Old Portsmouth and Southern Ohio Speedways.

[racenut70]

Southern Ohio Raceway is located off of St Rt 140. You make a left in Slocum go to the forks in the road, make a left and go until you see the track on your right.

[sprinter14]

I'm currently working on a detailed book listing every race track that ever existed in Ohio and we have physically located just about every one of them. The old Portsmouth Speedway still exists to this day. It is on down 52 in Frienship at the Shawnee Campground. The road that circles the campground IS the old race track!!

Other tracks in Scioto County besides the 2 you asked about, there was McDermott Speedway, Rushtown Speedway, Scioto Speedway, Cheeks Super Speedway and a dragstrip called Raven Rock. There was also racing conducted at the Fairground in Lucasville AND racing at Portsmouth's Spartan Stadium. I actually own a late 1930's model race car that competed and WON at Spartan Stadium.

Portsmouth West's new high school sits right on top of the old Raven Rock Dragstrip. Scioto Speedway is now a subdivision. But Cheeks, Rushtwon, and McDermott all are still visible.

Glad to see there is some interest in this stuff!!!!!

[OZZIEOHIO]

I'm currently working on a detailed book listing every race track that ever existed in Ohio and we have physically located just about every one of them. The old Portsmouth Speedway still exists to this day. It is on down 52 in Frienship at the Shawnee Campground. The road that circles the campground IS the old race track!!

Other tracks in Scioto County besides the 2 you asked about, there was McDermott Speedway, Rushtown Speedway, Scioto Speedway, Cheeks Super Speedway and a dragstrip called Raven Rock. There was also racing conducted at the Fairground in Lucasville AND racing at Portsmouth's Spartan Stadium. I actually own a late 1930's model race car that competed and WON at Spartan Stadium.

Portsmouth West's new high school sits right on top of the old Raven Rock Dragstrip. Scioto Speedway is now a subdivision. But Cheeks, Rushtwon, and McDermott all are still visible.

Glad to see there is some interest in this stuff!!!!!

Post some pics if you have them, I would love to see the race car and a pic of a race at Spartan Stadium. I never heard about that untill now.

[OZZIEOHIO]

Nothing comes up Hamme,r do you know the link?

[sprinter14]

here is the site

http://kylejonesracinpix.tripod.com

That is me and my friend Kyle Jones who does that site. I have photos of many many more tracks, but Kyle and I have both been busy and just haven't been able to post many updates.

I don't have any pics of racing action at Spartan....I am looking for those too. Racing also went on at Tanks Stadium in Ironton and at Camden Park in Huntington, WV and most people in our area don't know about those 2 either.

[OZZIEOHIO]

I found it on that link, it hasnt changed much in 71 years.

[OZZIEOHIO]

Wasnt there a race track at the old Millbrook park in New Boston were Walmart sets?

[sprinter14]

Not to my knowledge ozzie, but anything is possible. From time to time we still get a surprise and find a new race track or 2 that we didn't know about. Real early racing between 1900 and 1930 made big headlines because cars were so new. Then, from 1930 to WWII there was a lot of "barnstorming" racing. Race tracks were built in farmer's fields and ran on maybe a year or so. We still find these and sometimes they never even had an official name.

I was in Mt Vernon, Ohio doing research not long ago, looking for infor on the 2 tracks we KNEW existed in Mt Vernon. By the end of the day, I had found newspaper clippings from the 1930's of 3 tracks we never knew existed!! One track was listed as "Whites Farm Track" .....and they made a big deal that they had "restrooms just for the ladies"

We have found info on well over 400 tracks that have existed here in Ohio and sometimes we still find more.

Help me Ozzie......how do you post pics on here??? Yeah, I have Pennsboro pics.....I even have some from there from the 1930's too.

[OZZIEOHIO]

I go to IMAGE SHACK or Photobucket. and upload it from your computer. Then save the Properties and post it here. then high light it by right clicking on it and scrolling across it then hit the Image button at the top

[sprinter14]

Actually yes, Kyle and I have been planning a sweep through northern and eastern KY to try and get photos of what remains of many of those. We have a 3 day trip trying to hit almost 25 closed down tracks all in KY. I have a list of their tracks too, but very few pics so far. You lookin for anything specific??

[OZZIEOHIO]

You may want to check the library in New Boston, Im pretty sure there was a track in New Boston but it may have been a horse or dog track.

[sprinter14]

Ozzie, if everything goes well with work for me tomorrow, I plan to go to the East/Northwest ballgame. I saw you posted about meeting up at halftime. Maybe I can look you up then. I am going to that one because I am usually racing on Friday and Saturday nights and I never get to go to football games til race season is over.....just in time for the playoffs.

I will check into your New Boston track!!

[OZZIEOHIO]

At halftime under the score board.

[racenut70]

There was a track called Champion Speedway located off Rt 141 in Kitts Hill that is were my dad started racing.

[butcherman108]

Their was a track on state route 93 upon the hill behind Moore's gas station.

[sprinter14]

Thanks for the help guys..... I have visited both of those sites. Nothing left of Bud Moore's track on 93. I think a new house is right in the infield from best I can tell. And as for Champion, we have visited it a few times and you can still see turns 1 and 2 very well. We walked the property a few times and found some old track equipment and some foundations from the track buildings, but it is about gone too.