Woman digs up possible piece of short-lived Carolina Beach Speedway

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Nearly 60 years ago, races at the long-gone Carolina Beach Speedway entertained thousands of spectators each weekend.

In the years after the track closed in 1967, vegetation overtook the area until a housing development replaced it.

Homeowner Kate Cherry lives on the site of the former track, and recently dug up a possible connection during yard work.

“I started saying to myself, ‘huh, where are all these bricks coming from?’,” Cherry said. “And every day I would uncover more and more and more and more bricks.”

While the track itself was sand, Cherry says she believes the bricks could’ve belonged to buildings at the speedway.

The track helped launch the NASCAR careers for several racers, including “Hoss” Ellington. Ellington died in 2014, but his 90-year-old brother “LC” says “Hoss” proved to be a natural.

“We first started we finished second, the next week we won it,” LC said. “Next week week came in second, next week we won it.”

LC says he enjoyed going to the race track and really misses those days.

“They were just good times. And it was quick,” LC said. “Any time you’re doing something good it don’t last long.”

As for if there’s more history to be discovered in Kate Cherry’s back yard, she’s optimistic they’ll find additional items.

“I don’t know, we’re still digging,” Cherry said. “We’ll find out.”

Following the closure of the Carolina Beach Speedway, another speedway held races in the Leland area until 1981.

A housing development replaced the Cape Fear Speedway in Leland, which once stood off Highway 74.