Trenton Speedway
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| Location | Hamilton Township, Mercer County, near Trenton, New Jersey |
|---|---|
| Owner | New Jersey State Fairgrounds |
| Opened | 1900 |
| Closed | 1980 |
| Former names | Trenton International Speedway |
| Major events |
AAA/USAC/CART Championship Car Trenton 100/150/200/300 (1949, 1957–79) NASCAR Grand National/Winston Cup Northern 300 (1958–59, 1967–72) |
| Half-mile oval (1900–1941) | |
| Surface | Dirt |
| Length | 0.5 mi (.81 km) |
| Mile oval (1946–1969) | |
| Surface | Dirt (1946–57) Asphalt (1957–69) |
| Length | 1 mi (1.6 km) |
| Dog-leg oval "Kidney Bean" (1969–1980) | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 1.5 mi (2.41 km) |
| Banking | Turns 1 & 2: 10° Dogleg: 4° Turns 3 & 4: 15° |
Trenton Speedway was a racing facility located near Trenton, New Jersey at the New Jersey State Fairgrounds. Races for the United States' premier open-wheel and full-bodied racing series of the times were held at Trenton Speedway.
The first race at the Fairgrounds was held on September 24, 1900, but there was no further racing there until 1907. Regular racing began in 1912 and continued until 1941. A new 1 mile dirt oval was opened in 1946. In 1957 the track was paved. It operated in that configuration until 1968 when the track was expanded to 1.5 miles (2.41 km) and a "kidney bean" shape with a 20° right-hand dogleg on the back stretch and a wider turn 3 & 4 complex than turns 1 & 2. The track closed in 1980 and the Fairgrounds itself closed 3 years later. The former site of the speedway is now occupied by the Grounds for Sculpture, a UPS shipping facility, and the housing development known as "Hamilton Lakes".
Trenton was a long-time stop for the AAA and USAC Championship Car series. Its first recognized Champ Car race was held in 1949 on the dirt mile. The series did not return until 1957 when the track was paved, but when it did, at least one Champ Car race was held every year until 1979. The final Champ Car races held in 1979 at the track were sanctioned by CART. During his career A. J. Foyt won twelve Indy Car races at Trenton Speedway. The May 1976 race was Janet Guthrie's first IndyCar appearance.
Trenton hosted the NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup series 8 times: once each May in 1958 and 1959, and once each July from 1967 to 1972, a race known as the Northern 300. Richard Petty led all drivers with three Trenton Grand National victories. In July 1973 the Northern 300 ran time trials but rain washed out the race and it was never rescheduled. The Northern 300 was placed on NASCAR's 1974 Winston Cup Grand National schedule ( listed it on the schedule in its early 1974 season issues) but was dropped early in the year and replaced by Pocono Raceway's Purolator 500.
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