Stafford Springs, Part III: Motorin'

From Dave Brigham:

I took that picture for my buddy Andy, who loved going to stock car races at Stafford Motor Speedway with his dad and brothers when he was a kid. Andy lives in Seattle now, so I thought he would enjoy this trip down memory lane (or should I say "pit lane"?). Let's all learn a little more about this race track in north-central Connecticut, in this third and final installent in my series about Stafford Springs (see Part I and Part II).

While automobile racing started here after World War II, this site was previously a place where city slickers and country bumpkins alike could enjoy horse racing. Known at its birth in 1870 as Stafford Springs Agricultural Park (and also as the Stafford Fairgrounds), the track was located near a trolley line, so folks from the big city -- Hartford -- could enjoy the racing, according to the speedway's web site.

After World War II, "Midgets, Sprint Cars and an occasional new form of racing from the South called stock cars made Stafford a regular stop on a circuit that saw names like Bill Schindler, Johnny Kaye, George Flemke and Joe Ciski take checkered flags," according to the web site. "Bill France, Sr. unveiled his Daytona Speedway in 1959 and Stafford Speedway saw France’s vision. They entered into a long term agreement with France’s organization called NASCAR and hosted weekly NASCAR events through 2020."

Originally a dirt track, Stafford converted to asphalt in 1967. I had exactly zero interest in stock-car racing as a kid. When Andy and I lived briefly in New Mexico in 1988, however, he took me to my first track, Albuquerque's Sandia Speedway. I had a great time and, frankly, I could totally go for some car-jamming right about now.

After shooting a few pictures at the track, I walked through downtown Stafford Springs. I was fortunate to get a shot of a stock car being hauled through town on a trailer, as you can see below.

The car was coming out of the parking lot for one of the car's sponsors, American Sleeve Bearing, which is located on the south side of the train tracks behind Main Street. The company, which also owns buildings on the main drag, manufactures standard inch and metric sleeve bearings and bushings, per its web site.

For more about former horse tracks, see May 10, 2019, "Downs In the Dump," February 20, 2011, "Lose, Place or Show" and September 6, 2010, "UPDATED: Horsing Around at the Old Barracks".