliott.

Heartland Park Topeka – NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series

In its first season, the then-NASCAR Supertruck Series boasted a diverse schedule that took the trucks across the country to tracks of varying discipline. One of the most notable examples of this was found in Kansas. Years before Kansas Speedway hosted NASCAR, Heartland Park Topeka played host to the NASCAR Truck Series. The 14-turn, 2.5-mile road course opened in 1989 and was built to be a modern Motorplex featuring different layouts and a quarter-mile drag strip.

The track would become a staple of the young series, with legends Ron Hornaday Jr. and Mike Skinner would win the first two races. In the 1997 event, 52-year-old Joe Ruttman would win the race as part of a five-win season for the veteran driver. A notable piece of trivia about the track is that it played host to Rick Hendrick’s lone Truck Series start, Hendrick started sixth and finished 16th.  Mike Bliss would win the track’s final race in 1999. In 2000, NASCAR revamped the Truck Series schedule. This included shortening the schedule, adding Daytona and Kentucky and removing small market tracks like Topeka and I-70 in Missouri. The track would continue hosting various racing series until 2023 when it would shut down and is currently for sale.

Chicago Motor Speedway – NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series

A forgotten step in the history of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Chicago Motor Speedway in Cicero, Illinois. While NASCAR’s Chicagoland Speedway was set to open in 2001, Chicago Motor Speedway was pushed forward by CART, with the series hosting its first race at the venue in 1999. The 1.029-mile oval would also explore stock car racing to fill its early schedule. NASCAR first sent the Craftsman Truck Series to the track in 2000, where then 55-year-old Joe Ruttmann took the victory for Bobby Hamilton Racing.

The track would have a short lifetime in the series, and the 2001 event would be the last race at the track. However, it would not be without a bit of history. In a day where eight drivers lead at least one of the scheduled 175 laps, one young driver would lead 17 laps in his NASCAR National Series debut. This driver would be 16-year-old Las Vegas native Kyle Busch, driving for Jack Roush.

After this final race in 2001, CART would also remove the track in from its schedule in 2002. Upon the departure of the two series, the track underwent a long period of demolition after its 2003 closure. By 2009, the demolition was completed, and the site is now host to a warehouse and Walmart Supercenter.

Walt Disney World Speedway – NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series

Walt Disney World Speedway was an attempt by Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Walt Disney World to appeal to the race fans of Central Florida. Built on Walt Disney World’s property, the mile-long track had three turns, all of which were banked differently. The track also featured a Mickey Mouse-shaped lake along the back stretch.

Upon its 1996 opening, the track would be a fixture of the newly founded Indy Racing League, supplying a much-needed track to the series schedule. NASCAR would host its first Truck Series race at the venue in 1997. Ageless wonder Joe Ruttman would win the debut race at the track after only leading three laps. The 1998 race saw a dominant performance from Chuck Bown before Ron Hornaday Jr. walked away with the win.

The truck series would depart the track after the 1998 race, and IRL would leave after the 2000 season. After the series departure, the only sign of NASCAR on the track was the Richard Petty Driving Experience, and by the track’s 20th birthday, Walt Disney World would close the venue. While it was a short-lived experiment, the track, competing with Daytona International Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway for room in Florida, seemed doomed from early on.  

Conclusion

While these are a few examples of tracks left to days past, they are examples of how times continue to change in NASCAR, and how a series develops stays the same. As the Xfinity and Truck Series grew in popularity, they left tracks behind, like the NASCAR Cup Series did in 1972. While some of these tracks continue to live, some met a crueler fate, and while racetracks come and go, the sport that graces them will continue to race, no matter what.   

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Kauy Ostlien

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