First Trip to Carolina Beach Speedway

It was the summer of 1964 I was ten years old, but I knew what a racetrack and a racing facility was supposed to look like. Me and my dad, Glen, and his best friend, Bill Tripp, were on our way to the races at a newly opened track in the Wilmington, NC area, at Carolina Beach. We were driving Bill's 1963 Corvair Monza. It seemed like it took awhile, but, finally, we had made the long trek down US 421 from Wilmington and we were approaching the Intracoastal Waterway bridge at Snow's Cut. The dust was a-flyin', a good sign.

Upon entering the raceway, the first thing that we noticed, was that the track was not surfaced with red clay, but a yellowish-red, and very loose SAND. There were ruts around the "track" that looked to be at least a foot deep. There was no retaining wall in front of the grandstands. There was an eight foot or so canal ditch, which ran from the fourth turn, past the stands, and into the second turn. This was the spectator's protection device, apparently. In the center of the infield, there was a raised "island" that was about four feet higher than its surroundings, and was, evidently, an off loading ramp. But, on top of the ramp/island were several real live, live oak trees. This kind of blocked the view of the action from the backstretch. I don't think that I have ever seen another small track with trees still in the infield. The backstretch, by the way, kind of angled out away from the infield in sort of an unplanned dog-leg. The race cars and infield traffic gained their access by a road from the parking area over the third and fourth turns.

Then, they started the race! They only had one rule, and that was "run what you brung". There were late models, jalopies, some with flathead Ford engines, modifieds, and one '56 Pontiac with the full bench seat still intact. They had just removed the "back" from the passenger's side. There was even a Hudson Hornet sponsored by the "Ball Park Inn, Havelock, NC".

The really amazing thing about the Carolina Beach Speedway was that foot deep sand really equalized the competition. This was living proof of having to go slow to go fast. The most exciting racer that Sunday was a #54 '57 Ford Fairlane. This car was flying around the track throwing rooster tails of sand. Being the most daring, the driver of #54 was leading the 35 lap feature. But, bouncing over the holes and ruts soon took their toll, and #54 was sidelined from the action. Who was this exciting pedal-to-the-metal driver? HOSS ELLINGTON, a future Winston Cup driver and car owner for such drivers as AJ Foyt, Donnie Allison, Sterling Marlin and others. His mechanic, that day, and in the future: SHELDON "RUNT" PITTMAN. Runt Pittman would eventually build winning engines for the Daytona 500.

The winner that day was a red '55 Chevy. This car had once been #6, but that number had been crossed out and a new number, "3", had been hand written on the rear of the front fender. All of the lettering was done with a magic marker. This car was sponsored by "Clark's Sausage" and it was stenciled as such on the quarter panels. On the roof of the car was the driver's name: "Richard B." We soon learned that the "B" stood for "Brickhouse". Five years later, Richard Brickhouse would win the inaugural "Talladega 500" in the first outing of the famed Dodge Daytona.

The track and facilities may have been crude and unusual at the Carolina Beach Speedway, but the dreams and ambitions of future racing celebrities were started there. And, the temptation was more than my dad could endure. After watching for a couple of times, he began a racing career that would last into the '70's at the old Carolina Beach Speedway.

The track last operated in late 1966 or possibly early 1967, and the Cape Golf Course now sits on this historical site.

Bobby Williamson
Shallotte, NC