Vintage nascar ticket stub thread - defunct/retired tracks

nascarticketstubs

I just wanted to share some cool pictures of tickets in my collection from some of the defunct and retired tracks from days long gone in Nascar history. I'll give a brief and informative history lesson about each ticket so maybe you can gain some valuable knowledge from some of NASCAR's legendary tracks and drivers (who in my opinion don't get enough credit or mention nowadays).

I'll add to this thread through the year as I get time and hopefully pick up some new additions.

The first ticket for this thread is from the Texas World Speedway in College Station, TX. It hosted a total of only 8 NASCAR races from 1969-1981. It features a great picture of Cale Yarborough in the famous Wood Brothers #21 Mercury.

This ticket is to the Inaugural Texas 500 from December 7th, 1969. It was the season ending race for that year and was won by NASCAR legend, Bobby Isaac. He actually lapped the field twice. This was an amazing year for Bobby because he won 17 races and 19 pole positions. He would use this momentum to win the Championship the following year. He died roughly 7 years after winning the Championship. After asking for a relief driver during a Late Model Sportsman race at Hickory Motor Speedway, he collapsed on pit road. He died at the hospital of a heart attack at only 45 years old.

melvin289

I love the ticket stub. Remember the track well. Always wanted to go there but 1200 miles was a pretty good haul. That was at College Station, Texas if I remember correctly.

Ron

Edited to add:

I'll see you a College Station and raise you a Columbia, SC. By the way this was the next to last race Nascar ran on dirt. They ran the last dirt race the next week in Raleigh, NC.

nascarticketstubs

cool ticket Ron, I've always wanted to add some of the smaller dirt tracks to my collection but they're almost impossible to date unless someone like you attended the race and wrote it on the back, or remembered when it was, or tucked it in with the program.

if you can get a clearer pic and email it me sometime, I would greatly appreciate it. I'd like to use it as a reference.

thanks!

nascarticketstubs

This next ticket is BEYOND rare. It's a NASCAR ticket stub from the 1st year of NASCAR strictly stock racing. This was the 4th ever race in NASCAR's history and was won by legendary driver Curtis Turner for his 1st career victory. I would easily rank this as one of my top 5 tickets, maybe top 3. $3 price for admission seems like a bargain to me! This is one that I will have encapsulated by PSA at some point in time...

Ron, I would love to see any tickets at all that you would like to share. Anyone else wanting to chip in and share some old race tickets, feel free!

melvin289

How about a North Wilkesboro ticket stub? I don't know what the black smear on the right side is unless it's from a ball point pen. These tickets were in my parents attic in a cigar box for almost 40 years.

Ron

samspop

Not hijacking your thread or anything, but thought I would add to it. Some of my favorite race days were these...

melvin289

Great stuff samspop. I just happened to hold on to the old ticket stubs I have and actually went to the races. Nascarticketstubs collects them. Although I live in the middle of Nascar, 20 miles outside Charlotte i never go anymore. At my age it's too much abuse on my old legs and knees.

Ron

melvin289

The lid to the cigar box my ticket stubs have been stored in for 40 years.
What this world needs is a good 7 1/2 ¢ cigar.

Edited to read: I think the correct quote was, "What this country needs is a good 5¢ cigar."




How about Hickory Speedway. 4/10's of a mile paved track.

Ron

nascarticketstubs

It's a shame Hickory and lot of similar tracks didn't print up nice tickets like a lot of the tracks did from the same era.

nascarticketstubs

Cool North Wilkesboro and Rockingham tickets. I actually assembled a complete collection of Rockingham tickets from 1965-2004 to every Cup race.
Remember the Hendrick Motorsports Plane crash that killed everyone on board, including chief engine builder Randy Dorton? I won an auction for an unused ticket from the last North Wilkeboro race in the fall of 1996. It was a ticket from the estate of Randy Dorton.

nascarticketstubs

Here's a cool ticket stub. It's from the Ontario Motor Speedway. The Inaugural 1971 Miller High Life 500. This race was won by A.J. Foyt. Few people realize that he won 7 NASCAR races. Pretty impressive running a very limited schedule over his 30 year NASCAR career. He never ran more than 7 races in a season. This track was basically a copy of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and was located in Ontario California. It hosted a total of 9 NASCAR races from 1971-1980. By 1980 the land that the track was located on was worth $150,000 an acre. It was originally purchased for $7,500 an acre. Since there was 800 acres of land, it was worth roughly $120 million dollars for commercial real estate development. It was bought out and the track was closed.

Check out the cost of this ticket for 1971. WOW. Just another cool story from back in the day...

melvin289

<< <i>It's a shame Hickory and lot of similar tracks didn't print up nice tickets like a lot of the tracks did from the same era. >>



Hickory used to run Sportsman races every Saturday night and am sure they probably used the same tickets. They also used to run a Race of Champions every year which were the top Sportsman drivers that they could get to come. I remember Red Farmer was a regular at these races.

Ron

melvin289

Another trivia fact on Hickory. They used to run their fall Nascar race the Friday or Saturday after the Southern 500 on Monday, Labor Day. I remember being there in 1968 and Cale Yarborough had won the Southern 500 driving for the Wood Brothers. Hickory would give the winner of the Southern 500, $500 to appear at the Hickory race. That was the only time I saw the Wood Brothers at Hickory.

Ron

jay0791

I just love those tickets and the stories.
Keep them coming.

I threw out all the tickets to every race I went to. Except gordons 1st win at charlotte.
I knew even then he was a superstar.

melvin289

Rockingham was one of the best tracks on the Nascar circuit. At one mile you had a good view of the entire track.
I loved Rockingham but the powers that be decided it was better to close the track and take the dates elsewhere.
What a shame.

Ron

melvin289

Not a defunct or retired track but just thought I'd post these as a matching pair. I bought and used both in 1969.

Ron

Edited to add:

There's a story that goes with this ticket. The drivers boycotted the first race at Talladega because the speeds were so fast the tires would come apart. Bill France was determined to get the race in anyway. He got all the drivers from the Saturday race and any local Late Model Sportsman drivers from the area that he could to run the race. Nascar also promised that you could trade the ticket stub in for any future race at Talladega or Daytona for a ticket of equal value. I don't think $20 would get me in the parking lot now but then it was an expensive ticket.

melvin289

The story on this ticket. The track is not defunct but Nascar decided that Darlington was not worthy of the Labor Day slot any longer. This ticket is for the old wooden upper seats that used to be on the back stretch, which is now the front stretch. The ticket is for the race Bill Elliott won the Winston Million the first year it was offered. To win the Winston Million a driver had to win 3 out of the Big 4 races. The Daytona 500, The World 600, The Talladega 500, and The Southern 500. I hope I got all that right as I am relying on memory. The ticket also came with a reserved parking space which was right at the gate going into the seating area.

Ron

nascarticketstubs

My dad was at the 1985 Southern 500 too. When I get home this weekend, I'll take some pics of the ticket and the various passes I've been able to collect from this race.
You're right on the races except the Talladega 500. That was the fall race. The Talladega race they used as part of the Winston Million promotion was the Winston 500 (the spring race).
The Daytona 500 (the richest)
The Winston 500 (the fastest)
The Coca-Cola 600 (the longest)
The Southern 500 (the oldest)

melvin289

Back when they raced real cars. By that I mean you could tell what the brand of car was. One could even tell the difference in a Cyclone and a Torino.

Ron

Nascar360

I love those old tickets!