A lap around historic Occoneechee Speedway

I only recently discovered that a little known but very important piece of racing and NASCAR history exists within a short drive of the Triangle area where I grew up. In Hillsborough, NC; the Occoneechee (Orange) Speedway grounds have been partially restored and are being maintained by the Historic Speedway Group along the banks of the Eno River. This .9 mile dirt track is the only remaining track from the inaugural NASCAR season in 1948 and is one of only three raceways in the US that is on the National Register of Historic Places (along with Indianapolis and the Bonneville Salt Flats). Occoneechee Speedway was originally built on open farm land by NASCAR's founder Bill France Sr. and named Orange Speedway. A name which was later used for the Orange County Speedway, another NASCAR short track not far away that is still in operation today.

After some procrastination and delay since I found out about the speedway land in Hillsborough, Michelle and I finally stopped by the park for a hike yesterday. I had hoped to go during the fall leaf season but am actually glad we went after the leaves fell as I could see more of the property and lay of the land.

We entered the track from the main parking area off Elizabeth Brady Road and walked down the trail to the speedway grounds following the same route race fans would have followed over 50 years ago to enter the speedway. As you can see from my photos, the speedway grounds have been taken over by trees while the track itself remains. The restoration of buildings, fencing and stands is being done around the trees allowing both the speedway and the park's ecosystem to function as one.

Main spectator entrance



Entrance to turn 1



Rebuilt ticket booth



Track signage with history



Rebuilt outhouse

Unrestored men's restroom

The list of driver's that raced and won at Occonnechee Speedway is a who's who of NASCAR greats including Fireball Roberts, Lee Petty, Buck Baker, Junior Johnson, Ned Jarrett and the king - Richard Petty. As we strolled around the track and trails, I tried to imagine the early days of NASCAR (the most interesting days of NASCAR to me) and it's pioneers that casually roamed and aggressively raced these grounds, never knowing the stardom that they and their motorsport would one day achieve.

Entrance to turn 3



Eno River less than 20 yards from back stretch



Back stretch between turn 2 and 3



Rebuilt flag stand



Unrestored front stretch bleachers



View of the front stretch from the stands

The current news regarding the speedway is rather sad. Tonight ironically, the Town of Hillsborough is holding a meeting to discuss the NCDOT plan to extend Hwy 70 directly through the middle of the Historic Occoneechee Speedway. The Historic Speedway Group has been encouraging the public to take up the fight against these plans and attend tonight's hearing. I wish them much luck as this living piece of American motorsport history deserves to survive intact as the wonderful park it has become.

...and on to 2010!

As the 2009 motorsport season comes to an end, I am already getting excited about the 2010 Formula 1 season and all the team and driver changes rumored or officially announced. The biggest announcements coming out recently include:

-Fernando Alonso's move from Renault to Ferrari replacing Kimi Raikkonen who is taking a break from F1 to potentially race in the World Rally Championship.
-2009 World Champion Jenson Button leaving Brawn GP to partner fellow Brit and 2008 World Champion Lewis Hamilton at Mclaren Mercedes.
-The sale of Brawn GP to Mercedes and renaming to Mercedes F1 making the team a Mercedes factory team with a potential all German driver lineup starting with Nico Rosberg signing to drive in 2010.
-Felipe Massa returning for 2010 with Ferrari after recovering from his July injuries.
-Ruben Barrichello continuing his career in F1 as a driver and signing to race at Williams F1 in 2010.
-The withdrawal of Toyota and BMW from F1 effective at the end of the 2009 season.
-Robert Kubica signing to replace Alonso at Renault in 2010 after BMW Sauber's withdrawal.
-The addition of 3 new teams for 2010 including Campos, Manor and US F1. US F1 hailing from shops in Charlotte, NC is designing and building an American built chassis to race in 2010, the first American F1 car since Penske's in the 70's.
-The return of Cosworth as an engine supplier to the series with an updated 2007 engine that will be allowed to run without rev restrictions.



More of this in 2010 wouldn't be all bad :)

Rumors flying that may or may not prove true by the start of the 2010 season in March include:

-Sauber F1 may return to race with different ownership and take the place of Toyota F1 which plans to shut down and will not sell its team to new owners.
-Another German driver will be signed to race alongside Nico Rosberg at Mercedes GP. Will it be Michael Schumacher?
-Might Kimi Raikkonen return after all and sign to drive in one of the available team seats?
-Will 1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve return to F1 as a driver for one of the new teams?

Predictions for next season are hard to make. With the new team lineups, new cars, engines and driver combinations along with the surprises of the 2009 season, it's going to be tough to guess:

-Will Alonso and Massa play nice as teammates at Ferrari?
-Will Renault stick around or will they sell the team and withdraw factory support?
-Will Red Bull Racing and Mercedes (Brawn) GP enjoy the superiority as manufacturers that they had in 2009?
-Will Hamilton and Button play nice as teammates at Mclaren? Will Button be able to keep up with Hamilton and will they have equal cars and strategies?
-Will US F1 find an experienced driver for their line-up and what about the plans to run an American driver?
-Will all the new teams make it to the grid in March?
-Will any of the new teams be competitive?

These are just a few of the reasons why I am already super psyched for Formula 1 in 2010. The Canadian GP is supposedly returning to the calendar officially for 2010 with a June race in Montreal after being removed for 2009. The details are still being finalized and I am watching for an announcement as I would love to head north of the border for the race next year.

Oh and finally, Bernie can still suck it!

Holiday Laps for Charity

Every year around the holidays, VIRginia International Raceway holds a charity event to benefit the Salvation Army of southern Virginia. For a cash, new toy or food donation of $25 value, anyone can have the chance to drive a 20 minute session lapping around the 3.27 mile road course in Alton, VA with their personal vehicle. I have never been able to go before due to work schedule conflicts but finally got the chance to go last Friday.

I recently purchased a 2006 MINI Cooper S which I figured would be a fun car to drive at VIR so I headed up to the track on Friday morning despite the rainy forecast and soggy ground from several days of rain. Several members of the Tarheel MINI Motoring Club that I recently joined were also there so I got to meet some of the guys who make up this great group.

For my food and toy donation, I was able to drive 3 sessions, 5 laps each for a total of 60 minutes around the rolling road course at a pretty quick pace considering it was raining and the track was very wet and slick.

As a new MINI owner, I am thoroughly impressed with the performance of my car and MINIs in general after my laps. I don't even have good performance tires yet and was very comfortable hanging it out in the turns and on the high speed straights. My second session was probably the most fun as I was about 6th in line behind 2 Corvettes, a Mustang GT, a GTO and a BMW M5. I was able to keep up with them on all of the track except the back stretch where they would out accelerate me. I think I hit 110 mph a couple times while they were probably closer to 120 mph.

Onboard video from dash mounted cam in my car

Unfortunately, not everyone made it through the day unscathed. At least 4 cars got off in turn 6 and the exit in turn 6, all of which hit the tire barriers and tore up their cars pretty good. None of them were MINIs though as front wheel drive was certainly a benefit on the wet track.

Along with our MINIs, there were lots of other cars, vans and trucks taking laps around the track including a Corvette L52 Twin Turbo (which I have never heard of), a '66 Corsa Corvair Turbo and even Santa Claus in his 'other sleigh'.

One additional freebie from VIR was getting a free 8x10 print from the track photographer taken of my car during my laps. All in all, it was a fun day and I hope to do it again next year.

Beach2Battleship Full Iron

Last weekend, I went down to Wilmington, NC for the day to support a friend competing in the full Ironman distance triathlon. I went to college in Wilmington at UNCW and served in the US Coast Guard for 8 years at nearby CG Station Wrightsville Beach so its always nice to get down there for a visit and catch up with friends. This time, a college friend was up from Florida to swim-bike-run the 140.6 mile Beach2Battleship Ironman race that starts in Wrightsville Beach and finishes at the USS North Carolina in Wilmington on the south side of the Cape Fear River.

I've always been intrigued by the Ironman events and watched the Kona Ironman on television many times but this was my first time seeing one in person. Another friend of mine ran this same event last year and finished within the 17 hour time limit however I was unable to attend and support him so I made it a priority to get down to the Port City for this one.

I joined other friends to catch my friend as he finished the 112 mile bike ride and started his marathon run and than again at mile 10, 16 and 23 as he jogged and than walked by towards the finish. In the end, as night set in, he made it to the finish in under 14 hours and it was a pleasure to be there supporting him. It was a quite a long day to be out there but I would do it again as I find watching these type of race events very exciting and inspiring.

All I can say is "wow" and "no thanks" after watching the iron distance competitors finish the bike and run events throughout the afternoon and evening. While the half iron distance seems reasonable and doable; I can now say that I do not aspire to ever compete at this distance.

Next season, Michelle and I hope to tackle more sprint triathlons locally which will be all for me right now.

Congrats to all the iron and half iron distance finishers last weekend in Wilmington.

Wet City of Oaks Marathon

Last Sunday, the morning after Halloween (Ugh!) at 7 AM, Raleigh held their 3rd annual City of Oaks Marathon and Half Marathon. I decided to have some fun and go out to watch and support the runners in the race just as the crowds had supported me the weekend before in Washington, DC.

Conditions were far from optimal for spectating or running though the temperature was bearable and probably pleasant for the runners. Several friends of mine were running the half marathon and one other friend of my wife was running the full marathon. I wanted to get out early to see the runners go through downtown and than again over by Meredith College on Hillsborough Street but overslept and only made it to the second location which is mile 10 for the half and mile 23 for the full. I'll blame oversleeping on the time change and not the fact that I went to bed after 2 AM the night before, haha.

So despite the pouring rain and constant wind, I hung out for a good 3+ hours and cheered for the runners as they cruised by. I got lots of 'thank yous' and smiles from the runners who couldn't help but laugh at my signs. Along with my messages of support, I had the best bell on the block. I rang the orange MMRF bell that Michelle had used the weekend before in DC which had a very distinct tone.

Congrats to all the runners who finished the 2009 City of Oaks full and half marathon. Maybe I'll give it another run next year.

For now, I have my sights set on the Myrtle Beach half marathon in February 2010 which I just registered for yesterday.

Carpe Viam.