Vineland, New Jersey, USA

Closed

Memories of going there when it was open. Gary M.

A center of auto racing in the Philadelphia region in the 50s and 60s, the Vineland Speedway opened as a half-mile oval dirt track in 1955. By 1958 the track was paved and the Speedway had grown to include a 1.5 mile road course and a quarter-mile drag strip. Offering stock car races on Friday night, drag races on Saturday nights, and sports car races on Sundays it was a popular area attraction. Unfortunately, the land was leased rather than owned and the South Jersey weather didn’t always cooperate. This led to economic difficulties that were compounded by part of the land being chosen as the site of a new community college (now Rowan College of South Jersey). In 1965 the Vineland Speedway was closed. The painting is based on an uncredited photograph on the web.