Huntsville Speedway

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**Huntsville Speedway** is a quarter-mile (0.403 km) oval race track in Huntsville, Alabama. It opened in 1959 as a dirt track, and was paved in 1962. It held one NASCAR Grand National Series event in 1962, won by Richard Petty. Today the track hosts weekly racing with a variety of stock car and modified classes. It shut down early in 2013 and has reopened on April 2, 2016.

## History

Throughout the years, Huntsville Speedway’s name has changed several times, but the competition at the little quarter-mile track nestled at the foot of Green Mountain hasn’t. Before a complete remodeling of the Speedway, the biggest change was the different names the track has been called, including Sportsmen’s Speedway, Huntsville International Speedway, Huntsville Motor Speedway and today Huntsville Speedway.

### 1960's

A.E. Speed, who had a befitting name, first carved out the quarter-mile race track in 1959 on the late R.A. Webster’s property. In 1960, Speed turned the track over to the Rocket City Racing Club. Later in the season, Bobby Little and Jim Brooks took over the track, but later turned it back over to the racing club. In 1961, Pat Gray Jr., Johnny Smith and Webster took over the speedway, but the following year, Pat Gray Sr., bought out Smith and Webster and started making major changes, including switching from dirt to asphalt, making it the South’s fastest quarter-mile track. In 1965, Gray leased the track to Bill Donoho, who ran Nashville Speedway, Mark Parrish and Benny Goodman. Gray took the track back in 1966 and held it until he sold it to Moody Knight, Robert Rucker and Porter Dunaway in 1970. The following year, Joe Stafford bought out Rucker and Dunaway.

### 1970-1980's

In 1972, Stafford sold his interest in the track to Johnny Evans and Howard Wayne Bentley. Bentley bought his partners out in 1973 and held sole ownership until 1984 when he sold the track to Cyndee Thornton Brodie. Brodie kept the track three years before selling to Bentley, Harold Lemley and Knight. Lemley decided he wanted to return to racing, so he sold his part to Phil Fowler. Fowler and Knight then bought Bentley’s part out in 1990

### 1990's

At the end of last year, Mike Rosser added his name to owners, leasing the track from Knight and Fowler for one year. Knight and Fowler sold the track to Ron and Bruce Stone, who honored Rosser’s lease. The Stones took over the track the day after the 1994 season ended. Because of the complete remodeling of the track by the Stones, Huntsville Speedway is considered one of the finest, if not the finest, short tracks in the country. The quarter-mile track has received rave reviews by track owners all over the South. In 1998, Bruce Stone took sole ownership of the track, buying his father out.

### 2000's

In 2000, Bruce Stone sold the track to Terry Sanford and his family. Sanford kept the track for three years before leasing the facility to Rick Leonard. In 2003, Bruce Stone foreclosed on the track and leased it to Ben David Atkinson. In May of 2005, Stone elected to close the track and put it on the market. Sanford. Fla., businessman Martin Pierce and his wife, Dawn, purchased the track in January of 2006. But even though the owners and names have changed several times, the quality of racing has gone unchanged with some of the nation’s top drivers competing at the local track.

## National Offline Racing Association

### Summit Late Model Series

In 2020 it was announced that the NORA would be bringing their first series, the Summit Late Model Series, to Huntsville Speedway for the 4th race of the season. The race would be scheduled for May 09, 2020.