Old Time Racing (Part 1) - NASCAR at Peace Haven Speedway 1953-54

This 8mm film shows early NASCAR racing at Peace Haven Speedway, aka Winston-Salem Speedway on April 27, 1953 and April 19, 1954.
Peace Haven Speedway was one of the first NASCAR tracks started by Bill France and Alvin Hawkins, with a date on the inaugural championship tour on Oct. 31, 1948. And with drivers like Curtis Turner and Fonty Flock, it held the record as the fastest half mile dirt track in NASCAR from 1948 to 1950, and again in 1952.
The film consists of mixed clips from 1953 and '54 of the Sportsman and Amateur divisions.
Shorty York won the Sportsman feature in the 1953 race while Joe Kirby won the Amateur feature after Ralph Harpe was disqualified.

Ted Swaim driving the J.S. Pope #99 won the Sportsman feature in '54, with Whitey Norman winning the Amateur feature after starting at the end of the field.

Drivers in this (Part 1) footage include -

Shorty York #111 (winner '53)
Ted Swaim #99 (winner '54)
Curtis Turner #14
Glen Wood #22
Bill Myers #4 (coach model in '53 clips - coupe model in '54 clips)
Bobby Myers #6A
Wendell Scott #11
Pee Wee Jones #9
Jim Paschal #80
Slim Rominger #48
Perk Brown #0
Brice "Spider" Stultz (#24 in '53 clips - #24x in '54 clips)
Chicken Boggs #18 Jr.

Also in these races - Whitey Norman, Ralph Harpe, Bill Widenhouse, Sandy Lynch, James Stultz, Robert Barrier, Charles Woosley, Toots Jenkins, Bob DeHart, Ralph Ligouri, E.H. Weddle, Carl Burris, Gwyn Staley, Johnny Dodson, Speedy Thompson, Burley Myers, Ned Jarrett, Fuzzy Clifton, Lester Willard, Johnny Capps, Joe Kirby, Ray Shores, Don Willis, Barry Boyd, Peanut Brown, Tommy Tuttle, and many more.

There are two parts to this film -

Part 1 is all Peace Haven Speedway (10:23).

Part 2 is a short clip of Peace Haven Speedway (:26), a short clip of motorcycles at the Dixie Classic Fairgrounds in Winston-Salem (:22), a long clip of Bowman Gray Stadium (4:35), and a long clip of exotic car racing at Virginia International Raceway (7:58).

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• North Carolina
• Winston-Salem NC
• Peace Haven Speedway
• Winston-Salem Speedway
• Bill France
• Early NASCAR
• Old NASCAR
• Old NASCAR Races
• Curtis Turner
• NASCAR
• Bowman Gray Stadium
• Glen Wood
• Wood Brothers
• Wendell Scott
• Pee Wee Jones
• Ted Swaim
• Modified
• Sportsman
• Vintage NASCAR
• Vintage NASCAR Racing
• Dirt Track Racing
• 1953
• 1954
• 8mm
• Home Movie
• Ford Coupe
• Racing
• Car Wreck
• Cars
• Crash
• Stock Car Racing
• Moonshine
• Americana
• America
• American Tradition
• Southern Culture

[cloverhill1947]

Yes, my Father was Bill Blair. Do you have an email address, I could email photos to you of Tri-City Speedway.

[EdwinJayLatama]

@cloverhill1947 Thanks! I've sent you a message to your youtube account.

[EdwinJayLatama]

@cloverhill1947 Your father was Bill Blair? I'd love to see the photos but I don't facebook. Are they posted anywhere else?

[cloverhill1947]

@cloverhill1947 - I have some photos of Tri-City Speedway. My Daddy and my Uncle built the track in 1947. I have some photos on my facebook page.

[lmd8123]

no wonder theres no slantbacks left!

[EdwinJayLatama]

@Hammered001 "drinking just the right amount of liquor before racing" Yes, I've heard these stories from a couple of the drivers! I've sent you an email.

[Hammered001]

@EdwinJayLatama Just prepared you my detailed account of those old races and drivers and the damn email failed. Contact me at  mwphipps@gmail.com. Maybe that will work. Are you working on a book? I was fortunate to have witnessed racing when it was truly a "poor man's" motorsport. "Junk yard Genius" and drinking just the right amount of liquor before racing is under-appreciated today. Hope to talk to you soon, before I am dead LOL!!

[EdwinJayLatama]

@Hammered001 I have some photos of the motorcycle track in the 30's and early 40's. What was your friend's name? Maybe I can find a photo or mention of him in an old newspaper article. Do you remember who won the races you saw at Peace Haven? I'm from Winston and grew up near where the track was. I know the family of the man who built the track, and a few of the drivers that are still living - Hilton Hill, Ralph Harpe, and Whitey Norman. Ralph and Whitey won at Peace Haven and loved the track.

[Hammered001]

@EdwinJayLatama Your looking at record books, but I was there. Short-lived? A friend of mine, now deceased, said he raced motorcycles at Peace Haven in the 1930's. No, I'm not that old so I wasn't there. Yes, there are pics of Tri-City. I saw them at High Point Museum. Think the Lewallen family and/or Fred Harb possibly have them. I won't argue with you. You are a historian. I've lived here all my life. Where are you from?

[EdwinJayLatama]

@Hammered001 I've heard many of the old timers loved Tri-City Speedway in High Point. E.H. Weddle once called it his favorite track. No films of it to my knowledge. Films of these early tracks are super rare. Heck, even photos of them are hard to find. I've never even seen a photo of Tri-City. Let me know of any if you find them.