| Photo ID # | d08.20.07_HAR_GRN_HAR_1274M_1 |
| Car #: | #NA |
| Driver (s) : | NA |
| Location: | Harmony, NJ |
| Date: | December 1974 |
| Photographer: | George Koyt |
| Photo provided by: | George Koyt |
| Comments: | According
to the information provided by Greg Collins for our "Harmony Memories" section,
the last "Modified" race was held at Harmony in 1972. (Thanks for the
correction Greg C!) Here's a photo from George Koyt showing what happens once the weeds get a chance to promote a speedway. It's a "scene" we've all "seen" played out all too often in a part of the country where a combination of high real estate values combined with a changing culture that finds people having more important things to do than sit in an outside stand with the dampness of the nearby river in the air, watching cars go round and round. The shame of it all is that in a decade or 2, nobody will even know what they missed. While the Harmony site has not been developed into high dollar homes, I understand the site was purchased back in the early 70's by a chemical company who I can only assume came up with a better offer than what it was worth to keep open as a speedway. The shame of it is that I think the chemical company is now long gone and all that remains are the memories for those who were a part of Harmony Speedway. |
| Visitor's Comments | To add your comments about THIS PHOTO - Click Here | |
| Date: | Visitor's Name: | Comment: |
| 08/21/07 | Greg C | I just talked to Greg Collins today requesting [from me] the printed
article from the Mid September 1973 "Last Race at Harmony" The '72 date was the last for the Modifieds! Mid September '73 was the last date they raced and I believe Jay Beers won the event! They ran sportsman and late models in 1973 at the facility. |
| 08/22/07 | Greg Saeger | I wonder if the site is listed as a Brownfield. In Pennsylvania when an
industrial site is closed and possible or even known contaminates are in the soil, they
list these sites on a national or state register, that are up for sale, and the state or
federal government offers grants to people to purchase the property to clean it up. Since the site is already a speedway,and is still there, maybe it can be picked up at a lesser cost then what the land would be going for had it not been polluted. This is a long shot, but with all the tracks that are disappearing, maybe this one could return for a song and a dance, and someone with deeper pockets then mine, like 4 million deeper. |
| 08/24/07 | Greg Collins | Thanks to George Koyt for the Harmony grandstand photo, brings back lots
of memories. The Harmony Speedway property is now owned by Mallinckrodt Baker Incorporated (a chemical company that had purchased Baker Chemical Company, which had purchased Pearsall Chemical Company, Pearsall being the facility that was located across the road from the track's backstretch and was responsible for the "fog" and odor that seemed to always hang over the track). It's thought that the last deed transfer involving the sale of the speedway property to Mallinckrodt may have included a restriction that the property could not be used for racing purposes in the future. Local residents Alby Salter and Larry Ehasz may have a few stories on what "contaminates" may or may not be above and/or below the speedway grounds. Modifieds last raced at Harmony on July 7, 1972, with Will Cagle winning a 100 lap feature, Paul Rochelle was second, Carl Van Horn was third. Sportsman and late models last raced at Harmony on September 7, 1973, with Harmony resident Jay Beers winning the sportsman feature and Clarence "Hilly" Hill winning the late model feature. |
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