Photo by Julie JarvisThe Historic Occoneechee Speedway Trail (or HOST) is located in Hillsborough, NC and is a 44 acre site that has three miles of walking trails that take you along the banks of the Eno River and lets you view a piece of history.  When visiting the speedway you can walk around a 1-mile oval (unpaved) that is the only surviving speedway from NASCAR's 1949 inaugural season.  Highlights of the speedway you will see include the original speedway grandstand, restored flag stand, ticket booth, and informational signs about racers who participated at the speedway and historic pictures. 

Scheduled Access Hours (no access after sunset):

• 8am-5pm   January, February, November, December
• 8am-6pm  March and October
• 7am-7pm  April, May, August, September
• 7am-8pm  June, July

Trail Rules:

• All pets must be leased
• No littering
• No smoking / fire
• No alcohol / drugs
• No hunting / fishing / weapons
• No bicycles or motorized vehicles

Directions:
From I-85: Take exit 165 onto Hwy 86 North.
From I-40: Take exit 266 onto Hwy 86 North.

1- Follow Hwy 86 North to Hwy 70.
2- At the stop light, cross Hwy 70 onto Elizabeth Brady Road.
3- Take a right directly across from the Vietri warehouse into the speedway parking lot.

Note: For those using GPS devices, you can plug in the address for the Vietri warehouse (343 Elizabeth Brady Road Hillsborough, North Carolina 27278) and the speedway is directly across the street.

For more information about the preservation efforts going on at the Historic Occoneechee Speedway, visit http://www.historicspeedwaygroup.org or http://www.presnc.org

Photo by Julie JarvisPhotos by Julie JarvisPhotos by Julie Jarvis

History of the Occoneechee Speedway

The 1-mile oval dirt track Occoneechee / Orange Speedway was active from 1948-1968, attracting the best stock car drivers, thousands of spectators and entrainers including Jayne Mansfield.  The speedway was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in May of 2002 and is currently under active restoration by the The Historic Speedway Group (http://www.historicspeedwaygroup.org).