ASHLAND PARK SPEEDWAY Warrensburg

Warrensburg, New York's old fairgrounds were the site of one of the region's earlier speedways, in the 1950's to very early sixties. The track probably had a number of different promoters and names, but the prevailing label seems to Ashland Park.
Here is a column I wrote about the track in late 2006:

Despite being pretty attentive to racing my home region –the area that encompassed Fairmont Speedway in Fair Haven, Vermont, I could not travel around as I might have wanted due to the fact I wasn’t old enough to drive. The area involved a lot of important and obscure race tracks within the immediate traveling area: Lebanon Valley, Claremont, Fonda, and Albany – Saratoga were well – established ovals, while the variously – named track near Vergennes, Vermont was less so successful.
       With the lack of mobility [beyond my uncle’s generous chauffeuring to as many distant points as his limited time would allow] I had not managed to be aware of the fact that the Stateline Speedway in North Bennington, Vt. had survived far longer than I knew, as had Mettowee – over in North Granville, NY. Whites Beach Speedway had run its course in Ballston Spa, NY without my ever hearing about it.
       Another facility that I had no idea had survived into the 1960’s was the track at Warrensburg, New York. I had always been aware that there had been a Warrensburg track, as so many Fairmont and Otter Creek Speedway stars were from that region; but, I had mistakenly formed the impression in my pea brain that the track had long since died out. At least until 1961, that was a wrongful assumption.
      The Warrensburg track [sometimes referred to as Ashland Park] was located at the old Warren County fairgrounds in Warrensburg. If you found Ashe's Hotel, you were at the gateway to the track.

Ashe's Hotel today. Right at sunset, it seems to be the social center for the
town party goers, here in 2007. [Ladabouche Photo]

      From helpful sources like Bruce Keith, Ben Gurney, and Ralph Palmer, I have gotten some fragmented information on this track was, previously, almost totally unknown to me and which was far more active and significant than I had imagined. Running approximately from 1954 to 1961, it was promoted by different individuals and partnerships; and, it all seemed to end when there was a grandstands fire in 1961.
       Ashland Park was able to draw from a surprising reservoir of potential competitors. At the beginning of Warrensburg, Fonda Speedway was not yet the giant it would become soon; nearby Ticonderoga had had a race track [Champlain Speedway]; West Glens Falls, surrounded by an area rich with avid race drivers, had tried a track; Mettowee was running in North Granville; and Whites Beach, Empire, Route 66 and Burden Lake all took turns trying racing in the Capital District [which was not that far away].
      Warrensburg could draw on some large contributing families, the largest of which were the Bakers and the Pennocks. And, the Bakers even provided some of the track’s numerous promoters. At various times,, Ashland Park was run by Rick Patterson [who also had a hand in Whites Beach]; Wilbur Baker and Beecher Baker; Ward Tower; and, finally, Hank Schmidt, a driver and future CVRA official from Gansevoort, NY. Who ran the track with help from Fonda legend Earl Maille

The Henry Caputo Plymouth ran at Warrensburg [show at left with Jeep Herbert].
It was driven by Earl Maille, before he was hurt , ending his career.

Some of the members of the large Baker clan also managed to stay the course at Warrensburg as drivers, as well as perform in front of me at Fairmont, too. Most notable of these were: Lennie and Wilbur Baker – ME2 and ME2, Jr; Ed Baker, with his Hudson 6 PAKS; Vern Baker, who seemed to do mostly mechanical work for Ed; and believe someone named Stu Baker ran, as well.
Warrensburg was apparently a good track to be injured at. In addition to the high - profile Earl Maille wreck, rretired CVRA promoter C.J. Richards said that in the course of his racing career [which seemed to be mostly in the late 1950's] that he was injured in a wreck at Warrensburg, as well.

One of the Baker boys enjoys a victory lap in a very old stock car at Warrensburg.

Ed Baker 's famous 6 PAK at the Rutland fairgrounds in 1961. That's probably
brother, Vern fussing around the pit area prepping the Hudson for action. The car was driven by Wally LaBelle before Baker's stint in it.

From Day One at Fairmont, the Champlain Valley Racing Association had Dick Pennock, Sr. with his immaculate SUPER 38 cars. Pennock’s great – looking Chevy coupes sported the artful metal fabrication work of Wayne Reed, and they were crafted ahead of their time. Dick’s brother Jerry, whom the family called “Porky”, started at these tracks in a very limited role and went on to Malta and Fonda and a very full, successful career.
Some other names, prominent in that era and that region, ran the dirt of the Warren County fairgrounds track at Warrensburg. Earl Maille, a hulking native of Glens Falls and man often mentioned in the Fonda Speedway history book, ran one of Henry Caputo’s legendary red and white 111’s at Warrensburg until he was involved in a career – ending accident. He later co-promoted there in 1961. Bob Shriner brought a #19 up from Troy, and Ralph “Rufus” Chittenden would haul North from his usual stomping grounds in Morris, NY. Earl “Little Joe” Spellburg, one of the most obscure Fonda feature winners of all time, was a Whites Beach regular who took cars to Warrensburg. Wally LaBelle, a legend in the early days of stock car racing, was another Whites Beach driver who was an Ashland Park regular.

Granville, New York’s Art Visconti began his career at Warrensburg, using his father-in-law’s home there as a racing base. Known as “Bud” when he started. Visconti managed to destroy his first race car at Warrensburg before moving his operation on to Fairmont Speedway around 1963 to run his familiar orange and white #001’s. Red Lamphere’s maroon #19 was a familiar sight in Warrensburg, running out of Lake George with drivers like Tom Bennett. Glens Fall’s Rapid Ralph Palmer, later to be car builder Dexter Dorr’s chosen wheelman, started first at Warrensburg. According to Palmer himself, his first car – his own #44 ran there around 1958. The 1946 Ford coupe was probably the car that gave rise to Palmer’s red sedan numbered 444 at Fairmont in the mid 1960’s. Palmer also ran the #150 for Joe Griffith in 1959.

One of Fairmont Speedway’s early favorite cars was Joe Spellburg’s 1940 Ford sedan, the black and white #7 with the cartoon Roadrunner professionally painted on a white panel on the sides. The car was first stock car to drive onto the Fairmont track surface for the very first practice session on the first race date in the C.J. Richards era at Fairmont. The freshly – painted, snazzy – looking sedan captured the fancy of many of the fans. Gutted, as the stock cars were in that time, the large roof would characteristically quiver as the car traversed the rough Fairmont clay track. Spellburg had bought the car from Johnny Jones, who fielded it for legend Wally LaBelle at Warrensburg in 1960 and 1961. Palmer, who always loved the cartoon on the side panel, acquired the panel from the car when it was junked in 1964 and used a similar Roadrunner on his Dexter Dorr #43’s, when he ran them in the late Sixties.

This is 1955 Champion Ernie Martin, Grooms Corners, NY., who
may have also been a regular at Warrensburg.

With rising competition and the fire, the Warrensburg track closed in 1961 [probably with a little help from the dust and noise – weary populace of the village]. The remaining [newer] aluminum bleachers may have ended up at Fairmont or even Devil’s Bowl. The Warrensburg tradition lived on with the Pennocks, with Rusty Duell, and with “Fast Eddy” Keenan [also called The Gray Ghost]. Not much is left of the track but a few photos, some traces of the track, and Ed Harrington’s 8 mm movies. But, the effect it had on racing the region will live on forever.

33 and 1/3 Red Smith, 19, Tom Bennett, and Me2, Lennie Baker fly
down the front stretch, with the dust flying.

Visconti Family Photo Armand Arthur Visconti, father of Art Visconti stands in his yard in Granville, NY with an early car. Young Art is in the middle and Harold Visconti is at right.	Photo by Bill Ladabouche Lennie Baker's Me2, probably owned by sometime promoter Wilbur Baker	Photo by Bill Ladabouche The Spellburg sedan had been owned by Johnny Jones and run by Wally LaBelle.
Photo by Bill Ladabouche The original 33 1/3 was attributed to both Red Smith and Lennie Baker - from Athol. NY	Photo by Bill Ladabouche The 33 1/3 was wrecked by one of the two drivers in 1963. Photo taken a almost after dark.	Photo by Bill Ladabouche The newer 33 1/3 was said to belong to Red Smith, from Athol. NY
Ladabouche Collection Ed Baker's last Hudson car.	Photo by Bill Ladabouche Ralph Palmer, Glens Falls, NY	Fonda History Photo Earl Maille, Glens Falls, NY Click here to see he articles on Maille's injury incurred at A.P. Fonda History Photo Ralph Palmer believes Maille was actually hurt in this car he bought from Leon Shaw.
Photo by John Grady Jerry "Porky" Pennock Warrensburg, NY The younger Pennock probably raced very little at Ashland Park	Ladabouche Collection Jerry [59] got his first real experience in Malta's Semi Late Models	Photo from Conde Parry Site Rusty Duell, Warrensburg, NY He didn't race at Ashland Park, but was clearly influenced by it being there.
Courtesy of Norm Vadnais Photo by Bob Frazier This marvel of race may have once been driven by Dick Germaine - at Ashland Pk.	Bill Ladabouche Photo Tom Bennett, Address Unknown	Bill Ladabouche Photo Ed Baker [hands on hips] with the 6PAC when it had fenders.

Hackel Family Photo Art "Bud" Visconti Granville, NY	Hackel Family Photo Lining up. I can make out the X9 of Bob Hoffer and Wally LaBelle's 6 PAC.	Hackel Family Photo A hobby class car The A-1 suggests it might be from Pottersville
Hackel Family Photo Wreck involving the X9 of Bob Hoffer	Hackel Family Photo Car 79Jr. Good view of tower & the covered stands.	Hackel Family Photo Car 100+ A hobby car ?
Hackel Family Photo A hobby car off the backstretch.	Hackel Family Photo Hobby cars lining up.	Hackel Family Photo Wally LaBelle in the back of a feature lineup. Ladabouche Photo The 6 Pac 15 years later.

Vestiges of Ashland Park at Warrensburg are seen in this satellite photo of the 1990's. Use the inset below to see where remnants of one turn are located.

Look in the middle of this cropped photo. Note the faint outline of turns one and
two - where the outline of the trees form a sort of half circle, to the right of the lake. In thetwo 2007 photos below, you can sort of make out that half circle of tree oat the edge of an unused lot in that housing development. A lady living across the street said that the track was "over there", referring to that empty lot. Although the lot is not large enough, it may have been one of the turns.

Race historian John Nelson added the following information to mine [thanks, John]:

Click on the articles for larger versions.
CLICK HERE to go back to Earl's photo