Gone BUT not forgotten (Harmony raceway)
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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This cache is the first of my "gone but not forgotten, abandoned, or historical in Warren County, N.J." caches. I would like for others and myself to learn about the area we/I call home. What better place than in my home town to start off.
This dirt track was built by Richard Crouse, a farmer from Harmony Township and Carl Van Horn, the noted modified stock car driver from nearby Belvidere. Construction was started in 1962, and the D-shaped track was originally 5/8 of a mile in length (track modifications in 1971 shortened the length to 1/2 of a mile). The track opened on Friday evening, June 7, 1963, with NASCAR sanctioned modified, sportsman and novice stock car divisions. Sammy Beavers was the winner of that evening’s 25 lap modified/sportsman feature race. Point standings were based upon only the open competition events. Point champions that first year were Frank Schneider (modified), Les Farley (sportsman) and Abe Levengood (novice). Modified/sportsman feature winners were Sammy Beavers, Bill Deskovick, Al Tasnady, Bob Pickell, Otto Harwi, Will Cagle and Frank Schneider. Stan Ploski Jr. led the way with 3 feature wins in the novice division. Over the years of operation the track also hosted events featuring the United Racing Club (URC) sprint cars (1963, 1964 and 1965), the Sports Car Owners and Drivers Association (SCODA) sports cars (1965 and 1969), the American Mini-Stock Association (AMSA) stock cars (1973), and the American Motorcycle Association (AMA) motorcycles (1973). Women’s Power Puff Derbies were also held throughout the years. Winners included Carol Pickell, Marilyn Sargent, Anna Pauch, Winnie Stecker, Mary McGuire, Doris Babington, and Gloria Beech. Frank Schneider is the all-time leading modified feature winner with 26 wins, followed by Will Cagle with 22 wins, Al Tasnady with 14 wins, Dick Tobias with 10 wins, and Bob Pickell with 8 wins. Incomplete records exist for the limited sportsman and late model divisions. Available records indicate that leading limited sportsman feature winners were Russ Stecker, Peppy Fernandez, Stan Ploski Jr., Jim Wismer, and Barry Dolan. Leading late model feature winners were Loren Holland Sr., Clarence Hill, and Fats Cummins. The track’s final races were held on September 7, 1973. Jay Beers was the winner of that evening’s sportsman feature race, and Clarence Hill was the winner of the late model feature race. The Harmony Speedway Historical Society was founded in 2007 with the purpose of preserving the history of the track. Information is from….(History of Harmony Speedway authored by Greg Collins of the Harmony Speedway Historical Society, February 2008) ........see photo #1 and 2 of the raceway...... The actual site of the race track is behind a locked chain link fence on the opposite of the road (please DO NOT try to enter). To park use the small driveway that has an old parking sign, this was Pircell Chemical, also behind a locked fence (please DO NOT try to enter here either). If anyone knows more info. on this site your input is welcomed. Cache was hidden with permission. To reach the cache itself you need to walk south approximitely 10 to 20 feet from the parking spot. The cache is in a small tupperware container which includes a log sheet, trade items pertaining to car racing, and pen. There is a Hot Wheels race car in original package for FTF prize ....CONGRATS TO agility3d on FTF!!!
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