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  • 21 Aug, 2019

  • By, Wikipedia

Uniontown Speedway

Uniontown Speedway was a wooden board track in Hopwood, near Uniontown, Pennsylvania. The track was built in 1916, after the Summit Mountain Hill Climbs were outlawed, and held its final race in June 1922. The May/June race was known as the Universal Trophy, so named because Carl Laemmle, president of Universal Films, had sponsored the $3,000, solid silver trophy. Laemmle's company filmed each race, playing them at local theaters. Two National Championship races were held at Uniontown, in 1921 and 1922.

History

Motorsport was extremely dangerous in the days of the board tracks, but the inaugural race at Uniontown on December 2, 1916 was an especially bloody event, even for the standards of the day. Two were killed (a driver and his riding mechanic) during practice a few days prior, and five (two spectators and three participants) died during the race.

A second Uniontown Speedway, adjacent to the original site, was active in 1946, as a half-mile (.805 km) dirt track. It held a National Championship-level sprint car race won by Ted Horn.

AAA Championship Car results

Non-championship races in italics

Year Date Winner Car
1916 December 2 United States Louis Chevrolet Frontenac
1917 May 10 United States William Taylor Stutz-Wisconsin
September 3 United States Frank Elliott Delage
October 29 United States Eddie Hearne Duesenberg
1918 May 16 United States Ralph Mulford Frontenac
July 18 United States Louis Chevrolet Frontenac
September 2 United States Ralph Mulford Frontenac
1919 May 19 United States Tommy Milton Duesenberg
July 19 United States Tommy Milton Duesenberg
September 1 United States Gaston Chevrolet / United States Joe Boyer Frontenac
1920 June 19 United States Tommy Milton Duesenberg
September 6 United States Tommy Milton Duesenberg
1921 June 18 United States Roscoe Sarles Duesenberg
September 5 United States I. P. Fetterman Duesenberg
1922 June 17 United States Jimmy Murphy Duesenberg-Miller
^A Shared drive
Year Date Winner Car
1946 August 25 United States Ted Horn Horn-Offy

See also