Some Interesting MD Racing History

Anything Autocross related

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Green_Hornet
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Some Interesting MD Racing History

Post by Green_Hornet »

I was reading the November 2004 issue of Sport Compact Car, specifically the article on the Lotus Cortina(pg 72). I saw it mention that the car won a race at the "12-hour race at Marlboro, MD" back in the 60s. So I asked my dad if he knew about the track since he's been around here since he was little and he never heard about it. Then I did some google searching and found this site:

http://www.dixierunners.speedgeezers.com/marlboro/

Interesting information.
Drivers like Mark Donohue, Skip Barber, and Roger Penske raced sportscars here, Mario Andretti won a sprint car race on the oval, the Corvette Stingray made its world debut in a race at Marlboro, and Clark, Stewart, and Ickx drove Cortinas here in a sedan race. The cars at Marlboro ranged from Hillman Imps to 7-liter Cobras, Sprites and 356 Porsches to the 40,000 RPM Howmet Turbine car -- which scored one of its two wins (the only wins ever posted by a turbine-poweed car) at Marlboro.


I posted this on the DC Area Maxima forum before I had finished reading it and someone beat me to it and posted this section
Sadly, the track was abandoned in the late sixties due to a combination of urban sprawl and increasing safety regulation. Since it sits in the flood plain and would be nearly impossible to get permission to build over, the track survives today, slowly being overtaken by the trees."


After I read that it was time to find a little more so I went to terrafly and I think I found the track.

Image

Do any of you know about this track?

Other links and info:

http://www.conceptcarz.com/events/events.aspx
(5th post from the top)
I'm guessing here but if it wasn't for Marlboro Motor Raceway shutting down, Summit Point would've shut the track down. Read that post on that site for info.

http://www.flagshipnews.com/archives_20 ... 4_24.shtml

http://www.vintagegarage.com/hbicht4.html
a picture of a car on the track in the 60s, 3rd picture down on the right.
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Green_Hornet
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Post by Green_Hornet »

I believe thats the track alright: found more info:

http://www.na-motorsports.com/Tracks/Marlboro.html

Image

From the Penske Racing site:
1958 Roger Penske drives his first official race in the SCCA National at Marlboro Motor Raceway in Maryland. After running second, his car overheats.
More Links:
http://www.wdcr-scca.org/road_racing/marrs_series.htm
http://www.3widespicturevault.com/50spi ... 0053_1.htm
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ElZorro
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Post by ElZorro »

Very cool. :) Trees you say... Fansipans, good place for the Foresters to run? :)
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mtnbkrpnk
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Post by mtnbkrpnk »

That's a half mile from my fiancee's house!! I'm checking that out today! :wink:
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Post by gsx-lex »

mtnbkrpnk wrote:That's a half mile from my fiancee's house!! I'm checking that out today! :wink:
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Post by Sabre »

OMG, that's awesome! Let us know what it looks like!
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Post by Mr Kleen »

history is everywhere. a real shame that it's an oval and not a road course but very cool that it has all that history just the same. I'm going to come back and read more of this when I have the time. thanks for the links! maybe the second coming of the "horse power wars" will spark more tracks to be built or revived. hope gas prices and the threat of a resession doesn't kill it just like in the '70s...
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captinmorgan97
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Post by captinmorgan97 »

sorry to bring up an old topic, but what are the odds of getting that track to run? from the satelite photo's, it looks like its an oval and a road course.
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