Rockingham Raceway

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David
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Rockingham Raceway

Post by David »

Rockingham Raceway.jpg
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sigmore
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Re: Rockingham Raceway

Post by sigmore »

Is that the dirt track that was kinda between Wiregrass road and the Hi-Way that went between the place where the Rock and the Drag Strip was built?
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Re: Rockingham Raceway

Post by tallatron »

I thought the old dirt track was where Foxfire is now.
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Re: Rockingham Raceway

Post by Wayne Fuller »

The old dirt track was located at the intersection of U S #1 and Wire Grass Road in the Foxport community.
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Re: Rockingham Raceway

Post by Bill Dennis »

I concur Wayne, that was real racing at it's best.
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Re: Rockingham Raceway

Post by sigmore »

Isn't US 1 the road that goes between the drag strip and the Rock? That was the intersection I was thinking of, Wire Grass and US 1.
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Re: Rockingham Raceway

Post by freddie hassler »

Concur with Bill, Racing at it's BEST, John Sears and his brother James, Buck Covington, Wayne Andrews, Bobby Webb, J D McDuffie, to name a few :D
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Re: Rockingham Raceway

Post by lynnsteen »

I just can't place the location of this track. I never attended a car race, but always had an interest in the sport. I'm guessing by the previous discussion that this track was located in the vicinity of the Richmond Pines Country Club. Or was it over in the southwest quadrant of the Wiregrass Rd/US 1 intersection where Richmond Senior High School is located? If I remember correctly, after you cross US 1 on Wiregrass Road, the road name changes to Ledbetter Road. I traveled that route many a time back in my day, but I just don't remember a racetrack (or sign designating such) in the area.

And guys, another name to possibly add to the list of distinguished racers from the area might be Bill Bostick of Ellerbe. He didn't make it big time like John Sears, but in the late 50s when I was serving duty as helper on a Buttercup delivery truck, we serviced a Texaco station at the intersection of Ledbetter Road and US 220 in Ellerbe that was operated by Mr. Bostick. Seems he was always working on that racecar there in the garage area of the station. And he and the driver of the ice cream truck I worked on would always talk about the Saturday night race at this track. Seems he had more than his share of success, best I recall.
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Re: Rockingham Raceway

Post by Jody Meacham »

Lynn, you're right about the general location of the track. Take Wiregrass Road -- which is not far out of the photo on the left -- toward the bottom of the picture and you're headed toward Hamlet. Go toward the top of the picture and you're headed to Ledbetter Lake. U.S. 1 runs across the top of the picture -- left is south passing Richmond Senior High toward Rockingham and right is north toward the country club and, ultimately, to the intersection with 177 at the current race track and dragstrip.

The land on which the track in the picture sits was a previously a small airstrip, I believe, but that was before my time.
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Re: Rockingham Raceway

Post by Wayne Terry »

I think it was the first race at "the Rock" and John Sears was the local running in his first big time race..Curtis Turner put him in the wall inTurn 1 of the first lap! I told that story to a fellow named Yarborough from Sardis,SC who was a client of mine for a long time several years ago. He got a big chuckle!
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Re: Rockingham Raceway

Post by lynnsteen »

That fellow didn't happen to be named Cale, did he?
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Re: Rockingham Raceway

Post by Jean Raby Nelson »

I had heard of this but don't have a clue how I missed it. I didn't think I left anything unturned. I bet it was fun. We go now and then to "The Clay by the Bay", a dirt track here just south of Tampa. The funniest thing I have seen in a long time was "The Redneck Smash a Rama". They only do that once a year but I hope top go back next year with my grandchildren.
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Re: Rockingham Raceway

Post by Wayne Terry »

You win, Lynn! Cale can really tell some stories too!
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Re: Rockingham Raceway

Post by lynnsteen »

I bet he can, particularly when it comes to the Allisons of Alabama!!
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Re: Rockingham Raceway

Post by Wayne Fuller »

Lynn, going from Hamlet to Ellerbe on Wiregrass Rd, when you reach the stop sigh (now traffic light) at Hwy #1 the dirt race track was located on the right before you crossed #1.
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Re: Rockingham Raceway

Post by lynnsteen »

When was the track removed Wayne? I still can't remember ever noticing it up till the early 60s, but that's probably my problem.

And what is 'Foxfire' that was mentioned by someone earlier? I remember there being a community by that name up between Hoffman and Pinehurst, at least a golf course by that name. But something in this area is foreign to me; been gone a long time.
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Re: Rockingham Raceway

Post by freddie hassler »

Lynn, you are right about Bill Bostick I went to the Hamlet VA some years back and when I when I went into the nurse office she had a picture of him standing by his car and I said I known him, isn't that Bill Bostick and she said it sure is that's my Dad
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Re: Rockingham Raceway

Post by Jody Meacham »

Lynn, Foxfire is a community and golf course farther north and near Pinehurst. Go north on 177 or 1 past the current speedway and drag strip to Hoffman. There's a county road that turns off to the left there that runs to Foxfire. Last time I used that road -- maybe a year ago -- there was a sign on U.S. 1 pointing to Foxfire.
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Re: Rockingham Raceway

Post by Wayne Terry »

Lynn, Junior taught Cale a lot! About driving and "telling tales". If you ever get a chance, read the book that Cale wrote. I'm not sure where to find it though because I read a "borrowed copy". When I transferred to Florence in 86, he was winding down his driving career, but our firm did all of his accounting/tax work, personal, race team, Hardee's franchises, car dealerships, and a bunch of other things. My other partner there left in 88 and went to work for Cale as his CFO for all of the businesses. I "inherited" all of the relationship...

It was really interesting watching him build his race shop north of Charlotte...30,000 sq. feet of "state of the art" equipment at that time...Earnhardt came over and got ideas before building his place in Mooresville.

Junior told Cale how to make a "small fortune in racing"...Start with a big one! Junior was smarter than most people could imagine!
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Re: Rockingham Raceway

Post by lynnsteen »

You're talking Junior Johnson I presume. He was a real character; a lot of fun to observe. Probably the only driver to ever be pulled off the racing circuit in midseason and sent to prison for........ bootlegging.
I remember seeing him several years ago on one of those reunion type shows on TV with all those NASCAR Legends. Cale was there as well. That's where I remember Bobby Allison retelling the story about the time Cale and Bobby's brother Donnie got into a fist fight right on the track, and on TV, after Donnie and Cale wrecked racing to the finish line. But this time, to make it a little humorous, Bobby recalled running to his brother's defense, and somehow Cale just kept banging his head into his fists, Bobby's fists that is. I believe that was a Southern 500 race at Darlington.
Cale was always one of my favorite drivers. Coincidentally, another of the Allison clan became a favorite later on. That was Davey, Bobby's son. That was primarily because he was sponsored by the company that wrote my own paycheck though...... that being Texaco. But I did pull for him. Sadly, Davey died very young in a helicopter accident at Talladega.
Last edited by lynnsteen on Mon January 13, 2014, 11:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Rockingham Raceway

Post by lynnsteen »

@ Jody
That's the place I had in mind. I was just having trouble placing it and this track in the same vicinity.
Was beginning to think there might now be a housing development or assisted living facility of some sort in the area of Richmond Pines.
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Re: Rockingham Raceway

Post by Wayne Fuller »

Richmond Pines Country Club was closed and sold. It is now back open under new management and they are getting it back into shape. It had got into pretty bad shape. The last that I knew, Sam Bankhead was there giving golf lessons.
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