SHARON SPEEDWAY - HARTFORD OH
Sharon Speedway is a 3/8-mile dirt oval race track located in Hartford Township, Ohio and named for the nearby city of Sharon, Pennsylvania. It opened in 1929, making it one of the oldest continuously running dirt ovals in the United States. Sharon Speedway officially opened under promoters Henry McCracken and Lee Poorbaugh, with Guy Mogel as the starter and Seth Wade, the announcer. More than 1,000 people paid 50 cents admission to witness the inaugural event. After World War II halted racing, cars returned to the track in 1946. The speedway could not regain what it had before the war and was starting to look bleak. By the 1950s, however, racing regained popularity. NASCAR made one stop at the 1/2 mile, dirt oval; that came in 1954. The race was scheduled for 200 laps and saw Dick Rathman win the pole. Rathman led the first 46
laps before being bypassed by Buck Baker would be at the point for the next 54 circuits. At the half way point, Lee Petty grabbed the lead and would motor away from the field. The race ended on lap 160 due to rain, with Petty having over a one lap lead. Baker finished second followed by Rathman, Joe Eubanks and Laird Bruner. Bruner also finished fifth at Martinsville that same year; and they would be his only two career top five finishes. The track is currently part-owned and operated by the Blaney family, which includes NASCAR driver Dave Blaney. Blaney's father, and former driver, Lou Blaney originally assisted in the operation of the track. Lou Blaney died on January 25, 2009. Dave Blaney is father
of current NASCAR driver Ryan Blaney. The current owners bought the track in 2002 for approximately $280,000 and have since invested about $3 million in the 90-year-old track. The track currently hosts several major touring series including both the World of Outlaws Late Model Series and Sprint Cars; RUSH Late Models; All Star Circuit of Champions Sprints among others. It was announced in early 2022, that Sharon Speedway would host one of the six races in the Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) on July 23rd 2022. Picture from that race is on the left. Chase Elliott won the race, while Marco Andretti claimed the Championship.
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