MERCED FAIRGROUNDS - MERCED CA
The Merced County Fairgrounds are home to the annual Merced County Fair. The Merced County Fair was first held on September 2, 1891; and has held each year since; except for 1947-1918 (WWI); 1936 (financial issues); 1943-1945 (WWII); and 2020-2021 (Covid). When the fair is not meeting the race track is used for the Merced Fairgrounds Speedway. The speedway is a 3/8 mile NASCAR dirt track that hosts race car, midget car and motorcycle racing. The Cup cars raced here in June of 1956. Few Cup drivers who lived in the Eastern U.S. made the trip all the way across the country to compete. Herb Thomas showed them what kind of
drivers live in the East, as he put himself out front and stayed there to capture the win. Harold Hardesty would finish second and Jim Graham third. These drivers all finished on the lead lap. Although NASCAR is long gone, the tracks holds racing most weekends. They also host the World of Outlaws, USAC Midgets, IMCA Modifieds and tractor pulls. After the end of the 2021 Cup season; newly crowned Cup Champion Kyle Larson and team mate Chase Elliott ventured out to race at the track. They ran the NOS Energy USAC National Midget Series event as well as the Merced Winged 360 event. Larson is a long time sprint and midget competitor; but it was Elliott's Sprint Car debut. After the surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the Merced County Fairgrounds was turned into the Merced Assembly Center, a detention center for those of Japanese ancestry. Kyle Larson ---->
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