Heidelberg Raceway

Heidelberg Raceway was an American auto racing track which was built in Scott Township, Allegheny County, approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) southwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It held weekly races and numerous special events between 1948 and 1973. It held four NASCAR Strictly Stock/Grand National (now Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series) and one NASCAR Convertible Division race between the 1940s and 1960s. In 1960, Heidelberg became the first track to fall off NASCAR's tour. The land is now occupied by a shopping center called Raceway Plaza.

The track was the brainchild of the original Wrights Sea Food Inn owner, Ike Wright. It was originally constructed between 1947 and 1948 to be used as a horse racing establishment, with help and financial backing by Pittsburgh Steelers founder Art Rooney. When horse racing was not legalized in Pennsylvania., the track was converted into a place for autos to compete. The original track was a 1/2-mile dirt track that eventually had a 1/4-mile track cut into its infield. The tracks shared part of a straightaway that existed in front of the main grandstands. Over the final years of the tracks existence, there was also a figure-8 course being used within the quarter-mile section of the track.

The first races happened at the track in May 1948. The first event was almost rained out, but track officials had drivers pilot their race cars around the course, using the heat buildup from the vehicle's tires to dry the track surface. Once the races began, the air became dusty from the cars racing around the track. The Observer-Reporter interviewed fans after the track closed, and they reported that the air was so dusty that fans could rarely see the race cars come down the straightaways. Thursday nights were selected because the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball team had only three Thursday night baseball games that season.Midget cars were the first weekly series, featuring drivers Jimmy Bryan, Bill Schindler, Al Shaffer, and Billy Spear. They raced on the 1/4 mile inner track. Special events featured sprint cars on the 1/2-mile track. From 1950 until 1953, the track began hosting coupe racing under NASCAR sanction. In 1954, Ed Witzberger took over promotion of the track, and eventually formed the Pittsburgh Racing Association (PRA) which raced coupes up to five nights per week including Thursday nights at Heidelberg. Other tracks in the association included South Park Speedway, Monduke Speedway, and Clinton Speedway. Chris Economaki, was the track announcer for special events in the 1950s. The track featured coupes until 1961, then late models became the track's main class.

...
Wikipedia