Dog Track Speedway
| Location | NC 168, Moyock, North Carolina |
|---|---|
| Major events | Tidewater 300 - NASCAR Grand National (1962–1966) |
| 1/4 mile oval (–1963) | |
| Surface | dirt |
| Length | 0.25 miles (0.4 km) |
| 1/3 mile oval (1964–) | |
| Surface | paved |
| Length | 0.333 miles (0.536 km) |
| Race lap record | 63.965 mph (Richard Petty, Petty Enterprises, August 13, 1964, NASCAR) |
Dog Track Speedway was a 1/4-mile dirt then 1/3-mile paved oval in Moyock, North Carolina. It hosted seven NASCAR Grand National (now NASCAR Cup Series) races between 1962 and 1966. The track switched from a quarter mile to third mile between 1963 and 1964.[1]
History
[edit]After the Cavalier Kennel Club (CKC) greyhound racing track was eliminated by the North Carolina General Assembly in the 1950s,[citation needed] Moyock began to host auto racing at the renamed Dog Track Speedway (DTS).[citation needed] Built on the former site of the CKC, the one-quarter-mile oval dirt track was then paved and lengthened to one-third of a mile in 1964. The track was accessible from North Carolina Highway 168.[1] At the DTS, it hosted seven NASCAR races from 1962 until 1966. The Moyock 300 was held there from 1964–1965 in addition to the Tidewater 300 in 1965.[citation needed]
Ned Jarrett won the most races at the track with four wins (1962, 1963, 1964, and one of the two 1965 races).[2] The three other winners were Jimmy Pardue (first 1963 race), Dick Hutcherson (first 1965 race), and David Pearson (1966).[2] In the 1964 race, the race was stopped due to rain with Pearson in the lead and the feature resumed to conclusion on the following night.[1] The 1965 race was NASCAR's season finale.[1] Ned Jarrett won his 13th race of the season to secure the season championship.[1] It was his second and final Grand National championship.
Richard Petty, a North Carolina native from Randleman, also raced there six times,[1] driving a Plymouth in every race. Despite being on the pole twice (1965 & 1966), Petty never finished above 3rd place. He does hold the track NASCAR record speed of 63.965 miles per hour.[1]
The final NASCAR race at the DTS ran on Sunday, May 29, 1966.[2] It was 301 laps (99.9 miles) as NASCAR scoring missed the length by one lap.[1] David Pearson took the checkered flag in a 1964 Dodge with an average speed of 61.913 miles per hour (99.639 km/h) and winning $1,000.[2] Wendell Scott was the only driver to start all seven NASCAR races.[1] The track was closed later in 1966 due to declining attendance, poor revenues and larger tracks being built nearby.[3] The site where Dog Track Speedway formally stood is now located on an abandoned lot in the Tidewater region.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wood, Perry Allen (16 October 2012). Silent Speedways of the Carolinas: The Grand National Histories of 29 Former Tracks. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-0261-5. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Dog Track Speedway results". Racing Reference. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ "DOG TRACK SPEEDWAY". speedwayandroadracehistory. Retrieved August 28, 2020.