Yet Another Ticket and a Short Story

melvin289

In 1970 Nascar ran 3 dirt track races. Two at Columbia, SC and one at Raleigh, NC. Raleigh was the last time Nascar ran on dirt with the fall Columbia race being the next to last. Posted is a ticket stub from the next to last race the Nascar elite ran on a dirt track. We got there just before the race and could only get tickets in the front row of the 4th turn. I wore a white shirt to the race and a South Carolina red clay mud colored one home. Had always wanted to see Nascar on dirt and had to take advantage of this oportunity.
If I am not mistaken Bobby Isaac won this race in the K&K Dodge # 71.

Ron

Edited to add: I just Googled this race. It was run on 8-6-70. the Raleigh race was run on 9-30-70 (if I didn't forget that fast) Richard Petty won the Raleigh race and Bobby Isaac did win Columbia.

MBMiller25

Very cool, thanks for sharing

DavidPuddy

Any idea where that track is/was located? I live in Cayce/West Columbia and would like to check it out.

melvin289

<< <i>Any idea where that track is/was located? I live in Cayce/West Columbia and would like to check it out. >>



Don't mean to show my age but that was 40 years ago. It was also the only time I was ever at that track. Sorry I can't help you with any better information. If it has gone the way of most old Southern dirt tracks it was bulldozed under years ago and apartments stand there now.
I remember that sitting on the front row the track was eye level. With the banking we were below the racing surface.

Ron

DavidPuddy

Found it. It's only about 2 miles from my house. I've seen a sign for a "Dirt track" but never thought much of it. Very cool.

Columbia Speedway on Google maps


Edited to add: 2500

DavidPuddy

Columbia Speedway Wiki

melvin289

<< <i>Found it. It's only about 2 miles from my house. I've seen a sign for a "Dirt track" but never thought much of it. Very cool.

Columbia Speedway on Google maps


Edited to add: 2500 >>



Those were the glory days of Nascar. If given the oportunity you should try to see the track. In 1970 Nascar ran 48 races. Many of them were on such tracks. The one track I regret never seeing a race on was Hillborough, NC. It was a 9/10 of a mile dirt and there was a mound, hill, hump, or whatever on the backstretch. Hickory Speedway, on U.S. 321 in Hickory, NC was a 4/10 mile paved track. Back then Nascar started 44 cars. The last time I saw Nascar at Hickory the pole car was almost directly behind the 44 place car for the start of the race.

We didn't have professional baseball or football but we had Nascar.

Ron