Fremont Speedway
Encyclopedia
Fremont Speedway, also known as The Track That Action Built and Home of the All Stars, is a semi-banked 1/3 mile clay oval speedway located at the Sandusky County
Fairgrounds in Fremont, Ohio
, USA. Races are typically held on Saturday nights. Regular events include 410 cubic inch sprint cars
, 305 cubic inch sprint cars, and dirt trucks. The speedway also hosts the World of Outlaws
, American Late Model Series, All Star Circuit of Champions sprint car series, and the finale of Ohio Sprint Speedweek. The speedway has previously hosted the National Sprint Tour
, and United States Auto Club.
In the fall of 1951, Joe and Dorothy Stelter and Harry Maynor of Toledo, Ohio
founded Fremont Speedway. Their original track was just over 1/10 of a mile in length and nearly flat. On September 30, 1951, a crowd of 1,500 attended Fremont Speedway’s first official race. 38 drivers took part in the 20 lap feature event, which was won by Leo Caldwell of Perrysburg
.
In 1952, Maynor sold his interest in the speedway to Frank Jensen of Toledo, and Wayne Wall of Toledo purchased an interest in 1953. Wall sold out in 1954 and the Stelters and Jensen operated the track until 1957 when a local Fremont businessman, Don Emick, purchased Jensen's stock. This operation continued until 1960 when Emick sold out, leaving Joe and Dot as the sole owners. After Joe's sudden death in 1962, Dot decided to continue and became one of the first female promoters in the country. Dot later married Paul Szakovits and he helped to operate the track. Dot promoted the speedway until 1976 when longtime announcer Gary Kern purchased the facility.
During the 1990s, the facility changed hands many times. In 1994 Joseph Darr became a partner with Kern. Delphos, Ohio
resident Ken Langhals operated the speedway in 1995. In 1996 Kelly Applegate purchased the speedway, followed by Ken Meggitt in 1997. The track then sat idle for two years until Jim Ford, a former driver and sprint car owner from Elmore, Ohio
, leased the track from the Sandusky County Fair Board. Ford reopened the track in 2000 with many improvements. In 2007, Ford stepped down as promoter due to health issues. The fair board elected Rich Farmer and Andy James as co-promoters of the speedway in 2008. In 2010, Emods will compete at the speedway for the first time ever.
The speedway has become a pioneer in dirt track racing over the years. It was one of the first tracks in the nation to run the now popular 305 sprint car division. In 2000, Jim Ford created the dirt truck division as an affordable entry level into dirt track racing. Similar divisions have since spread across the nation. The speedway was also the first dirt track in the nation to incorporate soft wall technology.
The speedway has hosted many nationally renowned race car drivers including Steve Kinser
, Sammy Swindell
, Jeff Gordon
, Dave Blaney
, Kasey Kahne
, Brad Doty, and Doug Wolfgang. "The Ohio Traveler" Rick Ferkel began his storied career with a victory at the speedway. The speedway has also hosted nearly 100 All Star Circuit of Champions events, earning it the nickname "Home of the All Stars."
Sandusky County, Ohio
Sandusky County is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2010 census, the population was 60,944. Its county seat is Fremont and it is named for a native word meaning "water" ....
Fairgrounds in Fremont, Ohio
Fremont, Ohio
Fremont Public Schools enroll 4,450 students in public primary and secondary schools. The district administers 9 public schools including seven elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school, Fremont Ross. In addition, the city is home to one private catholic high school, Saint Joseph...
, USA. Races are typically held on Saturday nights. Regular events include 410 cubic inch sprint cars
Sprint car racing
Sprint cars are high-powered race cars designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks. Sprint car racing is popular in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa....
, 305 cubic inch sprint cars, and dirt trucks. The speedway also hosts the World of Outlaws
World of Outlaws
The World of Outlaws is an American motorsports sanctioning body. The body sanctions two major national touring series. It is best known for sanctioning a national tour of sprint cars. It later purchased a national tour of late model stockcars called the World of Outlaws Late Model Series...
, American Late Model Series, All Star Circuit of Champions sprint car series, and the finale of Ohio Sprint Speedweek. The speedway has previously hosted the National Sprint Tour
National Sprint Tour
The National Sprint Tour was a United States sprint car racing league. It formed in 2005 as a rival to the World of Outlaws. The series folded after one season. The series was started by Brownfield Promotions, Inc. of Snohomish, Washington. The series featured 410 winged sprint cars...
, and United States Auto Club.
Track Records
| Division | Time | Driver | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 410 Sprint Cars | 11.732 seconds | Lee Jacobs | May 3, 2003 |
| 305 Sprint Cars | 13.32 seconds | Willie Keegan | August 29, 2003 |
| Dirt Trucks | 18.10 seconds | Art Howey, Jr. | August 24, 2004 |
History
The first automobile race was held at the Sandusky County Fairgrounds on Sunday, June 7, 1936 when the International Speedway Association leased the half-mile horse track for a Big Cars race. Big Cars, as they were known, were the forerunners to today's sprint cars. An estimated 7,000 people attended the first race as Clay Corbitt picked up the feature win. Despite the success of the first race, it would be 12 years before Fremont hosted another auto race. On September 19, 1948, the Tri-State Racing Association leased the fairgrounds for a racing program billed as the Tri-State Racing Association's Championship. Over 4,000 fans were in attendance to watch Red Bales win the feature event.In the fall of 1951, Joe and Dorothy Stelter and Harry Maynor of Toledo, Ohio
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
founded Fremont Speedway. Their original track was just over 1/10 of a mile in length and nearly flat. On September 30, 1951, a crowd of 1,500 attended Fremont Speedway’s first official race. 38 drivers took part in the 20 lap feature event, which was won by Leo Caldwell of Perrysburg
Perrysburg, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 16,945 people, 6,592 households, and 4,561 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,899.2 people per square mile . There were 6,964 housing units at an average density of 780.5 per square mile...
.
In 1952, Maynor sold his interest in the speedway to Frank Jensen of Toledo, and Wayne Wall of Toledo purchased an interest in 1953. Wall sold out in 1954 and the Stelters and Jensen operated the track until 1957 when a local Fremont businessman, Don Emick, purchased Jensen's stock. This operation continued until 1960 when Emick sold out, leaving Joe and Dot as the sole owners. After Joe's sudden death in 1962, Dot decided to continue and became one of the first female promoters in the country. Dot later married Paul Szakovits and he helped to operate the track. Dot promoted the speedway until 1976 when longtime announcer Gary Kern purchased the facility.
During the 1990s, the facility changed hands many times. In 1994 Joseph Darr became a partner with Kern. Delphos, Ohio
Delphos, Ohio
Delphos is a city in Allen and Van Wert Counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. It had a population of 6,944 at the 2000 census.The Allen County portion of Delphos is part of the Lima Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the Van Wert County portion is part of the Van Wert Micropolitan Statistical...
resident Ken Langhals operated the speedway in 1995. In 1996 Kelly Applegate purchased the speedway, followed by Ken Meggitt in 1997. The track then sat idle for two years until Jim Ford, a former driver and sprint car owner from Elmore, Ohio
Elmore, Ohio
Elmore is a village in Ottawa and Sandusky counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 1,426 at the 2000 census.The Ottawa County portion of Elmore is part of the Toledo Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the Sandusky County portion is part of the Fremont Micropolitan Statistical...
, leased the track from the Sandusky County Fair Board. Ford reopened the track in 2000 with many improvements. In 2007, Ford stepped down as promoter due to health issues. The fair board elected Rich Farmer and Andy James as co-promoters of the speedway in 2008. In 2010, Emods will compete at the speedway for the first time ever.
The speedway has become a pioneer in dirt track racing over the years. It was one of the first tracks in the nation to run the now popular 305 sprint car division. In 2000, Jim Ford created the dirt truck division as an affordable entry level into dirt track racing. Similar divisions have since spread across the nation. The speedway was also the first dirt track in the nation to incorporate soft wall technology.
The speedway has hosted many nationally renowned race car drivers including Steve Kinser
Steve Kinser
Steve Kinser , is a professional sprint car racer. He has won 20 championships in the World of Outlaws series, and currently drives the #11 Bass Pro Shops car. Kinser left the World of Outlaws in 2006 to compete with the National Sprint Tour series, but returned to the World of Outlaws for the...
, Sammy Swindell
Sammy Swindell
Samuel Alan "Sammy" Swindell is a three-time World of Outlaws champion, winning the title in 1981, 1982, and 1997, with hundreds of A-main victories to his credit. He also competed in the CART series in 1985 and 1986 and failed to qualify for the 1987 Indianapolis 500 in a March-Pontiac...
, Jeff Gordon
Jeff Gordon
Jeffery Michael "Jeff" Gordon is a professional NASCAR driver. He is the driver of the #24 Drive to End Hunger/DuPont/Pepsi Chevrolet Impala. He is a four-time Sprint Cup Series champion and a three-time Daytona 500 winner. He is third on the all-time wins list, with 85 career wins, and has the...
, Dave Blaney
Dave Blaney
David Blaney is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver. He currently drives the #36 Golden Corral/Big Red Chevrolet Impala for Tommy Baldwin Racing. Blaney was a successful sprint car driver before he started racing in NASCAR...
, Kasey Kahne
Kasey Kahne
Kasey Kenneth Kahne is a NASCAR driver. He drives the #5 Farmers Insurance Group Chevrolet Impala for Hendrick Motorsports in the Sprint Cup Series....
, Brad Doty, and Doug Wolfgang. "The Ohio Traveler" Rick Ferkel began his storied career with a victory at the speedway. The speedway has also hosted nearly 100 All Star Circuit of Champions events, earning it the nickname "Home of the All Stars."
Hall of Fame
The following people have been inducted in Fremont Speedway's Hall of Fame.- Johnny Auxter
- Art Ball
- Rollie Beale
- Harold Billow
- George Fosco
- Alvin Franks
- Jim Ford
- Darl Harrison
- Gug Keegan
- Jim Linder
- Jim McCune
- Harold McGilton
- Gene Notestine
- Herbie Robison
- Joe Sabo
- Dorothy Shilling
- Wendell Smith
- Paul Strasser
All-time Win List
The following drivers sit at the top ten of Fremont Speedway's all-time feature win list (as of December 31, 2009).| Rank | Name | Wins |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Art Ball | 70 |
| 2 | Gug Keegan | 62 |
| 3 | Mark Keegan | 59 |
| 4 | Jim Linder | 58 |
| 5 | Herbie Robinson | 54 |
| 6 | Jim McCune | 45 |
| 7 | Wayne Maffett, Sr. | 44 |
| 8 | Harold McGuilton | 40 |
| 9 | Alvin Franks | 34 |
| 10 | Wally Heminger | 32 |