Why is Pennsboro remembered so fondly?

[DennisErbFan]

I never had the opportunity to attend a race there, but I hear it's a legendary track. What made it so great and why did it shut down?

[nc mudcat]

The track was terrible, the racing was terrible, the facilities were terrible, IMO. I can't wait to go again! It was all about the fans and the fun. The money drew the drivers, the drivers drew the fans, the atmsophere drew the fans, the do-what-you-want attitude drew the fans, on and on.

[Pennsboro23]

The atmosphere. Sort of like Fairbury is today in regards to atmosphere and fans. It was magical, you could literally feel how special the place was. Old school place, horrible facilities. Big money races, all the drivers like mentioned above.

[bleedblue55]

I fondly remember every track I've been to that is not racing or has disappeared. Unfortunately that includes the 3 closest to me, Pennsboro, Interstate-I79, and Morgantown.

[MontanaMagic1619*]

What an interesting question !

The " mystique " of the place for starters. It was out in the boondocks; a word my compadres always like using, it always drew the very best drivers of those days, purses were dammed good for that time, and I agree the facilities sucked, the food was terrible, but the beer and whiskey was plentiful, but most of all it was the women for me. It wouldn't surprise me one bit that lots of babies were conceived at that place as well......it reminded me so many times of " a racing Woodstock " although I wasn't fortunate enough to be there at the 'Stock, the atmosphere was electric, and the racing was so dammed good !

Dam, when's the next race there

[PennDirt]

" a racing Woodstock "

That's possibly the best takeaway I've ever read about Pennsboro. It sure fits. I'm not even gonna bust into my own diatribe about the 'Boro after that MM gem. He said it all.

[MI Dirt Fan]

" a racing Woodstock "

Been to a few of those. Almost makes you forget that you actually went there for the racing and not the party.

Some places that have been around for 50-60 yrs just have that nostalgia. So many guys have come through there and raced, won races, won championship(s). Some moved on to bigger opportunities and some didn't. Some of the rare tracks are the ones still open that have switched back and forth between dirt and asphalt over the years.

[oldfart50]

Because everyone was drunk and dont remember what a real shthole it was...

[jr1216]

definitely not the nicest facilities but the car count was great. I would go in a heartbeat if they had a big race again. I went several times in the middle 80s.

[jlacey]

I went a few years in a row in the mid to late 90s for the DTWC. As I've said before the place was a sh1t hole but we loved it. Have a few good stories from that place but it would probably take 30 min + to read em all on here. Ill just never forget parking outside of turn 1 and Lynn Geislers primary sponsor joining me with their coolers, most of the day was a blur and ended with a trip to the hospital

[Krooser]

Went once... Kinda on par with Eldora of the same vintage. Those were the drivers raced anywhere anytime if the money was right... Not many cry babies back then. Can't wait to go again.

[weatherman85]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GICUbQwatk

[weatherman85]

I've always often heard that the racing at this track sucked but thought this heat race was pretty darn good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heH7i72vVTY

[Phatdaddy]

I went in '94. I remember wondering where everyone parked. Then I heard that vehicles parked along the road to Hwy 150 were ticketed in the last year of the DTWC. That would have been a super bummer for those paying fans.
In response to the question, I get the whole nostalgia aspect (Eldora has that too), but I wish the ones making $$$$ from the event would have put some of it back in the racing surface.

[Aces&Eights]

I never had the opportunity to attend a race there, but I hear it's a legendary track. What made it so great and why did it shut down?

Great Purse.
Best Drivers.
Fairy tale ending for first ever DTWC.
(Guys hauler wouldn't start, so he stayed, started last and won $50K.)
The track was horrible almost every year except 96' and it was rain/day light shortened.(No track lights)
They actually came over PA and asked campers to stop riding 4 wheelers in cemetery after dark.
The bleechers were cut into side of hill.(grass)
a creek ran through infield and under track at both ends.
It was originally a horse racing track at turn of century.

[CIRF]

I attended just one race at Pennsboro. The Dirt Track World Championship. Freddy Smith won the year we were there.

To this day it is the biggest $hithole we've ever seen.

The restrooms (I use that term very cautiously) reeked so bad that you'd walk out smelling like raw sewage and the stench would hang on you for an hour. It didn't matter whether it was a porta-potty or the permanent facilities. Actually the permanent facilities were the worst.

I'm pretty sure they didn't touch the track the whole weekend and over 80 to 100 cars were in the pits.

You needed to be part mountain goat to get to a decent seat and parking was almost nonexistent.

We came away with the attitude that it was worth attending once but vowed never to make the 8 1/2 hour one way trip again, and we never did. Anyone who has never been to Pennsboro can not remotely relate to the "magic" of the experience. Part of what made the one trip to Pennsboro worth it was the place gave us a renewed appreciation for the really enjoyable race tracks that we regularly attend.

[Aces&Eights]

I've always often heard that the racing at this track sucked but thought this heat race was pretty darn good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heH7i72vVTY

Check out 1991, Bloomer has bad qualifying run and has to start in middle of the C Main! Puts on a driving clinic thru C & B mains and gets to within 1 spot of making it in and caution waves with 3 laps to go. Green waves, Bloomy refires and motor pukes...

[CIRF]

Check out 1991, Bloomer has bad qualifying run and has to start in middle of the D Main! Puts on a driving clinic thru C & B mains and gets to within 1 spot of making it in and caution waves with 3 laps to go. Green waves, Bloomy refires and motor pukes...

A&E, that was the year we were there. IIRC Freddy Smith and Mike Duval had a very good battle in the early stages of the A-main.

[chupp n bloomer fan]

Unless you have been there, you cannot imagine how big of a sh!thole it was. The way you entered and exited the track if you had a pit pass was on a sh!tty concrete walkway under the bridge above the creek in 1 n 2. Racing was mediocre, but it was daytime racing. Lord knows no one made enough money to put up any lighting or sh!tters.

I'd go back for sure. But it'll never have that exact feeling again. That I have no idea why the fuk I'm here, but I'm going to come back feeling. Can't remember how many times I went, I know Ronnie Johnson won the one.

The debauchery, stories, very PG rated .

[jlacey]

Yeah the heats and consis were better than the mains IMO, but bc of rain i was only able to see 1 actual feature. Marshall Green won that 1 but the years before WVMS would run Saturday nights after Pennsboro qualifying. Id definitely go if they reopened 1 if not both of em