Abandoned - Nazareth Speedway

[@Typhooon342]

Fun fact: Not only did the Busch series race move to Watkins Glen, but that's also where Nazareth's grandstands ended up.

[@BrightSunFilms]

No kidding? Cool!

[@itsya_boi4135]

I was planning on liking your comment, but as of this moment its a 69 likes. Nice.

[@hyhoops1080]

I live about 9 mins away from the stadium I’m gonna bike to it on sunday thanks for the vid

[@Blackout_]

@@itsya_boi4135 did you end up liking it yet?

[@SamDraissMedia]

It’s true. I sit in the stands from Nazareth every year for NASCAR at the Glen. They still have the original numbers on them from Nazareth that we’re just scratched off

[@morenofranco9235]

These "Abandoned" videos are great at showing how great ideas fall apart, and why. Thanks Jake.

[@joeydelrio]

they are great at showing how awesome this country used to be before corporate america bought it.

[@scottsylvainus5113]

I have lived my whole life in Nazareth. I remember the race growing up. You could hear the roar of the engines and the announcers from miles away. I have been to a few races. It was a great small town event. The biggest problem was no major roads going to for from made traffic a nightmare. It’s 4 or 5 miles to the closest highway on-ramp. and at the time almost no hotel rooms with in few miles. I miss the track.

[@trumpgod243]

It sucks . I live 20 minutes away in Bethlehem and can’t watch a race their

[@sallithorpe1031]

Me too, I remember the dust getting everywhere from the dirt track back in the 70-80’s in our house, then when the new track was built how proud we all were and all my friends worked at the new track during HS. It really is a shame how it just sits and is not used for anything. It just died 🥹😢.

[@vegaserik44]

It's crazy that in less than 20 years it looks like it's been abandoned for 50. It's a shame these tracks are disappearing.

[@Its_SaberHG]

I live only like 2 hours from there. I might drive up to see it

[@dannysdailys]

So is NASCAR.

[@Falicity345]

It’s one thing for a place to provide entertainment, it’s another for an entertainment company that is a gas guzzler, has racers going in a predictive direction, and located outside of populated areas due to the amount of space needed. Also, race car tracks have an image problem: it’s associated with low-income, alcoholic, country hicks. (Don’t kill the messenger)

[@squidiz496]

@@Falicity345 It's sad that nascar has this stigma outside of the south. It was a huge part of my childhood always loved waking up on a Sunday and riding to my grandparents to watch the Sunday race. Used to be so big now they struggle to get college football numbers (60k people or so) But yeah enough sad nostalga for me :)

[@devanmcdonald4506]

Just goes to show how important preventative maintaince is (outside of the track being gutted for parts)

[@Rinku588]

When you mentioned how they can’t use Nazareth as a speedway because it may compete with Pocono reminds me of one of the video games, NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup. They (EA), couldn’t make a deal with the owner of Pocono, so they added Nazareth instead

[@nathanielbarkley5620]

Rinku588 i used to play that on fhe PS2 and thats where the Nazareth came to my world

[@X2Lazy2WinX]

And never removed it from the PS2 versions after it closed either. A nice tribute from EA. Or just laziness...

[@BeigeEyesCroissantDragon]

So get Nascar 2005 on PS2 if we want to race on a digital Nazareth, Danke!

[@Rinku588]

Sachen Born Rhinelander also on Xbox and GameCube too!

[@jamespingel8730]

Was going to say I know about this track from Nascar 05' and Sega Kart Flag to Flag something or other on the Dreamcast. A very fun drive.

[@amodernphoenix]

I grew up in the neighborhood just behind the track and spent my childhood there. Wonderful memories and while the pictures and history were great, please consider an edit that mentions Roger Penske, who paved the track and took it on an international stage. As others have mentioned, the stands from our track did end up at Watkins Glen in that striking yellow and red. What many folks might not know is that they were not the bleachers in place when Roger Penske rebuilt the track. He added them later, sometime in the mid to late 1990s. I'll never forget driving by the track and those bright red and yellow seats sticking out like a sore thumb. They grew on us over time and now, I miss them. That track sat empty most of the year, but is was a comforting sight and a source of pride for those of us who live locally. It's hard to see it in its current shape. Our community has deep roots in racing, between the tracks and the Andretti family (some of the nicest people you could ever want to know). In Nazareth, the Andrettis have always been like any other neighbor and never sought or accepted special attention. Jeff, Michael, and Barbie attended the same local school as us, Mario and Dee frequented our small social clubs and worshipped at a local church. Sure, Mario's lamborghini is a sharp sight cruising around town, but the man inside, smiling and offering a friendly wave to everyone is the real treasure.

[@itswift]

Philly Region SCCA used to run Autocrosses there during the off season, and members would volunteer at the big events as crowd control. I met many Indycar drivers as a volunteer working the drivers private parking area, as well as Roger Penske, while a student at Lehigh University in the late 90s. Good times, I miss that track.

[@hralf6041]

Any body remember Langhorne or the Reading Fair grounds?

[@joeydelrio]

i know how u feel, here in Arkansas I30 speedway (our most popular dirt track) just closed its doors.

[@brandonkruse825]

This was NASCAR's biggest mistake, build 1 to 1 1/2 mile tracks and race on boring oval tracks with grandstands everywhere and not on small, fun tracks that attracted people to them because the racing was interesting.

[@sneekibreeki8162]

Nah. NASCAR's problem was they were trying to appeal to the people that only watched racing occasionally. They decided to drop legendary tracks like North Wilkesboro and Rockingham in favor of tracks that could hold double the amount of people that those tracks could hold. They put in the Chase. Putting in the chase basically told people "Hey we're going to race 26 races, and then we're going race 10 more. Those 10 races are the only ones that matter. See you then." This isolated the hardcore fans. Today's NASCAR seems to be slowly but surely going back to how it used to be. Executives have started listening to fans and the garage more. This past weekend's race brought in 20% more viewers as opposed to the same race last year.

[@samharris3508]

@@sneekibreeki8162 I think NASCAR is alienating the hardcore fans with this ridiculous Low power, High downforce package. The current package blows, and does not work as NASCAR intended it to work. NASCAR is still trying to appeal to the casual fan base, which is why they are trying their hardest to make it more like a stick and ball sport than ever before.

[@sneekibreeki8162]

@@samharris3508 eh. Package results tend to flucuate as grip does. Night races are amazing with the current package while day races (excluding races on restrictor plate tracks, road courses, and short tracks) on 1.5 mile tracks are, for the most part, lackluster. Me personally, I like the high downforce package. You can't continue to put the same out for years and expect people to keep watching. Granted the COT should have never been put in, the gen 4 car was beginning to get old. They had been racing gen 4's for almost 30 years. It was getting monotonous. Add in the ineptitude of Brian France and it just became a complete disaster. Right now, the worst thing NASCAR has going for it is the current points system. Other than that I'd say NASCAR is back on the rise. Drivers have even been praising the new gen 7 car (scheduled for 2021). That's big considering that drivers hated the COT and gen 5 and 6 cars.

[@jamesdb7115]

@@sneekibreeki8162 I agree. The current points system is showing excitement, as it's proving these stage points all season have helped guys like Chase and Logano, and every point counts. BUT I still dont like the win and your win, though realistically so far, the cream is still at the top on both old format and current format (slightly altered). I've been hearing the goal is to break up this dirty air that the current cars are running into. I also say, add in a new engine and the 18 inch tires (and design them to fall off with this low HP package) we can see better racing. It's good to see the sport looking like it's on the rise again. I'm looking forward to the new car. Now if we can regain a combo of The Rock or Fairgrounds (

[@sneekibreeki8162]

@@jamesdb7115 I like your thinking. Although I do disagree that Chase was helped by stage points. He's just been great all year. He did have a really bad early summer, but rebounded in the late races of the summer and especially in the early fall. Logano is a driver I can't say the same for. Penske as a whole, outside of Blaney's 'dega win, has been shockingly bad from the start of summer until now. It's a wonder they didn't get taken out in the first round of the playoffs. I agree on the road courses though. I'd add in Road Atlanta over COTA though simply because I'm from GA and I have actually raced there with friends in the 24 hours of lemons. We raced a Ford Pinto. Don't ask me how it got to the end. lmao.

[@shamehairmetal]

These old tracks were so much better than a lot of the current ones

[@joebrown1382]

Nazareth PA is the home of Mario Andretti. He raced there.

[@johnstark4723]

So did Michael

[@jonesRG]

I was surprised that this wasn't even touched on. And that Roger Penske's ownership wasn't mentioned, either. Those are both pretty huge points for racing fans...

[@NOMADcourier85]

I've delivered to his house/home office a couple times and even got him to sign one time for a document it was pretty cool.

[@joebrown1382]

@@NOMADcourier85 Good for you cool.

[@johnstark4723]

@@NOMADcourier85 @jonesRG I won't reply about what I think about Micheal, I had a run in with him once while working security and let's just say he thinks he is above everyone else. But he got knocked down a few rungs that night by me and a state trooper

[@AlisonCreech]

I'm surprised there was no mention of Nazareth, PA's most famous residents: the Andretti Family.

[@TomMarvan]

There's a video here on you tube where a reporter with Mr. Andretti visits the abandoned venue

[@chrish931]

He also completely ignore its dirt USAC history when it was one of the biggest races on the schedule during the days they raced on dirt and paved ovals before the mid engine f1 style chassis takeover in IndyCar. This is a really horrible and inaccurate history lesson on Nazereth. Nazereth was always a USAC and IndyCar first venue back in the Day and its paving and overhaul was for CART/ IndyCar not NASCAR. IndyCar was still more popular than NASCAR when they reopened the track.

[@brandonin_ny]

And Martin Guitar

[@PockyFiend]

You'd think the Andrettis would have bought it and rebuilt it at least for a test track.

[@cooperparts]

Penske tested Mercedes for the Indy the year they dominated

[@JackMoynihanOfficial]

Honestly you could do a whole season on just Nascar tracks, being here in NC we have a lot of Nascar history floating around without a lot of people knowing

[@Coolsomeone234]

This could help bright suns films following as well

[@landoflogic107]

North Carolina State Fair Grounds Speedway baby!

[@wvusmc]

I miss going to Rockingham.

[@lskiller1903]

Yeah it's a big secret!!! But NASCAR has a little history here in NC. It's been the damn epicenter of NASCAR racing since the beginning!!!! Wonder why they put the NASCAR hall of fame here???

[@roymcdougall4296]

Jack Moynihan NEED MORE SHORT TRACKS, BIG TRACKS ARE TOO BORING AND FALL ASLEEP TRYING TO WATCH THEM

[@dcaseng]

Nazareth, North Wilkesboro and Rockingham were some of the best tracks ever. They had unique layouts that provided great racing, and it's not surprising that their departure and replacement with cookie cutter tracks with oversized grandstands has led to a drop in attendance. These tracks had more than just history, they had character.

[@harnesshouse]

Interestingly enough, the Nashville Superspeedway (where Nazareth's IRL race was moved to), shut down after the 2011 season.

[@krav3519]

Aren't they bringing NASCAR back to Nashville? Thought I read that a month or so ago. No big deal, when NASCAR switches to hybrids, it will be RIP.

[@bmstylee]

@@krav3519 NASCAR can't fill Bristol. It's already Rip

[@Quintinohthree]

@@krav3519 If I remember correctly, it's the fairgrounds speedway that was involved, not the superspeedway.

[@LSTNSCRFN]

Bill Williams the super speedway was torn down and is now farm land however the Motor Speedway Corporation bought the fairgrounds track and is going to renovate it and put it back on one of the series schedule

[@EvertGuzman]

@@krav3519 Maybe not

[@kylecriscuolo9535]

Ive seen many races there when I was a kid. It was such a great experience. Parking in the grass lots, the smell of stale beer and cigarettes as you walk under the grandstands. You knew a race was that weekend when you could hear them practice just a few miles away. It was a big deal for such a small town. Wouldnt be surprised if they turn it into a distribution center as they have done with just about every piece of land in the Lehigh Valley

[@ianbrewer_91]

Hey jake if you’re looking for a similar story, look up “Texas World Speedway” in College Station, Texas. It’s one of the few 2 mile ovals in the world and its been totally abandoned because of hurricane Harvey. It’s used to store flooded cars in now I believe. Used to host Cart, IRL, and NASCAR races. Love your channel!

[@DudeWithThePoop]

Christmas 2006. My uncle gave me a PC game and a Logitech USB wheel/pedals as a gift. The game was NASCAR SimRacing (aka NASCAR 05: Chase for the Cup). One of the tracks featured in that game was Nazareth, which later became one of my favorites. You could easily tell that the track's aesthetics had a lot of IndyCar influence with the red & yellow grandstands, the rumble strips in the turns, the catch fencing curved over the track and the Air Products bridge over Turn 1. When I started watching NASCAR in 2008, I couldn't help but notice that Nazareth was missing from the NNS schedule. I just assumed the track had closed due to slumping ticket sales but still continued to host other events. Ah well, no biggie. It wasn't until two or three years later I discovered what really happened to the track. I loved to watch old NASCAR races when I had a lot more time on my hands, but it's always pained me to watch any sort of Busch Nazareth race. Watching a Nazareth race for a few minutes has a hell of a lot more action than sitting through a race at Iowa Speedway. The track was very unique, but for some bullshit reason it's always the cool tracks (the ones that the Cup series won't touch with a ten-foot pole) that always have to die. It's times like these that make me glad that the Gateway Motorsports Park got a second chance. It hosted lots of Busch & Truck races in the late 90s and 2000s, until the track closed in 2010. It sat abandoned for four years until the Truck Series returned in 2014, and IndyCar returned in 2016.

[@sbblakey]

Busch Series has never been the mainstream NASCAR series. This was an IndyCar track first and foremost. USAC into CART into IRL Edit: How could Roger Penske's name be left out?

[@LRKarts33]

It's a secondary series so its very big

[@eliteflite8395]

sbblakey777 Someone who watches this vid who knows nothing about racing will think NASCAR and IndyCar are the same thing lol

[@sbblakey]

@@LRKarts33 Not even close to IndyCar in the 90s. Made it sound like they were the ultimate goal. LOL

[@AmsterdamHeavy]

To me it will always been the monster dirt tri-oval that was nazareth national. Better track than Syracuse was.

[@LRKarts33]

@@sbblakey um I'm talking about nascar not indy

[@mattkaustickomments]

Place would be perfect for the Andrettis to run a high-speed driving school and family/local racing museum.

[@dannysdailys]

Yeah, but not for 18 million dollars. I was worth farm land.

[@mattkaustickomments]

@Stellvia Hoenheim ...I’m not sure if you’re joking or not... but I’ll answer anyway. World-famous driver Mario Andretti & family from Nazareth,PA. Dude only won The Indy 500, the Daytona 500, AND a Formula One World Championship...

[@Jenna08848]

I believe, Roger Penske, Paul Newman and the Andretti's were partners there many years ago

[@cdd4248]

I would go for a "refresher"driving course. Great Idea!

[@whatincarnation95]

A track like this is so unique and interesting. I wish I got to see a race on it, wether on TV or in person, wether it be a NASCAR or Indycar event. Being a younger motorsports fan is kinda sad knowing these legendary places might never see tire rubber on them again.

[@FloridaManRacer]

Luckily many youtubers have uploaded classic races in full. You can find many NASCAR and indycar races from Nazareth. Even the old DIRT on Asphalt modified series has a race (low quality footage) uploaded. Search them out. You'll enjoy yourself.

[@LRKarts33]

I see what in carnation found this pretty fast you seem to be everywhere

[@brodycooper1950]

Ah yes. Derp Mcqueen

[@CharlesB9496]

It had such a unique layout, like if a mile 1/2, Indy and pocono had a 3some! And not to mention that kink coming to the s/f line

[@LSTNSCRFN]

Eeyyyyy Carnation is a BSF Fan!!!

[@lloydmoyer15]

This track is about a half hour away from me and its heartbreaking seeing it the way it is now. Wish it was never taken away from us. I was fortunate as a kid to go there a few times to see the Nascar modifieds Busch series and indy cars. Thank you for keeping the history of this place alive!

[@singletona082]

'A hot spot for arson.' I see what you did there.

[@Red_Lanterns_Rage]

it's not arson, it's a surprise campfire....

[@topnep548]

Those guys gotta _chill_

[@Red_Lanterns_Rage]

@@topnep548 but it's cold at night dawg....how's a homeless person gonna warm up on such cold nights yo? lolz gods, 90's urban lingo is so bad...

[@amodernphoenix]

@@Red_Lanterns_Rage There was one small fire, set by a couple kids screwing around. Not exactly a "Hot spot."

[@Red_Lanterns_Rage]

@@amodernphoenix I wouldn't know, i don't live there....plus i was joking.... come on surprise campfire? hobo's keeping warm on a cold night?? ugh it's humor/sarcasm the real crime is sarcasm doesn't seem to survive text...

[@Kaptain.Obvious]

Saw Santana in concert there in early 70’s. There was a fire in a utility building behind the grandstands which killed the power. No lights, no electric guitars, no keyboards 9and no refund). They set up temp lighting and played about an hour of all acoustic sets. They were fantastic. Never forget it.

[@cdd4248]

Great Story!

[@Brad772006]

The photo at 9:41 really puts things into perspective on just how big the events at this track were. I have noticed that more abandoned tracks are getting into the spotlight lately on youtube. To this I am thankful, but also it is bittersweet to remember those racing times which are now gone but not forgotten.

[@StevieWonder737]

Richard Conole was a prime mover behind the development of Pocono International. He was VP, Chairman, CFO and director over the period 1964-1974. Upon the sale of Pocono, he moved to Texas where he purchased the Texas World Speedway out of bankruptcy from Japanese investors. He owned TWS until his death in 2007. His wife, Sharon, had little to no interest in the track and she immediately sold it into a partnership which began to develop it into a residential community. In its heyday, TWS hosted NASCAR, IndyCar, the original IMSA along with Porsche Club, BMW Club, SCCA and Corinthian Vintage racing programs. It was Texas's only true road course for sports car racing until smaller and less impressive private "club" tracks appeared in Cresson and the Houston area. Richard was a brilliant, funny and wonderful man. I worked with him closely managing racing schools and various track events up to his death. I miss him and I miss TWS.

[@CitySlicker34]

I liked and commented before watching the damm thing, us NASCAR fans loved your vid on North Wilkesboro, and love this, before ever watching it.

[@duster0669]

This track was a staple on the CART schedule. I looked forward to it every year.

[@kartchamp47]

Dude never clicked so early. Thank you so much for taking the time to look into one of my favorite abandoned race tracks. Loved when you did North Wilkesboro as well. Thanks again dude, your channel is one of my favorites and always has amazing content.

[@TheMcIke]

I'm a local (mom grew up 3 miles away and I used to help my grandmother grocery shop at the [now] Giant next door to the track). I loved having the track there as a fan of IndyCar. I attended every CART, ChampCar, and IRL (collectively, IndyCar) race from 1987 until they stopped in 2004 (including the make-up race for the one that was SNOWED OUT!)... It was a great "roval" course for the open-wheel cars with fast action and great passing opportunities. The best part of being local was (1) we got to know someone who's house was on the entrance to one of the gates and we'd park at her house on race day, and (2) we knew the back roads out of town after the race... It was sad when a track where the Andretti's could wake up on race day in their own homes left the series... As for plans, the Jaindl (pronounced "JAN-dl") family hasn't done anything with the property in the 4-years since this video... I'd love to see the track turned into cycling/running/walking track for public use, with the infield turned into a sports area (ubiquitous soccer fields...)... sadly, I suspect it will end up just like a lot of Jaindl owned land: a few warehouses...

[@catgirl_eva]

Auto polo sounds like something that would have been done on Top Gear.

[@luciusvorenus9445]

Or "Jackass"

[@largol33t1]

Well, they did try something like that on the UK version. They tried using cars to kick around a massive soccer ball.

[@gabsnandes7818]

Ery noice

[@felixleiter9123]

@@largol33t1 toyota aigo Football. classic

[@Falicity345]

That would suck if the polo somehow got stuck in a car or hit a person (on or off the track) at such high speed

[@katmorrison6078]

Ok I'm obviously late to this party posting a year later but it's so nice to see someone talking about my family's town. My mom's entire family is from Nazareth PA and I spent most of my summers and Christmases there as a child. My grandparents lived on Main St, only a few houses away from the canon in the central circle. I remember going to this race track several times as a small child though I was fairly little so I can't even tell you what events I was there for, if any. It's possible I was only there to watch racers practicing. We definitely have pictures though from about 1960 (from my grandparents) on upward through the early 2000s (when I went). I don't 100% have my facts straight but I know one of the reasons the Nazareth Speedway was so popular was because the Andrettis are from Nazareth. My mom actually went to high school with Michael Andretti who was several grades ahead of her. I think Marco, the youngest Andretti and current IndyCar racer, still lives in Nazareth as well. And well, Mario Andretti is a very famous name in the world of IndyCar. I don't 100% know if the Andrettis had some sort of financial stake in the track or if they just raced there but either way, they were there. It's a real shame that they've left the speedway to rot like it is. My grandpa brings it up sometimes and says he wishes someone would bring it back. The last time I saw it was probably in 2011 as I now live in Indianapolis (small world, I'm now living near the Indianapolis Motor Speedway!) so I'm sad to see it looking even more overgrown.

[@jacobweiss6219]

I was taking a look at the Lehigh Valley region the other day when I came across the abandoned track, and made me wonder what it used to be. I don’t live far from the Valley, just over the border in Hunterdon County, NJ You should do A&P next episode, it’s was a great northeast supermarket...

[@mduff94]

I live in Hillsborough. Hey neighbor!

[@adamwajdenfeld2835]

Michael Duffek used to tow cars to the Copart there 5-6 times a day :) I’m in west Essex. Hi sort of neighbor

[@ap70621]

I would love an A&P episode. I worked for them for many years and closed the West Milford, NJ location in 2015.

[@jamesdb7115]

That'd be great. Use to work for them for almost 10 years for one of their umbrella stores, Superfresh. They closed my store in 2012, in Delaware with the Baltimore district, then the Philly district was sold off/shut down after the 2nd bankruptcy.

[@weltonvillegal6258]

There used to be a huge processing plant on Route 17 between Elmira and Big Flats, NY. The exit was even Ann Page Road. I think they leveled the plant during this decade and last time I visited the Arnot Mall, they even changed the name of the exit. Sad.

[@cratecruncher6687]

Nazarath, PA. Once a great place to find fast cars and heavenly acoustic guitars.

[@the_cheese]

I miss hearing Chris Economaki call the races. Great video, BSF team!!

[@Rooster1508]

When I was a teenager I went to Nazareth a couple of times to watch Modified racing on the short track, dirt, 1/2 mile. It was a big deal and we all loved it. Also, when I was young we had 4 paved short tracks in NJ, racing every week. Wall Stadium Sat., Old Bridge Sun., Vineland Fri. and New Egypt Thur.. They are all closed now, except for New Egypt, now dirt, that runs on Saturday night. It's sad what had happened to Modified racing.

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

Nazareth Speedway...didn't know Jesus had his own speedway

[@mahballslmao]

Avery the Cuban-American HAHA FOUND YA LENNY

[@comcfi]

Wha

[@djdeadbeat4380]

Jesus never rode into Jerusalem on a mule, he drove a NASCAR into the city

[@metropod]

Bethlehem, meanwhile, has a Sands casino.

[@nickmoore385]

Jesus built my hotrod.

[@ssmith29440]

It's been eight months since this video aired. The way things are going for Nascar, there will soon be many other abandoned tracks. Your business should really pick up covering the closing of many NASCAR tracks. Great video about Nazereth Speedway.

[@felixleiter9123]

nascar is dying from self inflicted wounds. have not watched in years

[@mr.wilson8340]

@@felixleiter9123 When Dale died, the sport started to die. It has never been the same without Earnhardt, Waltrip, Schrader, etc.

[@rileybennett24942]

As of now there trying to kill off 1 and a half mile tracks and add short tracks and road courses places like texas motor speedway the track mentioned is doomed fans hate it, it's only a matter of time until they replace it with a rebuilt Rockingham or Nashville fairgrounds which there fixing right now

[@ColeslawCustard]

Ratings have stabilized

[@alwade24]

Rumors floating around that Chicagoland speedway is going to be sold, demolished, and warehouses and fulfillment centers put in. Sad to see, only 20 years old at this point!

[@patrickg7569]

I live right outside Nazareth. Drive by there all the time. A shame it just sits idol but I guess thats better than seeing more warehouses or something being built. The Lehigh valley is a large distribution hub. I was there last around 03 for a truck show. Great video!

[@georei]

I remember being at the last Busch race here, and when I got home, Todd Bodine was saying how happy this was the last race at Nazareth. He complained about how the track was designed. I thought it was a good design to test the drivers ability.

[@FurryWrecker911]

It was one of my favorite tracks in the NASCAR 2005 game I had growing up because it was so short that you could rip though lap after lap. Broke my heart when I discovered earlier this year that I'd been abandoned since. I had no idea.

[@VX1_l]

I still play 2005 on Mac, love this track

[@kodakai]

It's amazing! I have lived here my whole life and I have had no idea about any of this existing!!!

[@geekf1]

Scot Dixon won there as a rookie in the 2001 C.A.R.T season. As a racing fan this was really interesting (and kinda sad) to watch.

[@aawil24]

I was at that race, it was the first and only race I saw there. Got to see Zanardi race before his horrific accident later in the year.

[@brianc1651]

The IndyCar list of winners there is actually amazing. Scott Sharp is really the only non elite winner.

[@isabelledara8216]

As a Nazareth native, I am so surprised that you ever did a video on this, whenever I'm at college in Central PA, the people there don't even know what it is. It was awesome to learn more about this hometown abandoned attraction 😊

[@Gipp7_0923]

Location:*gets abandoned* People: So basically fire.

[@roshaunkerdzaliev505]

I remember selling race programs for the Nazareth HS Band when the races were on during the summer. We were super competitive with each other as to who could sell the most programs at each event.

[@ZacSaleski]

I’m not a even a fan of nascar by any stretch but I love the history of these former tracks they’re so good

[@DammitAbby82]

Nazareth was one of my favorites growing up! Thanks for this video. I have lots of memories at this place!

[@virgilwyatt4632]

This is sad. I remembered when IRL, formerly known as CART, used to race there. I think I watched their final race there. I think it was announced that a shopping center would be built on the site. I was crazy about racing at this facility (on television) because of the elevation changes in such a short distance. It was a fun track and very fast, like watching slot cars. I would love to see this track make some type of comeback, even if it meant the fans had to bring their seating and picnic food. Logistically, the new track (officials?) would still have to supply restroom facilities, but that would probably be just a small price to ask for in order to return this track to some form of racing.

[@caelroighblunt1956]

Nazareth, as I remember it, was really more an open wheel (CART/IRL) facility.

[@caseybottiger4090]

I’m a Nazareth native. :) Grew up not too far from where Mario Andretti lives. I this is really cool to see you do this one, Jake. I went to the speedway to see a monster truck rally when I was really young, sadly I can’t pinpoint exactly what year but it was shortly before it shut down permanently.

[@shadowofearth3506]

Fun fact, I actually live in nazareth. I flew a drone over this exact speedway and took pictures. I always wanted to go in that track but i never had much of a chance to.

[@cardinaloflannagancr8929]

Nascar should have kept tracks like this when it had character and the cars didn't just have arbitrary names. Having nothing to do with the cars their "based on" aka stickers on the fiberglass shell. It now has gigantic facilities with as much character as a drop of water and cars that resemble nothing but each other. All the same weight, aerodynamics, power etc.. Might as well call them Boeing, Lockhead or CAT instead of Chevy, Ford, Toyota for as much as they resemble their namesakes.

[@joshbarth9469]

They still race real cars at dirt tracks. They could use your support more than the dorks at nascar anyway.

[@jamesdb7115]

Well that's the evolution it took, beginning in the mid 80s, blame the manufacturers who pushed that, especially those aero bubble kings in the 00s. ISMA is the as real as it gets to professional level "stock car." Why doesn't the folks who scream that that, watch isma?

[@Elementl19]

I live so close to this place and NEVER knew it existed...wow. Thanks for sharing!!

[@GraySpeedProductions]

It's a shame that the track is left like that, it's a piece of history.

[@jamesdb7115]

@diascrive diascrive Nascar going broke? Just bought ISC tracks, Arca, owns ISMA. Yeah ok. Once they start shut down the Trucks or merge k&n and arca into 1 series, to cut costs, then I'll believe it.

[@pokepat4433]

Apparently Team Penske tested their (at the time) secret Mercedes-Benz 500i Pushrod engine at this track in preparation for its use in the 1994 Indy 500. Mario Andretti who I think lived there in Nazareth around the same time reported a "strange sound" coming from the track which was probably the 500i.

[@brentpeterson5526]

Incredible how quickly nature reclaims things.

[@Mike1614YT]

tell that to Algore

[@buddysmom1000]

I live about 30 minutes away from Nazareth & just last week my sister-in-law took a day trip to Nazareth to check it out. It's so sad what it's become. Love your videos!

[@brianhiedeman864]

This track was a favorite of mine in old NASCAR video games.

[@yonkonkeroo82]

That car at 2:15 was built by grandfather, Lucky Jordan. Frank Schneider was his main driver! It's really cool to see some of that history, as there's not that many pictures of his cars that I can find. I never got to meet my grandfather, unfortunately, but it's cool to see these pictures. It's really sad to see the track go to ruin. It's such an important part of racing history.

[@lumberc]

Whenever you do an abandoned video about a racetrack you make me super sad smh but I’m also excited 😳😳

[@avrinrose5457]

In my fictional world, this place never gets abandoned and still operates

[@lynutermark1454]

I remember being there in the 80's years ago while visiting my mother in law

[@111highgh]

You have so many grammatical errors, I don't know where to begin.

[@lynutermark1454]

@@111highgh ha ha ha ha

[@111highgh]

I rule.

[@lynutermark1454]

@@111highgh God forbid, we end up in grammar hell....

[@cohedash]

Used to race at Nazareth playing NASCAR 07 and it was tough but fun track.

[@ParkerDigital02]

As several others have mentioned here, Nazareth Speedway was first and foremost an Indycar track. NASCAR never raced here, their ladder series did. When this track was in its heyday, Indycar was the pinnacle of American racing. In fact, the shot you show at 9:45 with packed grandstands is in fact an Indycar race. I appreciate what you attempted here but any story about the history of Nazareth without any mention of the names Andretti and Penske is poorly researched.

[@alansmith7626]

one should remember this guy is Not a race fan, he is just doing his Abandoned series. That being said, he should have done a bit more research, may have opened some eyes or at less educated some folks,and I bet he would have gotten a lot more sharing of this vid

[@markchristy9704]

You have a great knack for telling the story of a place in a compelling way concisely. Thanks for turning out great videos!

[@Romax-pg2is]

Probably the next place for S1apSh0es on location, after North Wilkesboro

[@BigBlack81]

I can only hope, and I'm glad to know I'm not alone.

[@terrymoser9025]

I miss that track. I have seen the Indy cars there, the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series and the NASCAR Truck Series races.

[@alexandergrube6437]

I live five minutes from this place so I was pretty exited when you posted this lol

[@markingatlightspeed]

Hell yeah a fellow Lehigh Valleyian! I feel this. I live in Easton; my aunt used to live on 191 right across from the speedway and it was so loud on race days. Super cool to see a local place here, even if it is for sad reasons. It does suck how many empty buildings and places there are around here, while they keep selling off farms to build those nasty industrial parks and shipping hubs. :(

[@rstine841]

@@markingatlightspeed Hello Lehigh valley! (Allentown)

[@terrencekuhns4498]

@Bill Williams "Famous" is a relative term. "Allentown" is not the most flattering song, though it was certainly true at the time it was written. Luckily, the area has really turned around in the last 20 years, and is growing quickly. (For the record, I'm a "tweener" that lives just outside the range of both the LV and Philly suburbs. I had no idea these guys were gonna be in the area, or I would have offered assistance!)

[@Red_Lanterns_Rage]

I live likely 500 miles away lolz smartass pointless comment quota now reached pfew.....

[@alexandergrube6437]

@@Red_Lanterns_Rage you could have just kept your mouth shut and not say anything if you didn't like the comment

[@themagus5906]

I remember in the mid-80's a motorhead that I worked with built an "Enduro" car that we raced on the dirt track there. I was one of two guys that made up his pit crew. Enduro races were sort of like demolition derby cars, but racing around the track for a certain number of laps instead of deliberately (?) bashing each other up. I have some VHS home movies of our races that I need to get digitized someday soon. It was certainly a lot of fun.

[@m4catky]

I feel old having watched races at this track on TV and I'm still in my 20's. Now there's a video of it being abandoned.

[@whac1c]

Some points that were left out: -Mario Andretti grew up racing in Nazareth on the small dirt oval. -Roger Penske, owner of Penske Truck Rental, Team Penske, and at the time other various racing tracks, had purchased the track and brought the widely popular CART Racing Series (otherwise known as IndyCar) to the track in the 80s. -Penske's racetrack venture merged with ISC in 1999, marking the beginning of the end for those tracks. -ISC is owned by the same family that owns NASCAR, and has just recently merged with NASCAR.

[@m4catky]

Can now add the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Indy Car series to his list as of this week.

[@CR7659]

There was a period where the open wheel guys had a disagreement and split up into two series, CART and the IRL. They were two different, but somewhat similar things.

[@whac1c]

@@CR7659 since they merged in 2008 the sanctioning body, IndyCar, honors both CART/ChampCar, and IRL/IndyCar history, so I just left it as IndyCar, as when it came to Nazareth in the 80s it was the IndyCar World Series.

[@tbonedistortion]

I live like 10 minutes from here. Wish it was still open.

[@tomlester5291]

This was an awesome track. My brother and I went there for the IndyCar race many years and they put on a great show with 19 sec. laptimes and a lot of passing. One of the cool things was the elevation change on the backstretch that made it so you had a decent view of things even from the grandstands, which were all along the front tri-oval area. The only issue was PA weather. They moved the IndyCar race from Fall to Spring because of weather concerns but in 2000, we drove about 300 miles to the race but as we got closer, we started seeing snow on the ground. By the time we hit Lower Nazareth Township, we were seeing a ton of cars going in the other direction while we weren't encountering any going towards the race. The race was postponed and re-scheduled for June, at which time Gil de Ferran scored Roger Penske's 100th win. As I recall, Helio castroneves had a nasty accident coming out of Turn 1 going towards the bridge that crossed the track. I don't which I miss more, Nazareth or Burke Lakefront in Cleveland.

[@lenniusgato3270]

Pocono raceway: I’m gonna end this mans whole career

[@Murph_.]

I remember Frankie Schneider. He had a Mustang body at one time with an X, so instead of the usual 2, he was 2x. What a great racer! Saw him mostly at East Windsor... which is also defunct now :(

[@Ryeblue]

Actually before 00s, IndyCar was more famous than NASCAR, most of ovals(including this one), was made for IndyCar at first

[@cee128d]

Up to the IRL/CART split after 1995. Once Tony George and the IRL came along, not so much.

[@Ryeblue]

@@cee128d yep pretty much

[@Ryeblue]

@chakragoddess they were big time, but the IndyCar split, pretty killed it, the best drivers want race where the money is it, aka NASCAR, because the sponsors wanted go to highest attendance and tv ratings, because of the split, the fans want to NASCAR, so sponsors want too.

[@eliteflite8395]

chakragoddess The late 90s was right in the middle of the IndyCar split. That’s when NASCAR overtook IndyCar as the most popular motorsport

[@bmstylee]

@@eliteflite8395 and NASCAR is a dying item. Stupid race and championship format, boring drivers, a bunch of bland 1.5 mile tracks and spec cars for all intents and purposes. The only thing more boring is the F1 season this year.

[@willnorwood3686]

Really miss this track loved to race on it the heavy breaking in three the long tri oval front stretch and it being a flat track made it perfect for nascar wish what happened to north wilksboro would happen to it

[@DJReflect]

In my backyard. Thanks for covering it. Enjoyed this one a bit more than usual. Cheers

[@zgopaul]

I grew up near there as well. I was moved away when my parents retired to Florida in 81. Before the internet.

[@mikenormandy9250]

Seeing race tracks going abandoned kills me. Being a car guy and NOT having a local track where I live on Long Island (and the closest track in Englishtown, NJ get shut down recently) really breaks my heart. Us car people need a place to enjoy our hobby! Unfortunately, a lot of car enthuasists will end up racing on the streets and that only leads to BS....

[@BigBlack81]

Paging S1apshoes.

[@JandCfilms1]

That's exactly what I was thinking.

[@ShooeyMedia]

BigBlack81 we need him

[@brolutiongaming3983]

BigBlack81 I knew someone here would mention him. I also see you’re a man of culture.

[@BigBlack81]

@@brolutiongaming3983 The long line from Jon Bois is threading a path through KZbin that is stitching the world together, just a touch, in these fragmented times. S1apshoes is another step in a great forward march. I tip my hat to you, fam.

[@fishproductions22]

Nice

[@Jakeito413]

"Built and served _FOUR_ fans throughout the many decades it operated." Four fans pog.

[@radish6691]

Did he say “paven”?

[@jerryrichards4300]

I thought it was pavedd

[@DanielSanchez-og4ox]

Aboot right. Great organighzation.

[@bobpeterson4930]

No! He said pave-ed! Ha!

[@randyjones4975]

Yes he said paven 😂

[@jzzheadsplatt8070]

I think it's a dude... Pavid.

[@rickpark291]

I used to go to this track every Friday night during the summer with friends pulling a stock car with a dump truck from New Jersey. Those were the days my friend. We always came home covered with dirt.

[@ontil68]

Dude. Your voice is damn soothing and I love this series.

[@andersun16]

I pass this track every day and watched several Indy, Busch, and Truck races there. I can recall waking on a Saturday to the sounds of Indy practice. While this is a romantic look back, I always found it to be a one-groove track. Passing was difficult and usually involved stuffing it under someone in T1 or T3. Other than that it was follow the leader and hope to pass during a pitstop.

[@Jessyca283]

Damn Jake - you did it again. Great job!

[@BrightSunFilms]

Thanks Jessica!

[@slow84vette]

There is a song by rock legend Mark Knopfler titled Speedway at Nazareth. Here’s a link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rKScYpiobKaNo8k

[@scopex2749]

Really sad how a race track can just be abandoned and no one can even bother to do ANYTHING with it. Great show I decided to add you to my URBEX subs! Good Job!

[@michael88h]

I remember going to a church and the youth group's theme was called "Eternity 500" and the TVs played a race from Nazareth

[@TNrick]

In 1968 my dad and I used to go to dirt track races on the smaller dirt oval immediately adjacent to the larger track. Great racing and wonderful memories. 😃👍

[@maih9431]

Saw the word Speedway and thought this was a S1apSh0es video...

[@brodycooper1950]

Lol

[@jeffchoi]

Abandoned - Air Base Speedway

[@JadeBingus]

Jeff holy shit yes

[@Rocketman442-RC]

@@jeffchoi i live about 3 miles from where the speedway used to be. I rmemeber growing up and my gradfather talking about going there ti watch the races. Well. The only 2 they ever had

[@jeffchoi]

@@Rocketman442-RC That's pretty cool, too bad the site has been developed over. Was your grandfather in the military stationed at the nearby AFB?

[@rikspector]

Jake, My first time watching and I'm impressed how well you covered the history of the track. You really do your research! Cheers, Frederick "Rik" Spector

[@cbsfan100]

It’s amazing how quickly nature will reclaim a property unused.

[@nobelchurch4338]

I remember being 14 and enjoying this track very much in nascar 05. It is sad to see it now. Thank you very much

[@Schmittez]

There is a typo in the add end screen, you put BFS instead of BSF.

[@ChristionGirl45]

I'm from PA and you'd be amazed how much history the state holds. And how many abandon places it also holds. Both are two are of the many reasons I love living in Pennsylvania! ❤❤❤

[@legitgames4990]

I remember back when it was for sale and my dad and some of our family attempted to purchase the speedway but had their offers turned down because they refused to agree to the many terms the owners wanted such as the no racing policy

[@comanchieavonside5849]

I moved to Nazareth PA back in 2004 from New Jersey and actually got the chance to see the very last Indy car race before it closed. I'm still living here in Nazareth after 15 years and each time I pass the speedway, I just shake my head at it. Nazareth speedway should be open to the public for anyone that wants to just take their car or bike and race around it, kind of like what Pocono raceway does.

[@Posirep]

Way too NASCAR focused for a track that primarily an IndyCar track. Hell the Andretti's live in Nazareth. Also the track where in secret, Paul Tracy drove thousands of laps in the middle of winter developing the legendary Penske "Beast" Mercedes engine that destroyed the field in the '94 Indy 500. The fact they tested this engine in secret right under the Andretti's nose still cracks me up.

[@SwingAxleLover]

Yeah there was like a three foot snowdrift in the grass early on as well.

[@HyperActive7]

Watching racing on tracks like this made you feel like you were there and it was in your own backyard. I watched many a race on tv from this track and i hope someday it will host some kind of regional racing.

[@r0b3rt_959]

Please, a video on the Valencia Street Circuit

[@jimhontz7313]

The half mile track did not close when the big track opened. Race producer Jerry Fried ran both tracks simultaneously. The mile and an eighth was used for special events. The half mile ran weekly on Sundays. Nazareth National was a fantastic dirt track. It ran the first USAC big car race under the lights. Financial difficulties forced Fried to bankrupt the track in '71 but the half mile kept operating thru 1988.