Nazareth Speedway is a defunct auto racing facility in Lower Nazareth Township in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, which operated from 1910 to 2004. The racing facility operated in two distinct course configurations. In its early years, it was a dirt twin oval layout. In 1987, it was reopened as a paved tri-oval that measured just slightly under 1 mile.

The facility is often linked to local drivers Mario and Michael Andretti's early racing careers. It was also associated with Frankie Schneider due to his large number of wins on the two dirt tracks.

As of November 2015, the site was purchased by Raceway Properties LLC under David Jaindl. There are no current plans to return racing to the facility. As of 2024 the track is abandoned and in a state of disrepair with much of the track's infrastructure (such as grandstands) having been removed. The track's racing surface still exists though it is in disrepair.

Track history

500px|thumb|Nazareth Speedway in 2004

Nazareth Speedway started as a horse racing track farther up in the center of the town in the 1850s known as the Northampton County Agricultural Fairgrounds. As the crowds grew, the location grew too crowded to remain in the center of the town. Around 1900, a new mile dirt track was constructed at the current location between Route 191 and 248. The site began hosting motor racing events in the 1910s.

In 1966, an additional dirt track was added. In 1986, Roger Penske bought the property, and subsequently paved the big track. The small track was demolished and the site was replaced by the expanding of a nearby grocery store in 1988.

Dirt track (small)

The mile dirt track was constructed in the 1900s as a horse racing track. The first automotive events held at the location were not racing, instead it was a sport called auto polo. Following the Great Depression the first large race that happened at the small track would be held in 1947 by the American Automobile Association. The race included 35 cars, and attracted a crowd of 11,000 spectators.

In 1952, Jerry Fried purchased the fairgrounds. He continued the racing, and added in additional events, such as demolition derbies. The track was also the location of one of the first enduro races on the east coast. The mile small dirt track continued to operate weekly during the closing of the large track from 1971 to 1982.

In the time period the small track was open, Buzzie Reutimann won 33 races, leading to the 1972 and 1973 track titles.

During Roger Penske's ownership in 1988, the small track was sold to nearby Laneco supermarket and demolished. Buzzie Reutimann won a 150 lap race in 1971. The facility remained closed for three years.

In 1997, for fairness and accuracy, the track was remeasured by the CART sanctioning body, and was advertised as in length. The race, which had been 200 laps, was increased to 225 laps for time value purposes. This length was used between 1997 and the last CART race in 2001. The IRL used in 2002, 2003 and 2004 a length of for timing and scoring. However, NASCAR stayed to a length of exactly 1 mile until its closing in 2004.

Closing

thumb|Nazareth Speedway signage at Gate 2 along [[Pennsylvania Route 191|PA 191]]

Although the Nazareth Speedway hosted rather successful Busch Series and CART events, new owner ISC closed the facility in late 2004. The races were replaced with events at Watkins Glen, another ISC-owned track. Access to the speedway was severely limited, and reopening as a professional motorsports facility was highly unlikely. As of May 2007, the grandstands, signage and all visible structures at the racetrack have been removed. The disassembled grandstands were transported and erected at Watkins Glen and Michigan International Speedway. The track remains fenced off and access to any part of the track or land surrounding it is restricted. Historical Google Earth imagery shows that by May 2008, large piles of earth were erected at various points around the track to prevent use of the racing surface. Images as of September 2020 show those piles remain in place, though show signs of weathering.

Although the track closed in 2004, it is still featured in the EA Sports video games NASCAR SimRacing, NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup, NASCAR 06: Total Team Control, NASCAR 07, NASCAR 08 (PS2), and NASCAR 09 (PS2), which are based on the 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 NASCAR seasons, respectively. For the 2006-2009 games, the track was considered a fantasy track.

Redevelopment

In November 2015, Raceway Properties LLC purchased the property. The property is currently zoned as general commercial property, with the most recent plans being to convert sections to residential zoning and build a warehouse for local business, C. F. Martin & Company.

Lap records

The unofficial fastest all-time track record on the reconfigured 0.946-mile Oval is 0:18.419 seconds, set by Patrick Carpentier in a Reynard 98I, during qualifying for the 1998 Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix. The fastest official race lap records at Nazareth Speedway are listed as:

{| class="wikitable"

!Category!!Time!!Driver!!Vehicle!!Event

|-

! colspan=5 | Reconfigured Oval (1987–2004): || Greg Moore || Reynard 98I || 1998 Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix

|-

| Indy Lights || 0:22.635 || Greg Moore || Lola T93/20 || 1995 Nazareth Indy Lights round

|-

| Formula Atlantic || 0:23.058 || Rodolfo Lavín || Swift 008.a || 2001 Nazareth Formula Atlantic round

|-

|}

Race winners

USAC Championship Car Series

Nazareth 100 (Dirt)

  • 1968 Al Unser
  • 1969 Mario Andretti
  • 1982 Keith Kauffman

CART/IRL Series

Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix

NASCAR Busch Series

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series

DeVilbiss Superfinish 200

  • 1996 Jack Sprague (Race shortened to 152 laps/152 miles due to rain)

NAPA AutoCare 200

  • 1997 Jack Sprague
  • 1998 Ron Hornaday
  • 1999 Greg Biffle

Chevy Silverado 200

  • 2000 Dennis Setzer
  • 2001 Greg Biffle

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour

  • 1991 Jan Leaty
  • 1992 Jeff Fuller
  • 1993 Tim Connolly
  • 1994 Jeff Fuller
  • 1995 Tony Hirschman
  • 1996 Jan Leaty
  • 1997 Mike Stefanik
  • 1998 Mike Stefanik
  • 1999 Eddie Flemke Jr.
  • 2000 Mike Stefanik
  • 2001 Mike Ewanitsko
  • 2002 Nevin George
  • 2003 Ted Christopher
  • 2004 Todd Szegedy

IROC

  • 1989 Danny Sullivan

Mark Knopfler wrote a song about a season of racing concluding at Nazareth Speedway titled "Speedway at Nazareth". The song appears on Knopfler's second solo album, Sailing to Philadelphia.

See also

  • Lake Erie Speedway, Erie County, south of North East, Pennsylvania
  • Pocono Raceway

References

  • Nazareth Speedway Page on NASCAR.com
  • Dirt track history
  • List of Champ Car races at Nazareth Speedway