Dorney Park Speedway | Pennsylvania's Lost Speedways

[@MetzBanditCam]

My dad took me there several times in the 80’s as a kid. I was around 10 years old. Thanks for taking me down memory lane. Dad passed away in the fall of ‘23. ❤

[@jimhontz7313]

Dorney was a fifth mile flat track. I managed the track for Jerry Fried from 1970 thru 1981. It had a great group of Sportsman and Late Model competitors that made Dorney their regular weekly track. The competition was tough. The fans were loyal. It was a shame that the track was closed in '86. The new Dorney Park owners knew that building rides on the real estate would be more profitable than a race track that ran maybe 25 times a year.

[@randylyons7244]

There was a 1/4 midget track in side, I won my first race there in 1958 ! I also was helping Fred Heydenrich with his offy roaster midget when he race there.also Lou Heller had a driving school there.one of his graduation was Eddie Sacks!

[@johndoran3274]

I remember seeing the Hell Drivers there in the ‘70s. Really nice place to watch modifieds on blacktop.

[@rayisland23]

Have not been back since the track was taken out.

[@christophercurry7410]

My Dad built stock cars and raced for a few years at Dorney Park Speedway. Jerry Curry of Gene & Frank’s Auto Body in Allentown.

[@christophercurry7410]

Thanks Joe

[@georgew.5639]

Wow! I didn’t even know about the merger of cedar fair and six flags until now. I very much remember the Dorney park speedway. I was never there for the racing, but I remember it well. I grew up going to Grandview speedway. But I would’ve enjoyed going to Dorney too. 😊

[@kurtfoulke5130]

The grandstand @ 3.00 looks like the Allentown Fairgrounds

[@kurtfoulke5130]

They didn't make it easy for the Formula 1 world champ's nephew. John did it on his own 👍

[@kylepurks9654]

Thank you...I enjoy your videos

[@joedonohue947]

Glad you enjoyed it! Happy to share the content :)

[@jameswisser3637]

The promoters name is pronounced freed, not fryed.

[@johndoran3274]

And he was a crook, just ask anyone who went to get paid for placing in a race that he ran.

[@mccromags]

Thanks for the video, I never knew they had a track. Cool history, too bad all the tracks gone. It pains me to see how short track racing is dying. Do you know where to find info on beach lake/ van gorders raceway in beach lake pa. Closed some time in the 60’s, you can still see the banks of the track but everything else is gone. Riverside park in Massachusetts also had racetrack till 10 or so years ago. I Got to race there once.

[@joedonohue947]

I've heard of both those tracks, a friend of mine in Massachusetts has talked about Riverside Park and Van Gorder's is in my big book of PA's race tracks. Maybe one of these days I'll put it in the rotation of these videos :)

[@mccromags]

Thanks that would be great!Riverside was nice, it was a big 1/4 steep banks, had the amusement park on one side the river on the other. We really enjoyed racing there, but it was a long haul.

[@caseybwomp]

my grandfather was a late model driver at dorney park in the mid 70,

[@johnfowler6600]

How about doing a short one on Hatfield speed way a 1/8 dirt track that was operated in the the early 60's till being closed because it bothered local dairy cows forcing drivers to go to Grandview to race.

[@bashclassof04]

Mario Andretti raced there in the 60s

[@georgew.5639]

Don’t forget that there were well known race tracks in Hatfield and Langhorne, Pa. 😊

[@JamesBowles-e6k]

They raced at the Allentown fairgrounds

[@daveboyer7730]

Cool!

[@1761Charlie]

Jerry Fried . . . who also promoted the half-mile track at Nazareth . . . pronounced his name FREED! Not like the potatoes you get at McDonald's.

[@donwendell7923]

Tiny track..Straightaway was 10 ft.

[@richbuczek9649]

Took my wife on our first date at the racetrack 1986

[@robertbrowniii5459]

Mom was hit by a tire in the stands there

[@KristineHrabina]

If you are talking about Dorney Park DO NOT show Williams Grove!

[@russellcurrie6099]

The sprint car clips at the beginning were from Port Royal.

[@russellcurrie6099]

The clip at the end is Williams Grove taken from the backstretch bridge

[@ItsDaPlumber]

It's a place in Bristol Connecticut that has been opened since the early 1800s. I don't think this place is the oldest open amusement park.

[@boboren8246]

Let's back when dorney Park was a great Park then they destroyed the whole park when they made it bigger it's a shame what they did to it it was all about money

[@stevehoffmaster3361]

Went there once it was a real bullring .

[@stevehoffmaster3361]

Went there once, it was a bullring