2024 MLH Magazine Motorsports 1
Over the last few years, researchers at the Mr. Local History Project here in New Jersey have been busy at work and have released several stories related to the motorsports racing history in New Jersey. We’ve even now branched out to a national story highlighting the history of racing on board tracks, yes, two-mile banked tracks made of wood, with banking steeper than Daytona International Motorspeedway. Daredevils traveling at speeds over 100 mph on wood, sand, and asphalt.
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The Free Library of Philadelphia has a notable collection of materials on motorsports racing from the early 20th century. Pictured here is Ralph Hepburn at Atlantic City Speedway in 1928. His car is on display at the Studebaker National Museum in South Bend, Indiana.
and much, much more.
Known as The Race of Gentlemen, the event has been revived since the 1950s by a local club called the Oilers of New Jersey. For one weekend in early October, racers, gassers, and fans gather on the beach in Wildwood,…
The former mayor of Paterson, Joey Torres, had committed to seeing the restoration of the stadium by the end of his term in 2018. He left office in 2017 and accepted a plea deal in response to charges of corruption.…
Want to go to the #Daytona500 Speedweeks and feel like you know where to go? Here’s 20 years of experience all in one place where we’ve highlighted the top 15 Daytona spots to hit during Speedweeks. We’ve loaded THE BEST.
PREVIEW RELEASE:Our researchers continue to work with this story as there are several conflicting points of view we want to continue researching. We will update over the next few weeks, but we wanted to let people see this preview in…
As a huge motorsports fan, this topic came up with a few of our researchers who can’t let it go! While the Mr. Local History Project normally focuses on New Jersey history, they had to discover more once they learned…
You wouldn’t think, but in a quiet suburb of New York City, a man has amassed what is often referred to as the largest collection of Mack and antique trucks in the world. We introduce you to the Mahan Foundation…
Mr Local History loves history with a social twist. In fact, it’s our motto! So, we thought it would be fun to share some of the most beloved New Jersey businesses that have disappeared. We began researching and putting our…
This is a tale about auto racing legends of the early 1920s, known as daredevils and speed freaks, who traveled to a tiny new track built outside New York City in the small town of Woodbridge, New Jersey. What opened…
The year is 1926. Welcome to the “Board Bowl,” which had 80,000 fans and was one of the world’s greatest motorsport spectacles—and it was right here in New Jersey! It’s funny how history weaves in and out of many of…
Jersey Lost Racetrack Series We found a story in the Paterson Call newspaper on April 22, 1936, stating that on May 15, 1936, after spending over $100,000, the Union (Township) Speedway would open with a 1/2-mile oval, including floodlights for…
Jersey Lost Racetrack Series For a short period, racecar drivers from all over the tri-state area gathered just off Raritan Road on the Westfield/Clark border for the most exciting spectacles of the time, sanctioned midget dirt car racing. Races were…
Yes, it’s true. While motorsports history has been very kind to the Daytona and Ormond Beaches in Florida, historians often overlook when Cape May, New Jersey, rivaled Florida for the title of the beach racing capital of the world. MLH…
Wildwood, New Jersey, drew summer tourists seeking respite from the Great Depression. Among the attractions on the boardwalk was the “Motordrome Wall of Death,” featuring motorcycles and race cars whirling around a wooden bowl-like enclosure. But the real spectacle was…
The 15th annual High Bridge Soap Box Derby was a blast!History right in front of your eyes! Visions of custom-made and painted cars with young kids bearing helmets and a chance at fame, leveraging gravity in a non-motorized homemade vehicle.…
It’s been discussed over the years in hushed circles at Brush’s Deli. It has been described as a racing playground, a car junkyard, and a playground for kids over the decades. Now it’s time to tell what happened to what…
2025 Daytona 500 Update Glad you dropped in for a look. Daytona International Speedway has announced that the 2025 Daytona 500 grandstands and camping are predicted to sell out as they did in 2024. The race is set for 2:30 p.m.…
Nominate your top 5 favorites for our American HO Greatest Slot List. Isn’t it great when you get to go back in time and do things you did as a kid? I remember the times when I would play with…
Boy, this has turned into an obsession. We keep digging and finding more racetracks that were once part of New Jersey motorsports history! The Mr. Local History Project is a non-profit organization that picks up on great local stories in…