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Storyline

Occoneechee Speedway, Hillsborough

NASCAR’s early dirt track on the Eno, 1949–1968; not the Orange County Speedway in Rougemont.

In briefBill France and four partners chartered a company in September 1947 to build a one-mile dirt oval by the old Occoneechee Farm, and it opened in June 1948. The track held a race in NASCAR's first Strictly Stock season in 1949, was renamed Orange Speedway in 1954, and closed after Richard Petty won its last race on September 15, 1968.

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The Occoneechee Speedway, Hillsborough
The Occoneechee Speedway, Hillsborough

In the chronology

Episodes in this history, in date order. Each has its own page.

StorylineThe fight over Sunday racing, 1956–19581956–1958 · 9 events · When new race tracks in Orange County held races on Sundays, ministers led a fight to stop them that ended in the state Supreme Court. In April 1956 the Rev. W. I. Conway asked the county commissioners to stop the races at a jalopy track near his church, and about 100 people formed the Orange County Anti-Racing Association, but the county attorney said a ban needed special legislation. In 1957 the legislature passed Senator Edwin S. Lanier's bill barring races on Sundays and after 6 p.m. After Orange Speedway, Inc. sued, the state Supreme Court struck the act down on January 10, 1958, and Sunday racing returned with a 100-mile Grand National race won by Buck Baker.

Other events in this storyline, in date order. See these 53 dated events in the chronology →

  1. Julian S. Carr buys Poplar Hill south of the Eno and renames the estate Occoneechee Farm The Norwood family sold Poplar Hill, the house James Hogg had built about 1794 on the south bank of the Eno, to the Durham industrialist Julian S. Carr, who renamed the property Occoneechee Farm. Carr enlarged and altered the house over the next three decades. People: Julian S. Carr, James Hogg Place: Poplar Hill (Occoneechee Farm), south bank of the Eno River, Hillsborough · Also mentions: Poplar HillSearch the index · National Register: Hillsborough Historic District Additional Documentation (2014), section 7, p. 20
  2. The Farmers Mutual Exchange builds a slaughterhouse on Occoneechee Farm In summer 1943 the Exchange put up an abattoir next to the Hillsborough livestock market on Occoneechee Farm. Farmers could bring cattle and hogs for slaughter at cost and collect the meat the next day. Place: Occoneechee Farm, HillsboroughSearch the index · Lefler and Wager, Orange County, 1752-1952 (1953), p. 247
  3. E. B. Lyon and his wife buy the barns and race track at Occoneechee Farm Mr. and Mrs. E. B. Lyon bought the barns and the old race track on Occoneechee Farm near Hillsborough. They planned to repair the outbuildings, raise cattle and build a house on the farm. Place: Occoneechee Farm, near Hillsborough · Also named: E. B. Lyon, Nancy LyonThe News of Orange County (Hillsborough), October 18, 1945, p. 4
  4. W. H. Rittenhouse buys Occoneechee Farm Captain W. H. Rittenhouse, a former Army chaplain from Miami, bought Occoneechee Farm near Hillsboro and moved there with his sons, all of them studying theology at UNC. In May he became chaplain of the Hillsboro American Legion post. Place: Occoneechee Farm, Hillsborough · Also named: W. H. RittenhouseSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), April 18, 1946, p. 1
  5. Raleigh buyers purchase the Occoneechee Farm tract at auction W. S. Murchison and W. L. Rogers of Raleigh bought the Occoneechee farm tract near Hillsboro at auction for a reported $13,500, including about 200 acres, the large barn and farm equipment. The sale bill described the barn as the Julian S. Carr barn built in 1891. Place: Occoneechee Farm, near Hillsborough · Also named: W. S. Murchison, W. L. Rogers, Julian S. CarrThe News of Orange County (Hillsborough), August 1, 1946, p. 1
  6. Hillsboro Speedway, Inc. buys the Occoneechee Farm racetrack tract W. S. Murchison and J. R. Rogers sold two hundred acres of the old Occoneechee Farm, including its horse track, to Hillsboro Speedway, Inc., the company Bill France and four partners had chartered to build a stock car track. France had spotted the track while flying over Orange County. People: Bill France Sr. Place: Occoneechee Speedway, Hillsborough · Also named: W. S. Murchison, J. R. Rogers, Bill France · Also mentions: Occoneechee FarmSearch the index · NC State Historic Preservation Office: National Register nomination, Occoneechee Speedway (OR1542, 2002)
  7. Occoneechee Speedway opens Occoneechee Speedway, a one-mile dirt oval that Bill France and four North Carolina partners built on the old Occoneechee Farm horse track outside Hillsborough, opened with a 100-mile NASCAR stock car race won by Fonty Flock. People: Bill France Sr., Fonty Flock Place: Hillsborough · Also named: Bill France · Also mentions: Occoneechee Farm, Occoneechee SpeedwayThe News of Orange County (Hillsborough): Speedway Opening Is Declared Successful, July 1, 1948
  8. Fonty Flock wins both races of the Occoneechee double-header Fonty Flock, who had won the speedway's opening race in June, won both feature events of the double-header at Occoneechee Speedway, the track's second and third races. People: Fonty Flock Place: Occoneechee Speedway, HillsboroughSearch the index · NC State Historic Preservation Office: National Register nomination, Occoneechee Speedway (OR1542, 2002)
  9. NASCAR comes to Occoneechee Speedway Occoneechee Speedway near Hillsborough hosted the third race of NASCAR's first Strictly Stock season, a 200-lap event won by Bob Flock. It is the only dirt track from that inaugural season that still survives. People: Bill France Sr. Place: Hillsborough · Also named: Bob Flock · Also mentions: Occoneechee SpeedwayThe News of Orange County (Hillsborough): 40 New Model Cars To Race At Occoneechee, August 4, 1949 · Also: The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), August 11, 1949, p. 1
  10. Fireball Roberts wins his first NASCAR Grand National race at Occoneechee Twenty-one-year-old Fireball Roberts of Daytona Beach won the 100-lap Grand National race at Occoneechee Speedway, his first victory in NASCAR's top series, in only his third start. Curtis Turner led the first 45 laps before a flat tire and finished second; Louise Smith drove a new Nash Ambassador in the field. People: Fireball Roberts, Louise Smith, Curtis Turner Place: Occoneechee Speedway, HillsboroughSearch the index · NC State Historic Preservation Office: National Register nomination, Occoneechee Speedway (OR1542, 2002)
  11. Lee Petty wins the 1950 season finale as Bill Rexford clinches the title Lee Petty of Greensboro won the 200-mile race that closed NASCAR's 1950 Grand National season at Occoneechee Speedway, his first win at the track. Bill Rexford dropped out with engine trouble but took the championship when Fireball Roberts also failed to finish. People: Lee Petty, Fireball Roberts Place: Occoneechee Speedway, Hillsborough · Also named: Bill RexfordSearch the index · NC State Historic Preservation Office: National Register nomination, Occoneechee Speedway (OR1542, 2002)
  12. Fonty Flock wins the spring race at Occoneechee Fonty Flock won the spring NASCAR Grand National race at Occoneechee Speedway, with Frank Mundy second and Bill Blair third. People: Fonty Flock Place: Occoneechee Speedway, Hillsborough · Also named: Frank Mundy, Bill BlairSearch the index · NC DNCR, Moonshine and Motorsports Trail: Occoneechee Speedway
Show all 53 dated events
  1. Tim Flock wins the 100-mile Grand National at Occoneechee Tim Flock, driving a 1951 Hudson Hornet, took the lead on the 45th lap and won the 100-mile NASCAR Grand National race at Occoneechee Speedway before 5,000 spectators, with his brother Fonty second. People: Fonty Flock Place: Occoneechee Speedway, Hillsborough · Also named: Tim FlockThe News of Orange County (Hillsborough): Flocks win again, June 12, 1952, p. 4
  2. Orange Speedway, Inc. takes over the Hillsborough track Bill France Sr. became president of the new Orange Speedway, Inc., with Ann France as secretary-treasurer and Enoch Staley as vice-president; the other three original partners were no longer with the track. It was known as Orange Speedway from 1954. People: Bill France Sr., Enoch Staley Place: Orange Speedway (Occoneechee Speedway), Hillsborough · Also named: Ann FranceSearch the index · NC State Historic Preservation Office: National Register nomination, Occoneechee Speedway (OR1542, 2002)
  3. Hillsboro Speedway, Incorporated, files to dissolve On September 30, 1952, the stockholders of Hillsboro Speedway, Incorporated, filed their unanimous written consent with the Secretary of State to dissolve the corporation, whose principal office was in Hillsboro and whose agent was Bonner D. Sawyer. The preliminary certificate of dissolution was recorded in Orange County on October 3, 1952. People: Thad Eure, Bonner D. Sawyer Place: HillsboroThe News of Orange County (Hillsborough), November 13, 1952, p. 7
  4. Fonty Flock wins at Occoneechee weeks after his Darlington victory Fonty Flock, winner of the Southern 500 at Darlington, won the October Grand National race at Occoneechee Speedway weeks after his 500-mile Darlington victory. People: Fonty Flock Place: Occoneechee Speedway, HillsboroughSearch the index · NC DNCR, Moonshine and Motorsports Trail: Occoneechee Speedway
  5. A quarter-mile track inside Orange Speedway is set to open A new quarter-mile track built inside the Orange Speedway mile was to open on Sunday, July 17, with a seven-event NASCAR sportsman and amateur racing program under the direction of Bill France and Enoch Staley. People: Enoch Staley, Bill France Sr. Place: Orange Speedway (Occoneechee Speedway), Hillsborough · Also named: Bill FranceSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough): New quarter mile track opens Sunday for NASCAR races here, July 14, 1955, p. 8
  6. Curtis Turner wins both NASCAR convertible races at Orange Speedway Curtis Turner of Roanoke won both NASCAR convertible circuit races held at Orange Speedway in 1956 and set the convertible qualifying record there. People: Curtis Turner Place: Orange Speedway (Occoneechee Speedway), HillsboroughSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough): item on the Hillsborough speedway, March 21, 1957, p. 6
  7. Pastor asks the commissioners to stop Sunday jalopy races at a new track The Rev. W. I. Conway of the Gospel Baptist Tabernacle asked the county commissioners to block Sunday jalopy races at a new half-mile track just finished off the Orange Grove road, half a mile from his church, calling them a danger to his congregation. The commissioners asked the county attorney and sheriff to study legal remedies; the paper backed him in an editorial. People: Richard Junius Mendenhall Hobbs, Odell H. Clayton Place: Courthouse, Hillsboro · Also named: W. I. Conway · Also mentions: Gospel Baptist TabernacleThe News of Orange County (Hillsborough), April 5, 1956, p. 1
  8. Hillsboro Presbyterian pastor preaches against local stock car racing The Rev. C. H. Reckard, pastor of the Hillsboro Presbyterian Church, delivered a sermon criticizing local stock car racing and its effect on young people, one of the clergy protests against Sunday races at Orange Speedway. People: C. H. Reckard Place: Hillsboro Presbyterian Church, Hillsborough · Also mentions: Orange SpeedwaySearch the index · NC State Historic Preservation Office: National Register nomination, Occoneechee Speedway (OR1542, 2002) · Also: The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), April 26, 1956, p. 8
  9. Opponents of auto racing form the Orange County Anti-Racing Association About 100 people at a mass meeting at the Gospel Baptist Tabernacle on Orange Grove Road organized the association, the outgrowth of a campaign the Rev. W. I. Conway began when a jalopy race track was built near his church; the track drew an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 people to its first race the next day. On May 7 Conway and the Rev. Charles E. Maddry took the matter to the county commissioners, who were told by County Attorney Paul Ransom that they could not tax, limit or ban the races without special legislation. People: Charles Edward Maddry Place: Gospel Baptist Tabernacle, Orange Grove Road · Also named: W. I. Conway, Paul RansomThe News of Orange County (Hillsborough), May 10, 1956, p. 8
  10. Buck Baker wins the spring 100-lap race at Orange Speedway Buck Baker, driving a 1956 Chrysler, won the 100-lap Grand National race at Orange Speedway on Mother's Day, ahead of Speedy Thompson, Lee Petty, Fireball Roberts and 27 other starters. People: Lee Petty, Fireball Roberts Place: Orange Speedway (Occoneechee Speedway), Hillsborough · Also named: Buck BakerUltimate Racing History: NASCAR Grand National race, Occoneechee Speedway, Hillsboro, NC, May 13, 1956 · Also: The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), March 21, 1957, p. 6
  11. Fireball Roberts wins the fall race at Orange Speedway Fireball Roberts, driving a 1956 Ford, won the 110-lap fall race at Orange Speedway, setting the track record for that distance, with Buck Baker second. People: Fireball Roberts Place: Orange Speedway (Occoneechee Speedway), Hillsborough · Also named: Buck BakerSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough): item on the Hillsborough speedway, March 21, 1957, p. 6
  12. County commissioners endorse a bill to ban Sunday racing in Orange County After a plea from the North Orange Ministerial Association, the four commissioners present voted unanimously to approve Senator Edwin S. Lanier's bill against Sunday auto racing, asking only that it wait until June 1 so the track owners could recoup some of their investment. The Rev. C. H. Reckard spoke for the ministers and jalopy track owner Dace Ward for the racing side. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier, Dwight Ray, C. H. Reckard Place: Orange County Courthouse, Hillsborough · Also named: Dace WardThe News of Orange County (Hillsborough), April 4, 1957, p. 1
  13. County commissioners reverse themselves and back limited Sunday racing At a special meeting called without public notice, commissioners Henry Walker, Donald Stanford and Claude Pope voted to rescind their endorsement of the Sunday racing ban and to ask instead that each track be allowed to race no more than four times a year; acting chairman Dwight Ray voted no. Representative John W. Umstead declined to offer their amendment, and the ban passed the following week. People: Dwight Ray Place: Orange County Courthouse, Hillsborough · Also named: Henry Walker, Donald Stanford, Claude Pope, John W. UmsteadThe News of Orange County (Hillsborough), May 2, 1957, p. 1
  14. The General Assembly bans Sunday racing in Orange County After protests by the Rev. C. H. Reckard and other Orange County clergy, the legislature passed Senator Edwin S. Lanier's bill banning racing in the county on Sundays, with Rep. John W. Umstead's amendment barring races after 6 p.m. on other days. The bill passed on May 8, 1957, though Sunday races were being advertised again at Orange Speedway by 1961. People: C. H. Reckard, Edwin Sidney Lanier Place: Orange Speedway (Occoneechee Speedway), Hillsborough · Also named: John W. UmsteadSearch the index · NC State Historic Preservation Office: National Register nomination, Occoneechee Speedway (OR1542, 2002), section 8, p. 20; with The Chapel Hill Weekly, May 10, 1957, p. 1 (Legislature Passes Lanier's Bill to Ban Sunday Racing in Orange County)
  15. Judge Clawson Williams upholds the Orange County racing law against Orange Speedway Ruling in Orange Speedway, Inc.'s suit against Sheriff Odell Clayton, Judge Clawson Williams held that the 1957 act barring automobile and motorcycle races in Orange County on Sundays and after 6 p.m. was constitutional and enforceable, dissolved the temporary restraining order Judge Don K. Moore had issued on September 16 and denied a permanent injunction. The company, headed by Bill France, gave notice of appeal to the state Supreme Court. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier, Odell H. Clayton Place: Orange County Superior Court, Hillsboro · Also named: Clawson Williams, Odell Clayton, Bill France, Don K. Moore · Also mentions: Orange SpeedwayThe News of Orange County (Hillsborough), October 31, 1957, p. 1
  16. The state Supreme Court strikes down Orange County's Sunday racing law The North Carolina Supreme Court declared unconstitutional the 1957 local act that barred motorcycle and auto races in Orange County on Sundays and after 6 p.m. on weekdays, reversing Superior Court Judge Clawson Williams. The court held that the act, aimed at the people who staged races rather than at racing itself, differed from a Wake County Sunday ban it had upheld. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier, John W. Umstead Jr., Odell H. Clayton Place: Orange Speedway (Occoneechee Speedway), Hillsborough · Also named: Clawson WilliamsThe News of Orange County (Hillsborough), January 16, 1958, p. 1
  17. Sunday stock car racing returns to Orange Speedway, and Buck Baker wins the 100-mile race With the 1957 act banning Sunday races in Orange County struck down by the state Supreme Court, Orange Speedway reopened Sunday racing on March 23 with a 100-mile NASCAR Grand National race, won by Buck Baker of Spartanburg in a 1957 Chevrolet. Promoter Bill France then said the owners of the nearby Jalopy track had agreed to race only one Sunday a month and rename it the South Hillsboro Race Track. People: Enoch Staley Place: Orange Speedway (Occoneechee Speedway), Hillsborough · Also named: Buck Baker, Bill FranceThe News of Orange County (Hillsborough), April 3, 1958, p. 1
  18. Hillsboro's school committee endorses making Orange Speedway the high school's athletic field The Hillsboro district school committee unanimously approved using the Orange Speedway grounds as Hillsboro High School's stadium and urged a 20-year lease, after Bill France offered on April 27 to lease the plant to the schools for $100 a year and pay $250 for each of his four race Sundays. The high school's own field had been cut up by its new gymnasium, and the lease itself needed the county Board of Education. People: Enoch Staley, L. E. Beard, Bonner D. Sawyer Place: Orange Speedway (Occoneechee Speedway), Hillsborough · Also named: Bill FranceThe News of Orange County (Hillsborough), May 22, 1958, p. 1
  19. Bill France leases Orange Speedway to the Orange County Board of Education Bill France signed a ten-year lease letting Hillsboro High School use the Orange Speedway grounds as its athletic field, for $100 a year, while races continued. People: Bill France Sr., Enoch Staley Place: Orange Speedway (Occoneechee Speedway), Hillsborough · Also named: Bill France · Also mentions: Hillsboro High SchoolSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough): Lease for speedway for high school use, September 18, 1958, p. 1
  20. Grading begins on a Hillsboro High football field inside Orange Speedway Work began on grading the Orange Speedway infield for a Hillsboro High School football field in front of the grandstand, under the ten-year lease just signed with the track's owners. Dirt from the north end and the track was moved to level the gridiron for planting grass, with the field to be ready the next year. Place: Orange Speedway (Occoneechee Speedway), Hillsboro · Also mentions: Hillsboro High SchoolThe News of Orange County (Hillsborough), October 2, 1958, p. 1
  21. A Hollywood crew films a racing drama at Orange Speedway and the Colonial Inn A film company shot scenes for a television drama starring James Whitmore at Orange Speedway and the Colonial Inn in Hillsborough. Speedway co-owner Enoch Staley brought in several well-known drivers, among them Buck Baker, for close-up scenes. People: Enoch Staley Place: Orange Speedway and the Colonial Inn, Hillsborough · Also named: James Whitmore, Buck BakerSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough): Film company sets community agog when it becomes locale for movie, January 29, 1959, p. 1
  22. Concrete stands go up at Orange Speedway for Hillsboro High football Concrete stands were being poured in place of wooden benches at Orange Speedway, which owners Bill France and Enoch Staley had leased to the high school for ten years, and the infield, graded and sown that spring, had a stand of grass for the Hillsboro High football field. Plans were going ahead to light the field before the season opened in September. People: Enoch Staley Place: Orange Speedway (Occoneechee Speedway), Hillsborough · Also named: Bill FranceThe News of Orange County (Hillsborough), July 30, 1959, p. 1
  23. Hillsboro High's new football stadium at Orange Speedway opens After the lighting bid ran about $2,000 over budget and a hurricane delayed the Sanford contractor, the school's concrete stands and lighted field at the leased Orange Speedway were set to open October 23 against Oxford High; by November 6 a home game drew crowds whose traffic backed up from the stadium into town. Until then the Wildcats had moved home games to their opponents' fields. Place: Orange Speedway, HillsboroThe News of Orange County (Hillsborough), October 15, 1959, p. 8
  24. Lee Petty wins at Orange Speedway from the front row beside his son Richard Lee Petty, 46, led all 110 laps to win the May race at Orange Speedway. His son Richard Petty had the pole, the first time the father and son started together on the front row. People: Lee Petty, Richard Petty Place: Orange Speedway (Occoneechee Speedway), HillsboroughSearch the index · NC DNCR, Moonshine and Motorsports Trail: Occoneechee Speedway
  25. Richard Petty wins his first race at Orange Speedway Richard Petty, 23, took the pole and led all 110 laps of the September 100-mile race at Orange Speedway, finishing a lap ahead of Ned Jarrett. His father Lee had won the track's May race. People: Richard Petty, Lee Petty Place: Orange Speedway (Occoneechee Speedway), Hillsborough · Also named: Ned JarrettSearch the index · NC DNCR, Moonshine and Motorsports Trail: Occoneechee Speedway
  26. Joe Weatherly wins the first 150-miler at Orange Speedway Joe Weatherly won the 150-mile race that closed the 1961 Grand National season at Orange Speedway, the first race of that length at the track, setting a lap record of 95.15 miles per hour and a race average of 86.11. People: Joe Weatherly Place: Orange Speedway (Occoneechee Speedway), HillsboroughSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough): Over 25 cars expected to take green flag in 100-mile race at Orange Speedway Sunday, March 8, 1962, p. 17
  27. A 100-mile Grand National race at Orange Speedway draws over 9,000 A standing-room crowd of more than 9,000 watched the March 18 NASCAR Grand National 100-mile race at Orange Speedway in Hillsboro, advertised with Joe Weatherly, Junior Johnson, Richard Petty, Ned Jarrett and other stars of the Daytona 500. The turnout led the track to add a modified-sportsman race there on April 1. People: Enoch Staley Place: Orange Speedway, Hillsborough · Also named: Ned Jarrett, Junior Johnson, Richard Petty, Joe WeatherlyThe News of Orange County (Hillsborough), March 29, 1962, p. 23
  28. Jayne Mansfield rides in the pace car at Orange Speedway Film star Jayne Mansfield, in North Carolina for a nightclub date in Greensboro, rode in the pace car to start the 150-mile race at Orange Speedway. Orange County sheriff's deputies Will Gilmore and Avery Maddry acted as her bodyguards, and she watched from the judges' stand, signing autographs. People: Jayne Mansfield Place: Orange Speedway (Occoneechee Speedway), Hillsborough · Also named: Will Gilmore, Avery MaddrySearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough): Riding shotgun for Jayne, March 14, 1963, p. 1
  29. Junior Johnson wins the spring 150-miler at Orange Speedway Junior Johnson won the spring 150-mile Grand National race at Orange Speedway on Sunday, March 10, 1963. The film actress Jayne Mansfield rode in the pace car and presented the winner's trophy. Place: Orange Speedway (Occoneechee Speedway), Hillsborough · Also named: Junior Johnson, Jayne MansfieldThe News of Orange County (Hillsborough): item on the Hillsborough speedway, September 12, 1963, p. 23 · Also: The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), March 14, 1963, p. 1; The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), March 14, 1963, p. 10
  30. Joe Weatherly wins his last race at Orange Speedway Joe Weatherly won the fall 150-mile race at Orange Speedway, the last victory of his career; he was killed in a crash at Riverside, California, in January 1964. People: Joe Weatherly Place: Orange Speedway (Occoneechee Speedway), HillsboroughSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough): Top NASCAR drivers to be here, March 12, 1964, p. 17
  31. Orange Speedway names its spring race the Joe Weatherly Memorial Orange Speedway scheduled its spring 1964 150-mile Grand National race as the inaugural Joe Weatherly Memorial, honoring the late national champion who held both track speed records and had won his last race there. People: Joe Weatherly Place: Orange Speedway (Occoneechee Speedway), HillsboroughSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough): Top NASCAR drivers to be here, March 12, 1964, p. 17
  32. Richard Petty wins the Hillsborough 150 during his ten-race streak Richard Petty's win in the Hillsborough 150 at Orange Speedway was the eighth of ten straight victories in 1967, the season he won a record 27 races. People: Richard Petty Place: Orange Speedway (Occoneechee Speedway), HillsboroughSearch the index · NC DNCR, Moonshine and Motorsports Trail: Occoneechee Speedway
  33. Final race at Orange Speedway Richard Petty won by seven laps in the last NASCAR Grand National race at Orange Speedway near Hillsborough, as the Occoneechee track had been called since 1954. The track closed after the race. People: Richard Petty, Curtis Turner Place: Hillsborough · Also mentions: Orange SpeedwayNC State Historic Preservation Office: National Register nomination, Occoneechee Speedway (listed 2002)
  34. Orange Speedway, Inc. is dissolved The three shareholders of Orange Speedway, Inc., Ann and Bill France and Enoch Staley, voluntarily dissolved the corporation sixteen years after the last race. France Staley, LLC, which held title to the track, sold it to Preservation North Carolina in 1997. People: Bill France Sr., Enoch Staley Place: Orange Speedway (Occoneechee Speedway), Hillsborough · Also named: Ann France, Bill FranceSearch the index · NC State Historic Preservation Office: National Register nomination, Occoneechee Speedway (OR1542, 2002)
  35. Jenrette founds the Classical American Homes Preservation Trust with Ayr Mount Richard Jenrette founded the Classical American Homes Preservation Trust with his gift of Ayr Mount, which became the first of his houses opened to the public. The trust, later renamed the Richard Hampton Jenrette Foundation, came to own land around Ayr Mount including Poet's Walk and the Occoneechee Speedway site. People: Richard H. Jenrette Place: Ayr Mount, Hillsborough · Also named: Richard Jenrette · Also mentions: Occoneechee SpeedwaySearch the index · Richard Hampton Jenrette Foundation: About
  36. Jenrette's preservation trust buys the Occoneechee Speedway site Preservation North Carolina, which had bought the old speedway from France Staley, LLC in June 1997, sold it to the Classical American Homes Preservation Trust under protective deed restrictions. People: Richard H. Jenrette Place: Occoneechee Speedway, HillsboroughSearch the index · NC State Historic Preservation Office: National Register nomination, Occoneechee Speedway (OR1542, 2002)
  37. The St. Mary's Road area and the Occoneechee Speedway join the Study List The National Register Advisory Committee placed the farm landscape along St. Mary's Road studied in the 1999 survey, and the Occoneechee Speedway near Hillsborough, on North Carolina's Study List, its list of properties likely to qualify for the National Register. The meeting's minutes are lost; the placements rest on the annotated agenda. Place: St. Mary's Road and the Occoneechee Speedway, near Hillsborough · Also mentions: St. Mary's RoadSearch the index · NC State Historic Preservation Office: National Register Advisory Committee agendas, minutes and approved lists, p. 891
  38. State reviewers approve the Occoneechee Speedway nomination despite Hillsborough's objection Hillsborough's historic preservation commission approved the nomination, but the mayor objected after a vote of the town commissioners, because the old track lay in the path of a possible north-south bypass. Commissioner Ken Chavious asked the committee on February 14, 2002 to weigh the town's traffic needs. Members replied that only eligibility was before them and approved the nomination unanimously, with one member leaving the room because he consulted on the bypass. Place: Occoneechee Speedway, Hillsborough · Also named: Ken ChaviousNC State Historic Preservation Office: National Register Advisory Committee agendas, minutes and approved lists, p. 930
  39. Occoneechee Speedway is listed in the National Register The 44-acre Occoneechee Speedway site near Hillsborough, acquired by preservationists from the France and Staley families in 1997, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on May 2, 2002. It is the only surviving dirt track from NASCAR's inaugural 1949 season. Place: Hillsborough · Also mentions: Occoneechee SpeedwayNational Park Service NPGallery: Occoneechee Speedway, NRIS 02000435
  40. Historic Occoneechee Speedway trail opens to the public A public walking trail opened in 2003 on the Occoneechee Speedway site near Hillsborough, crossing the surviving clay oval of the old NASCAR track. The landowner, the Classical American Homes Preservation Trust (later the Jenrette Foundation), built it with the volunteer Historic Speedway Group. Place: Hillsborough · Also mentions: Occoneechee SpeedwayNC State Parks: Historic Occoneechee Speedway Added to Eno River State Park (January 28, 2025)
  41. Occoneechee Speedway joins Eno River State Park North Carolina finalized the addition of more than 200 acres near Hillsborough, including the Historic Occoneechee Speedway trail and the James M. Johnston Nature Preserve, to Eno River State Park. The Eno River Association had arranged the sale from the Jenrette Foundation, formerly the Classical American Homes Preservation Trust. Place: Eno RiverNC State Parks: Historic Occoneechee Speedway Added to Eno River State Park (January 28, 2025)

Places in this history

Buildings, schools, churches and other sites named in the dated events on this page, the most often named first. The map shows the 9 with a known location.

Map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Site locations from the N.C. State Historic Preservation Office survey, Open Orange, Orange County GIS, OpenStreetMap and a few other published sources named on each site’s page; town and community pins show approximate locations.

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Indexed works

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Occoneechee-Orange Speedway

Sanseverino, Edward P. · 1995

Edward P. Sanseverino's 1995 account of the Occoneechee-Orange Speedway, the stock car track outside Hillsborough that ran in the middle decades of the twentieth century. Topics include automobile racing and racetracks in North Carolina and Hillsborough in the twentieth century.

Included because: Its title names this subject.

✓ Held at OCPL · NC 796.72 SAN

Jock Lauterer photographic collection, circa 1964-1968.

Lauterer, Jock · 1964

Photographs made by Jock Lauterer in and around Chapel Hill from about 1964 to 1968, some 3,522 items in the North Carolina Collection at UNC. Subjects include the Speaker Ban Law, Ku Klux Klan activity in North Carolina, Tar Heel basketball and football, the Jubilee festival, the Old Well, and visitors including Lyndon Johnson, Hubert Humphrey, Bob Hope and Jayne Mansfield.

Included because: The record names this subject alongside a heading for the county or its towns.

UNC

Occoneechee Speedway/Orange Speedway (Chapel Hill Historical Society vertical file)

Clippings and promotional materials on the Occoneechee Speedway near Hillsborough, the dirt racetrack later renamed Orange Speedway. An undated folder from box 31 of the Chapel Hill Historical Society's Vertical File Collection, Carrboro and Orange County series.

Included because: Its title names this subject.

CH Historical Society

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Black Life & Civil Rights →Black student activism at UNC →From West End to Carrboro: railroad, mills, and a new town, 1882–1913 →Dickson v. Sitterson, 1966–1968 →

Picture: The Occoneechee Speedway, Hillsborough. CC BY 2.0. Photograph by bobistraveling; via Wikimedia Commons

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