Marlboro Raceway memories
For those of you who missed visiting Marlboro Raceway in Marlboro, Maryland, I found a taste of it for you. http://tinyurl.com/cam9qd
The article at this website from the Washington Post .com is a nice reminiscence of what it was like at Marlboro in the 50’s and 60’s. There is also an excellent film clip from a race in 1957 and additional links to other early racing.
I remember attending several races there; and in fact catching my own “I wanta race virus” there. My best memory is of warding off freezing temperatures at the Refrigerator Bowl, run in January, with a flask of Apple Jack.
Marlboro was a very tight track, more suited for time trials than racing, but it did produce some exciting races. The longest straight ended in a sharp left turn; and that turn claimed many race cars. A straight off took one thru trees and brush and eventually into a creek! The start/finish line was located in a tiny oval bowl (maybe 1/16 mi.). Entry and exit from the bowl often included airborne moments.
After racing ended in the 60’s, it was still used occasionally for time trials/autocrosses. I remember the first Hurst Shelby Mustang renta car showing up there and being thrashed within an inch of its life. My own experiences of autocrossing at Marlboro in a Corvette and a Sprite are treasures. Think I still have a trophy or two around.
Some of the early racing greats like Roger Penske. Mark Donahue, and Bob Tullius raced there. Marlboro doesn’t quite evoke the same public memory as Riverside, but, for sure, it was equally important to the development of popular sports car racing.
March 1st, 2009 at 6:28 pm
Glad to see you are still blogging and finding wonderful memories of your racing past.
March 2nd, 2009 at 12:13 am
Glad you are still reading
March 3rd, 2009 at 2:10 pm
Now that was an interesting read. A pic of the old track might be nice in addition to the vid, but really interesting. You drove the ‘vette there?!?