"Hatfield Memories"
Here's yet another speedway that many of us weren't quite old enough to get to, but fortunately some of you did and it is our hope that you'll  share your memories with the other visitors of the Vault.    Please click below to add your memories of Hatfield Speedway!

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photo above provided by:  Woody Nyce

Additional info provided by Bobby Joos:  The Hatfield Speedway was located in the following 3 block area - Forty Foot Road , Koffel Road and Fairgrounds Road.  The track was located on the former Montgomery County Fairgrounds. The grounds is now a housing development that is across the street from Roenbergers Daries. Unfortunately, there is nothing left of the track.

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Overhead View of 1/2 Mile		 Hatfield Track Photos hatfield_misc_mile_w.jpg (109665 bytes)
Wider Overhead of Hatfield


Your Hatfield Memories...
(Memories most recently received appear at the top of the list)

Todd Rittenhouse  04/21/08

Remember like it was yesterday, my dad took me when it was a 1/2 mile dirt, 1/2 mile asphalt, and then I started racing on it when it was 1/3 mile dirt. That started a career of race cars for me. Still doing it at 65, running a URC sprint team, with Curt Michael driving.
Remember all the midget and sprint shows there, they were great, just think, a driver ran sprints there and then ran indy the same year. Great memories.


Todd Rittenhouse
Todd's Performance
Business 610 539 9588

Gary Lippincott  03/01/08

Mac    02/28/08

Gary Hepner  Schuylkill Haven, Pa.  12/26/07

Hatfield was one of the first tracks I attended with my dad in the 60's. The track was a third of a mile by this time and I remember watching Freddie Adam, Tasnady, Potts, etc. I also remember going to see the drag races on Sunday on the short quarter mile, if I remember correctly the whole strip was a quarter mile including the run off area. Hatfield, coups, and coaches will always have a special place in my heart.
Gary Hepner

Jay D. Sowers  Perkasie, PA.   09/23/07

Hello and THANK YOU for the opportunity to tell my story of the Hatfield Speedway. I can remember being about 6 years old and my brother would take me to see the midgets and sprint cars run at the speedway. This was in 1951 & 52. He took me to several stock car races but mostly the midgets and sprints up till I was 16 years old.

I was in the same class at Pennridge High School as Jake Vargo, Jr. and spent many hours at the Vargo racing garage where Jake senior kept his, midget, sprint and dirt track champ car. Jake Vargo Senior was an avid campaigner with his open cockpit cars at the Hatfield Fairgrounds. Jake Jr. and myself were very good friends and had lots of great times at the shop.  He would let me sit in all 3 cars. On a few occasions I got to go to Hatfield with the Vargo midget. I remember Bobby Marshman being a super young driver and would sign autographs for all of us and as many as we wanted. Bobby was always friendly with the younger kids at the Hatfield Fairgrounds.

When I got my drivers license in 1960 I started going to the drag's at Hatfield every week. My late friend, Rick Mill, and I bought a 1954 6 cyl Chevy that we took and ran and had many weeks of good times at the fairgrounds.

I remember just about every week it would come down to two Super Stock cars running for top eliminator. The Ford was called the Raven and I can't remember what the Chevy was named so if any one remembers what the name on the Chevy was please post it on the site or email me at itshalfhersj@comcast.net .   This information would be very helpful to me as it is driving me crazy not remembering what the name of the car was.

My brother nephew and myself in 1980 formed Sowers Racing Restorations and until my brother passed away in 1995 owned and restored 16 Vintage midgets and sprints cars many of which ran at the Hatfield Speedway. The most famous of all the cars we owned was the Caccia Offy that set many records at Hatfield with George Fonder at the wheel of this Kurtis-Kraft midget. Tony Caccia of Media was the first owner of this KK Serial # O-85-47. We also owned the early Hillegass Ford V-8 60 hp rail midget that was owned and driven by John Godshall of Telford, PA. Johnnie used to park his midget and trailer on Reliance Road at his business.

We now collect the old gas powered model race cars that were very popular back during the days of the Hatfield Speedway. These cars ran on a wire and had model airplane motors in them. If you have any pictures of these model cars please feel free to email us at the above email address in this tribute to Hatfield Speedway.

Thank You Hatfield_Memories  for the opportunity to tell our story.

Jay D. Sowers----Perkasie, PA.

Bob "Hutch" Hutchinson     01/29/06

Bob "Hutch" Hutchinson     10/29/06

Peggy Snyder     09/29/06

Dave DeAngelis    06/05/06

Len Musgrave     05/31/06

  • I remember many a great race with the likes of George Fonder, Len Duncan, Tony Romit, Tony Bondiais. I recall the first time I saw the entire four cars of Mr. Hespel on one trailer. He owned a quarry and was the Roger Penske of midget racing. I also recall one of the largest crowds ever at the speedway was right after the Indy 500 and Pancho Carter, A J, and Tony B and many others came in for a race.

  • My brother and I had a home made go-cart and when part of the aluminum fence was down because of a crash we used to take our go cart over the guard rail and run it around the speedway until someone would chase us off.

  • I have many memories of the speedway.  Whenever I am back there to see my sisters who live in Lansdale I will go by there on my way to have ice cream at Rosenberg's Dairy.

George McCall    04/21/06

  • Hatfield Speedway was the first short track I went to in the early 1960's. I don't remember any of the drivers but I do remember the exciting shows that were put on and a group named the PROS. All the classes were great but I enjoyed them the most. Watching them was like watching racing at it's roots and it looked like fun. It made me want to try racing myself but that wasn't happening.
    For over twenty years I was just a spectator but never forgot my introduction to local stock car racing at Hatfield Speedway. Finally I got my opportunity and took advantage of it. I bought an asphalt sportsman and went racing at Wall Stadium.

  • Unfortunately I was racing out of my own pocket and after three years the money ran out and I had to sell the car. But it was an experience I will never forget and more fun than I ever had.

  • Fifteen years later the bug bit me again but this time I bought a dirt car and raced New Egypt. It was a different experience but just as much, if not more, fun. I raced there for three years then decided I was getting too old for the weekly competition and it was getting a little expensive.
    I haven't given up on racing as I still own a vintage modified built by Kenny Weld. We hope to have it back together this year so I can still go out once in a while and have FUN.

  • I want to say, thanks Hatfield Speedway for bringing short track racing into my life and giving me something to shoot for. I may not be a professional driver or a race winner but I know how much fun it is behind the wheel on the track.

    George McCall -- Bellmawr, NJ

Merit O'Neal  04/07/06

  • During the 50's I worked with George Marshman at Hatfield, Sanatoga, and Philadelphia Municipal Stadium Speedways.  We ran midgets, sprints, sports cars, late and early model stocks. At Hatfield, we widened, banked, and paved the old dirt track in 1954, added more grandstand seating and made other changes. Was a good time for racing, seemingly much different than the present. Have lots of good memories.

Bill Weber    03/22/06

  • I was a friend of Len Duncan when he worked for Morano Bros. Garage in Erdenheim, Pa. One night Len drove his midget and George Fonder drove his sprint car in a match race of about 8 laps. George would pass Len on the straitaways, but Len would pass George on the turns. The whole time, Len's boss, Joe Morano was standing at the start-finish line waving his shirt over his head. I don't remember who won the race, but that night I will remember forever.   Bill Weber - Wayne, PA

Dick Fleck       11/25/05

  • I GUESS I AM THE ONLY DRIVER WHO RACED AT ALL 4 TRACKS--

  • FIRST LET ME SAY THE 1/2 MILE DIRT THEN BLACK TOP WAS REALLY A 5/8 MILE TRACK AS NASCAR
    MEASURES--3 FOOT FROM THE INSIDE --I RAN THE 5/8 MILE DIRT WHILE STILL IN HIGH SCHOOL
    IN STOCKS AND SOME V8 60 MIDGETS--THEN AFTER A STINT IN THE NAVY I RESUMED RACING AT HATFIELD ON THE 5/8 MILE BLACK TOP IN STOCKS AND WON THE 1957 TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP

  • IN 1961 I FORMED THE HATFIELD SANCTION BODY CALLED THE PROS ON THE 4/10 MILE HIGH BANKED DIRT ON THE INSIDE OF THE 5/8 TRACK--I ALSO RENTED THE 1/8 MILE DRAG STRIP WHICH WAS THE STRAIGHT AWAY OF THE 5/8 MILE TRACK FROM GEORGE MARSHMAN--HIS SON BOBBY AND I WENT TO SCHOOL TOGETHER 

  • I RACE SEVERAL TIMES ON THE DRAG STRIP TO FILL IN FOR CLASSES WHEN ONLY ONE WAS IN A CLASS WITH MY STREET CAR

  • I CONTINUED TO RACE ON THE 4/10 DIRT WHILE SANCTIONING THE RACE WITH MY PROS CLUB UNTIL IT CLOSED IN 1966

  • I HAD ONE YEAR SANCTIONING THE RACES AROUND THE STADIUM AT HERSHEY BEFORE MOVING TO POCONO TO HELP BUILD THE POCONO RACEWAY AND WAS THERE FOR 5 DECADES

  1. PLEASE GO TO MY WEB SITE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT ME AND RACING AND MUCH MORE--
    THANKS --DICK FLECK  http://herecomesfleckey2.com

Bob Fleck    11/24/05

  • I can remember just about all the good things about Hatfield Speedway for my brother Dick the Promoter of the Pros and I drove stocks cars there when it was 1/2 mile blacktop also I was the flagman there for years, for the stocks , midgets, motorcycles and also the drags and did some announcing for the drags....

  • I can remember the GREAT Bobby Marshnan, the son of George Marshman the Promoter of the Hatfield High Speedway ....We grew up together during school years when I lived in Collegeville and he lived in Yerkes and we were good ole kids....(Now thats funny) ....We use to take his father's car ( George Marshman) a 1951 White Ford out for joy rides and play cop being it was white, LOL....

  • And I do remember the Raven Drag car in had a picture of a Raven on the front fender at the bottom rear part.... Can't forget the Shadow Rail Drag car either .....Oh I better not forget the power puffers there was some real speed demons and great ladies that drove the cars.... Like Peggie Rush , Betty Engelbach , Marion Williamson, Vickie Woodward ....

  • I also remember all the Freddy Adams , The Harry Moores and the Desperado himself Mose Moore, George Slight , the Reo Brothers, Bill Williams ....That's just some of the great race drivers....

  • I'm still in contact with some of the drivers and they all look just as good as I did back then.... Now that is funny....

  • There so many great drivers that I didn't mention.... Can't forget the good times after the races we had at Village Inn and a place called the Barn in Kuplsville which do not exist any more....Have a GREAT Tommorrow..... This is Bob Fleck of Monroeton, Pennsylvania.... fleck344@epix.net

Lou Salamone       07/19/05  (From Far Hills, NJ - Formerly of Norristown, PA)

  • I have some of the best racing memories of my life (and some of the worst as I witnessed several of my favorite midget drivers loose their lives there) at Hatfield Speedway.

  • In fact my father's paving company paved the old dirt track with the high banked asphalt that was there for many years until it was returned to dirt again. We never missed the midgets at Hatfield. It was a great place to watch the fearless drivers even though on occasion you could smell thedistinct odors form the packing plant nearby.

  • I remember few things as thrilling in racing as watching the midgets run at Hatfield. The ARDC midgets were a top show in those days. There were few sights as good as Red Reigel riding the high bank dirt that replaced the asphalt. For a time he was unbeatable.

  • We knew the Marshman's well (owners) and so Bobby Marshman became my favorite driver but there were so many of the greats of midget racing that it would take me pages to name them all.

Barry Shultz       07/14/05

  • Spent many night there. Going with dad to the old half mile-wow fast and great drivers.

  • Became active with a racing paper later and went there weekly.

  • One of best races I ever saw was Tommy McAndrews and Freddy Adam going side by side taking turns leading on each and every lap of a 50 lap event.

  • Track had one thing no other track had. Drivers would come of f of the fourth turn and skip the right rear tire on the old asphalt track near the staters stand.

  • I also rember the pigs they were kept just outside the track. Great drivers who had
    time for the fans.

Joe Klaumenzer        07/08/05

  • hey:-1948???  Lived on 8th & Franconia Lansdale.  Four boys seak out at nite to walk to races at Hatfield..  We crawled under fence, sometimes we were seen.  Just came back later.   The sounds my body could feel the roarrrr, as I got older I realized that some things you never forget.   Race cars and the sounds is one of these things. 

  • Once I started to work everything was set aside.   Now in my 60s I am reliveing.  I have friends that still race.  I sponsor a race car, a kid dragster, & good friend Barry Macken who used to drag at Hatfield.   Tho I never raced"on a track"Barry does & wants me to go with him to drive.  However I will be at West Point Car Show 7/10/05 with at least one of my older cars.  And memorabilla of Hatfield.. JOE KLAUMENZER, Green Lane, Pa. (P.S My wife is Godmother to George Fonders Granddaughter, who has a son of her own..Thanks for giving old man chance to ramble.)

Writtenhouse        06/28/05

  • Back at the very start of stock car racing my dad, Russell Rittenhouse, of Lansdale Autobody on Broad Street and Later Rittenhouse Autobody in Line Lexington, owned a "stricktly" stock car which ran at Sanatoga. But at times we would attend the midgets and modifieds at Hatfield. I too very well remember Don Allison and Jimmy Ryan. I still have the picture in my mind of Jimmy in the most tremedous slides high in the loose dirt cornering in turns one and two.

  • One night I got to meet Dutch Schaeffer through friends of my father who sponsored some midgets through the years. These friends were the owners of the Cottage Diner on the south side of the 309/202 in front of where the Montgomery Mall now is.  In later years my Dad sponsored a modified which ran mostly at Reading.

  • No one mentioned that later on Hatfield had drag racing on the front straight away. They ran from right to left facing the track. This was after the track was paved. Usually Friday nights. I saw my first real dragster there and my memory says it was Don Garlitts. It was an eigth mile drag strip. The hottest local dragsters were motor cycles and pickup trucks.

        Lew Dungan        04/24/05

  • Aw the nights at Hatfield Hi-Speedway.  Names mentioned bring many a fine memory back to me, names like Red Lesher #27 my favorite, in his bright red, green, and yellow 37 Ford. Mose Moore in his little Red Rag, Blackie Rider, Curt Sherman. Now on the sight is Peachtree Apartments, where I dated a girl in the early 70's, and parts of the old race track still
    shows.   Great job of putting this together.      Lew Dungan, Quakertown, PA  Dungangoofy@aol.com

Rick Brinckman         03/10/05

  •      My father owned a car from 1951 - 1955.  I was just a little kid and played on the infield mostly.  I do remember Monk Keller rolling over the fence and through the aluminum barrier behind the fence coming off the second turn. My dad's car was #57 driven by Rocky Ewing, who never did much with the car, but the fans liked him. The only time my dads car won was Sanatoga driven that night by Dick Rodenberger, and received $35 for the win.   A few years ago I went to some of the drivers of that time and made copies of there pictures, Monk Keller, Joe Kelley (Dave Houpt), Mose Moore, Red Lesher, Jimmy Ryan (Christman) and others.

         It wasn't uncommon for them to use different names then there own.  Joe Kelly also racing as Don Allison (real name Dave Houpt) did it because of running different sactions and Jimmy Ryan (real name Christman) used another name so his mother wouldn't know he was racing.  Before Dave Houpt died I received trophies from Hatfield 1954 champ from Don Allison and second place owner of the #7 also 1954 and after his death I received a 1951 champ trophy from Mrs. Christman from Sanatoga (point champ).   

    I visted the speedway site a few years back (before the development) and there were still signs of the first and second turn asphalt Now just a memory. I guess it's a no brainer why I have raced, owned and sponsored race cars over the past 35 years.

Dean Robison   Lititz, Pa     02/10/05

  • My dad drove truck for West Motor Freight in Boyertown and was a huge race fan. He wasn't always home alot on saturday nights, so my grandfather would take us to see midgets and modified stocks. The big tickle however, was the night my dad was able to take me to see AJ Foyt and company, when the USAC sprint cars came to Hatfield.  Couldn't tell you who won or what the date was but I can assure you, watching them bounce off the fence between the third and fourth turn every lap made it one of the most exciting races ever.

Ed Smith, West Chester, Pa 11/26/04

  • My parents took me to Hatfield in the early 1960's on many Saturday nights.

  • I remember George Sleight in a black and white #19... Harry Moore in Wayne Carls beautiful #4, Bill Williams in the Turner #47, Tommy McAndrews in the 59A as well as Jack Rudy, Freddy Adam, Monk Keller and Tommy Sheetz.

  • One of the scariest moments saw Harry Moore flipping the entire length of the front stretch.

  • It was also a thrill when they unloaded the pigs at the adjacent complex.

  • My father loved the ARDC midgets and we always attended the combination shows where I remember Red Riegle (spelling) winning many of the shows.

  • Your site has brought back many fond memories. Thanks

Richard Rodgers    11/25/04

  • I first started going to Hatfield in the late 40's. We went every Saturday night to watch the Midgets with Drivers like George Fonder, Dutch Schaeffer, Shorty McAndrews and Bill Schindler. Often there were big name drivers from the mid-west and at times there were sprint cars. I only remember them running on the 1/2 mile dirt track.

  • They had a poor lightening system that was eventually replaced by two towers in the infield that lit the entire track.  They were designed by a Mr. Cooney who was the superintendent of the Lansdale Electric Company.   These were great times and today's midgets are so inclosed by safety equipment it takes away from the thrill of the racing. Also the Offenhausers are gone and their great sound.

            From:  Richard Rodgers born and raised in Lansdale and now live in Hartfield Virginia

Ron Kendig   of Levittown, PA      6/18/04 

  • This is one of the tracks that got me intrested in auto racing.  I used to go with my neighbors the GRAMLICHS (Charlie, Dot and Mike.   They were freinds of  NORMAN CAPT  KIDD.   I also remember the Moore Bros (Harry& Mose, Jackie Mclaughlin, Warren Mutter, Joe Kelly, and many others.   We also used to go to SANATOGA SPEEDWAY near Pottstown, PA  .Those were the years!

Edward Smith    4/04

  • My father took me to Hatfield may times in the early 60's.  I remember George Slight in the #19 winning a track championship and then repeating the feat in the Paul Deasey #707. 
  • I was at Hatfield the night Aldo Andretti took a nasty flip down the back stretch that landed him in the hospital. 
  • I also remember Harry Moore (my favorite at the time) taking a wild ride down the front stretch in Wayne Carl's beautiful # 4. 
  • I still have autographs from Monk Keller, George Slight and Jack Rudy in my possession. 
  • My father loved the ARDC midgets so we always went to the combination shows  where Red Riegel (spelling?) won more times than not.  
  • Thanks again for your great site.  It brings back many fond memories. 

J.P. (Pat) Templeton     Manassas, VA (then Center Square, PA)   02/26/04

  • I was a kid then.  My most vivid memories of Hatfield that set it aside from other tracks were the two huge infield light towers and the smell of pigs that somehow managed to get to you sometime during each show.   Hatfield as asphalt was wicked fast.  As I recall the track surface was "rubberized" asphalt and was the FASTEST 1/2 mile anywhere.  I also remember how impressed I was with Harry Hespel's (spelling?) 4 car midget team and listening to the drivers argue about being forced to have roll bars on their cars.   Related might be the horrible accident at Hatfield that took the life of George Fonder.
  • Also ending the evening with a recording of GOOD NIGHT LADIES or SO LONG, IT'S BEEN GOOD TO KNOW YOU.

Steve Elias 01/15/04

  • The first track that I remember at Hatfield was a half mile dirt track I raced there in 1953.  It was changed to asphalt in 1954 and was the fastest half mile in the east.  They later made a third of a mile dirt inside the half mile and that is the track they ran until closing.

Jim Brewer    09/13/03

  • Just a little background on Hatfield. RSCA modifieds ran there in the 1965 and 1966 seasons. Freddy Adam was the 1965 champ (six feature wins) and Tommy McAndrew was the point champ in 1966 (nine features). I think George Marshman had the lease on the track and essentially did a sublease to Lindy Vicari. I believe the last race there was in late September 1966 and it was either ARDC midgets or URC sprinters. I think the track was not run again after that. I know that Marshman moved on to promote Hershey Stadium at the end of the 60s.

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