Wythe vs Old Cherokee track

[Phatdaddy]

Does anyone know what the track record was for the old Cherokee track ?? I was watching some vids of Wythe, and it looks very comparable to Cherokee pre-2006 speeds. Wondering which is faster. Per website, the track record at Wythe is 15.864. But there isn't anything on the old Gaffney track record. Thanks in advance.

[3wheelin]

I have been to Wythe 3 or 4 times... great track. I believe the track record is held by Vic Hill. I have never been to Cherokee, but I’ve seen old videos. The straightaway speeds looked downright scary as well as some of the crashes! It looks like the old Cherokee may have had a little longer straights. I want to think I heard on one video the qualifying times were in the 18 or 19 second range. The cars looked faster at Cherokee however.

[racincowboy02]

I'm not sure what the track record was before they shortened it but I will see if anybody else remembers

[EvelB7]

Track record at old Cherokee was in mid 18's, but very few times was qualifying below 19 seconds. Cherokee was bigger than Wythe and a little less banking.

[Stefan2k4]

The track record at the big G was held by Jack Pennington. At the moment, I can't recall the exact number but it was something in the 18.30 to 18.40 range. I was there the day he set it, but that's been a long time ago. It was in qualifying for either the Stick Elliot memorial or the Blue Gray 100, can't remember which. Prior to that Bloomquist held the record at 18.58, which I believe was set at the 1996 Hav a Tampa race. Therefore Pennington's record was probably in the fall of either 1996 or 1997. Can't remember for sure.

Cherokee was bigger than Wythe and a little less banking.

Don't know anything about Wythe, but I always heard it said that Cherokee was actually a big half mile, meaning it was a half mile around the bottom and actually longer around the middle and top. Of course, I never actually measured it and can't confirm that as definite.

[Stefan2k4]

https://www.dirtondirt.com/history-major.php?id=28

Scroll down to 1997 Blue-Gray 100

Fast qualifier (among 48 cars): Pennington 18.433 seconds

Some more info here.

http://droppinthehammer.net/JackPennington.html

Pennington still holds the track record here at Cherokee on the half-mile. That car had a 468 cubic inch engine known as Superman, but without Jack Pennington behind the wheel, that motor was just mild mannered Clark Kent, as Jack’s right foot and skill at the wheel made that motor and many more like it ‘Super’ each race day.

[Hoosier]

Track record at old Cherokee was in mid 18's, but very few times was qualifying below 19 seconds. Cherokee was bigger than Wythe and a little less banking.

A few years ago, the Cherokee track records were scribbled on the wall of the announce booth.

[jog49]

Pretty sure Cherokee was 0.525 miles and Wythe was 0.500 miles. Brakes were needed at Cherokee to avoid launch at the end of those long straights. Don't recall, at the moment, who it was but one of the national hall of fame drivers said Cherokee scared the hell out of him.