Hagerstown Speedway

Keith Kauffman at Hagerstown in 1986

The Hagerstown Speedway was built in 1946 by Stanley Schetrompf at the former Conococheague Amusement Park between the banks of the Conococheague Creek and US Route 40[1] at a cost of $60,000 ($658,907 in 2019[2]) with the seating of 3000 people.[3] Stanley Schetrompf signed a working agreement with the owner of Williams Grove Speedway Roy Richwine.[3] It finally hosted its first event on August 29, 1948 after being postponed twice due to weather. Legendary NASCAR-driver Curtis Turner won the first feature at the track in what was a 30 lap(15 mile) stock car race with an over 8 second lead in a Ford in a 20 car field.[4] After the 1949 season they changed the name from Conococheague Speedway to its current name Hagerstown Speedway. Frank Plessinger took ownership of the track in 1981 and has since transformed it into a modern circuit.[5] Plessinger has claimed that it is the finest dirt track in the United States.[6] Throughout the years, many NASCAR drivers have raced and found dirt-racing success there, including Cale Yarborough, Ken Schrader and Jeff Gordon.[1] Schrader scored the victory in the 1990 Hagerstown ARCA 150 ARCA event at the track. In July of 2020, NASCAR and open-wheel superstar Kyle Larson dominated the annual PA Sprint Speedweek 30-lap feature at the Maryland track en-route to the prestigious Speedweek points title.

It has 20 metal grandstand sections, two of which bear the last names of the founders Schetrompf and Stouffer. In the 1980s, a 1/10 mile Quarter Midget track was built behind turn 2.[7]In October of 2013, track-owner Plessinger appointed his daughter Lisa Plessinger to become the promoter of the track.[8] In 2018, the Super Late Model category championship would not be handed out due to low car count; it was the first year in the track history for that to happen.[9] For the 2020 season, and for the first time ever in the track’s history, a sanctioning-body would take over sanctioning duties for the speedway, that sanctioning-body being FASTRAK, owners of the ULTIMATE Super Late Model Series.[10] However, the excitement of a new racing year would suddenly have to be put on hold as the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in March 2020 would shut the speedway down and postpone the start of the 2020 racing season to late-May due to the restrictions set in stone by the State of Maryland refusing social gatherings of more than 250 people. [11] They were able to fit a couple races but after the PA Speedweek event they had problem with fans not following protocol and attacking track officials they called off the rest of the 2020 season.[12]

The most successful driver in the history of the track as of 2020 is National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame member Gary Stuhler, who owns over 100 Super Late Model victories at the speedway.

As is the case with most auto-racing tracks, Hagerstown has had its share of driver fatalities. However, thanks to the advancements and innovations in safety-gear over the past several decades, the last reported driver-fatality as of December 2020 was in 1969, when Frank Gorinchky died after being involved in a multiple-car accident.

During a 30-lap race in 1996, the Late Model racer Jack Bland crashed on the backstretch of the track. When another driver (number 81) tried to overtake after turn two, Jack attempted to block them but hit the guardrail, which broke his car apart and thrust it into the air. His car flipped and was hit by another racer (number 70) at high speed. He had to be rescued from the vehicle using the Jaws of Life but only sustained a broken leg. It has been called the worst crash in dirt Late Model history. The crash was featured on Discovery Channel show Destroyed in Seconds.[13]

Records from 6/1/13[19]

• Steve Kinser
• Sammy Swindell
• Scott Bloomquist
• Tony Stewart
• Rico Abreu
• Kasey Khane
• Dave Blaney
• Lucas Wolfe
• Jack Hewitt
• Donny Schatz
• Jeff Gordon
• Cale Yarborough
• Ken Schrader
• Jimmy Owens
• Cole Whitt
• Brad Sweet
• Tyler Reddick
• Kyle Larson

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hagerstown Speedway.

• Hagerstown Speedway Website
• Hagerstown Speedway Twitter