View source for State Fairgrounds Speedway

{{Short description|Former NASCAR dirt racetrack in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA}}
{{About}}{{Infobox motorsport venue|Address=Blue Ridge Road at Trinity Road <br/>Raleigh, North Carolina 27607|Opened=1928|Closed=1970|website=|Surface=Dirt|length_mi=0.5|Turns=4|Name=Fairgrounds Speedway}}
'''State Fairgrounds Speedway''', located at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in [[Raleigh, North Carolina]], was a half-mile oval dirt racetrack which was the site of [[Auto racing|auto races]] for [[NASCAR]]'s top series in 1955, 1969, and 1970.<ref name="raceref">Illinois State Fairgrounds page of Racing-Reference website [http://racing-reference.info/tracks?id=102], retrieved 8 May 2007.</ref>  The race on September 30, 1970 was the final [[NEXTEL Cup|Grand National]] race ever held on a dirt track, until [[2021 Food City Dirt Race|the 2021 season]].<ref name="Fielden_SI_Sep04">Fielden, Greg, "NASCAR Cleans Up", ''Speedway Illustrated'', September 2004.</ref> It was won by [[Richard Petty]] in a [[Plymouth (automobile)|Plymouth]] that had been sold by [[Petty Enterprises]] to Don Robertson and rented back for the race.<ref name="Fielden_SI_Sep04" />

The track closed in 1970 shortly after the last NASCAR race.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NORTH CAROLINA STATE FAIR SPEEDWAY |url=http://www.speedwayandroadracehistory.com/north-carolina-state-fair-speedway.html |access-date=2024-03-28 |website=speedwayandroadracehistory |language=en}}</ref> While the track itself has largely been removed, the grandstand, now called the '''Sam G. Rand Grandstand''', remains and is used for events related to the [[North Carolina State Fair]].

The [[North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources|North Carolina Office of Archives and History]] erected historical marker H-120 to commemorate the site's historical significance.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-12-28 |title=Fairgrounds Speedway (H-120) {{!}} NC DNCR |url=https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2023/12/28/fairgrounds-speedway-h-120 |access-date=2024-03-28 |website=www.dncr.nc.gov |language=en}}</ref>

== References ==
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{{AAA tracks}}
{{Triangle sports venues}}

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[[Category:NASCAR tracks]]
[[Category:Motorsport venues in North Carolina]]
[[Category:Sports venues in Raleigh, North Carolina]]


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