Canfield Speedway

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      Canfield Speedway
      Canfield Fairgrounds Speedway
      Location Canfield Township, Mahoning County, Ohio, at 7265 Columbiana-Canfield Road, Canfield Fairgrounds, Ohio 44406
      Time zone GMT-5
      Capacity 40,000+
      Owner The Mahoning County Agricultural Society
      Operator

      The Canfield Fairgrounds

      Promoter = Charles (Charlie) Findlay
      Broke ground 194?
      Opened 1949
      Closed 1971 to autos
      Construction cost $?
      Architect Mahoning County Agricultural Society
      Former names Canfield Fairgrounds Speedway
      Major events NASCAR Grand National Series The Poor Man's 500
      Oval
      Surface Dirt
      Length .5 mi (.805 km)
      Turns 4
      Banking 15° Turns
      8° Front Stretch
      12° Back straightaway
      Lap record 58.102mph (time N/A) (Bill Rexford, Julian Buesink, 1951, NASCAR Grand National Series)
      Oval
      Surface Dirt
      Length .25 mi (.4025 km)
      Turns 4
      Banking 5° in turns
      0° in straights
      Lap record 0:15.210 (Iggy Katona, Iggy Katona, 1951, NASCAR Short Track Series)
      Oval
      Surface Asphalt
      Length .25 mi (.4025 km)
      Turns 4
      Banking 8° in turns
      5° in straights
      Lap record 0:14.046 (Mike Klapak, Mike Klapak, 1964, ARCA)
      Oval
      Surface Dirt
      Length .5 mi (.805 km)
      Turns 4
      Banking 10° in turns
      5° in straights
      Lap record 0:14.046 (Harold Smith, Harold Smith, 1961, ARCA)

      Canfield Speedway hosted (major) sanctioned auto racing from 1950 to 1964, but other associations ran until the late 1970s. The track is a half mile dirt oval that was on the Nascar Grand National Schedule for three years from 1950-1952 hosting one event annually over that time period. The Nascar Grand National and Short Track series competed there as well as ARCA and USAC. The Grand National events were 200 laps and 100 miles (160 km) long. The Short Track Race was 100 laps and the track was 1/4-mile long making the race 25 miles (40 km). The ARCA races were either 100 laps on the 1/4-mile or 200, 250, or 300 laps on the 1/2-mile as the track had two different configurations. Some of the events used the inverted start with the pole qualifier starting last. Both USAC races were 100 laps on the quarter mile configuration. The quickest laps recorded in sanctioned events were just under the 24 second mark with cars averaging 60 mph (97 km/h) around the speedway on the half mile configuration. On the quarter mile quick time was under 16 seconds and cars averaged 55 mph (89 km/h). At some times the track was paved in the quarter mile configuration, but never in the half mile configuration. Attendance varied from 30,000 people for larger events to 10,000 people for ones of less significance. The track is located at the Canfield Fairgrounds in Canfield, Ohio, and is still in use today, primarily during the Canfield Fair. The NASCAR pole record is 54.233 mph (87.280 km/h) and the race record is 48.057 mph 2:04:51. The record for cautions is 4 and smallest margin of victory 4 feet (1.2 m) and the largest 3 laps. The largest purse was $4350 and the most lead changes was 2. The original promoter of auto racing in Canfield was Charlie Findlay and then his nephew George C. Findlay in the early 1960s. It was Charlie that had close ties with Johnny Marcum, (MARC) Midwest Association of Racing Cars.and Canfield Speedway was the priority track.In 1964 ARCA took over MARC as the desire for dirt tracks died out.

      Table of Nascar Sanctioned Events

      Date Event Name Series Race Winner Pole
      May 30, 1950 (none) NASCAR Grand National Bill Rexford Jimmy Florian
      May 30, 1951 Poor Man's 500 NASCAR Grand National Marshall Teague Bill Rexford
      September 27, 1951 ----- NASCAR Short Track Lloyd Moore Iggy Katona
      May 30, 1952 Poor Man's 500 NASCAR Grand National Herb Thomas Dick Rathmann

      Table of ARCA & USAC Events

      Date Series Winner
      May 30, 1953 ARCA Stock Car Jim Romine
      August 8, 1953 ARCA Stock Car Jim Romine
      May 31, 1954 ARCA Stock Car Buckie Sager
      June 26, 1954 ARCA Stock Car Bob Pronger
      July 17, 1954 ARCA Stock Car Don Oldenberg
      August 7, 1954 ARCA Stock Car Russ Hepler
      April 23, 1955 ARCA Stock Car Jim Romine
      May 30, 1955 ARCA Stock Car Jim Romine
      June 25, 1955 ARCA Stock Car Russ Hepler
      July 30, 1955 ARCA Stock Car Bill Lutz
      August 20, 1955 ARCA Stock Car Jim Romine
      September 17, 1955 ARCA Stock Car Mike Klapak
      October 1, 1955 ARCA Stock Car Jim Romine
      May 30, 1956 ARCA Stock Car Darel Dieringer
      June 23, 1956 ARCA Stock Car Russ Hepler
      July 14, 1956 ARCA Stock Car Jack Farris
      August 11, 1956 ARCA Stock Car Jim Romine
      September 22, 1956 ARCA Stock Car Bob James
      April 20, 1957 ARCA Stock Car Jack Farris
      April 27, 1957 ARCA Stock Car Iggy Katona
      May 30, 1957 ARCA Stock Car Jack Farris
      July 4, 1957 ARCA Stock Car Jack Farris
      July 27, 1957 ARCA Stock Car Bob James
      August 17, 1957 ARCA Stock Car Nelson Stacy
      September 21, 1957 ARCA Stock Car Roy Gemberling
      April 26, 1958 ARCA Stock Car Bob James
      May 30, 1958 ARCA Stock Car Les Snow
      June 24, 1958 ARCA Stock Car Bob James
      July 4, 1958 ARCA Stock Car Bob James
      April 25, 1959 ARCA Stock Car Nelson Stacy
      May 30, 1959 ARCA Stock Car Don White
      July 4, 1959 ARCA Stock Car Bill Forney
      August 1, 1959 ARCA Stock Car Bob James
      August 14, 1959 USAC Midget Eddie Johnson
      September 26, 1959 ARCA Stock Car Bob James
      July 2, 1960 ARCA Stock Car Paul Parks
      July 30, 1960 ARCA Stock Car Nelson Stacy
      August 3, 1960 USAC Midget Bob McLean
      September 18, 1960 ARCA Stock Car Nelson Stacy
      May 30, 1961 ARCA Stock Car Harold Smith
      September 17, 1961 ARCA Stock Car Kenny Reeder
      April 21, 1962 ARCA Stock Car Dick Freeman
      May 30, 1962 ARCA Stock Car Harold Smith
      May 30, 1963 ARCA Stock Car Jack Bowsher
      May 29, 1964 ARCA Stock Car Earl Balmer

      [1]

      1950 Race #5 Top 5 Results for First Race

      1. Bill Rexford 200 Laps $1,470 80 Led
      2. Glenn Dunaway 198 $750
      3. Lloyd Moore 198 $500
      4. Lee Petty 195 $400
      5. Bill Blair 195 $300

      Bill Rexford

      Bill Rexford won the inaugural event (later known as the Poor Man's 500) and went on to take the Grand National Championship that year in 1950. He was the youngest diver to win the championship in what is now the Sprint Cup Series. He was aided to the championship when Lee Petty was stripped of some points for racing in non-NASCAR sanctioned events. His only lead lap finish in his career was at Canfield Speedway (when he won). His only career pole came at Canfield Speedway the following year in 1951. He was the 1st of 6 drivers to win a championship without winning a pole in that season. He is 1 of 4 drivers to win a championship with only 1 win that season (nobody has won with 0 wins). In the three grand national races only 4 cars combined finished on the lead lap.

      References

      1. ^ http://www.ultimateracinghistory.com/racelist3.php?trackid=104
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      Sources

      Coordinates: 41°0′36″N 80°45′13″W / 41.01000°N 80.75361°W / 41.01000; -80.75361

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      Last modified on 27 May 2013, at 02:55