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(Photo of Raceway, Ed Schwalb Studio, Wellsville c. 1940's; Just prior to start of auto racing it is believed. A neat 1/2 mile........Wellsville, NY)
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Researched and Submitted by William A. Greene, 2006 from Andover News Articles
1950:
BASEBALL BENEFIT
AT WELLSVILLE RACEWAY
THIS SUNDAY
Sunday, November 5, will mark the grand finale for the current season of stock car racing at the Wellsville Raceway with a benefit program for the Wellsville Booster Club, an organization pledged to keep PONY league ball in Wellsville next season.
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A 40-lap feature event will climax an afternoon of thrilling races. Because of the full program, racing will start promptly at 1:30.
An unusual feature on the program will be a special match race in which six cars will make four laps of the track, slam to a stop in front of the grandstand, turn around and then complete the race by running in the opposite direction.
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STOCK CAR RACES START SUNDAY AT WELLSVILLE
The 1951 racing season gets under way Sunday, May 20, at 2;30 p. M. at. the Wellsville Race-way with a program of seven events including a 25 lap feature race.
The Atlantic Stock Car Racing Association. of Corning will be back again with many of the drivers who were track favorites last season. Included will be little Curly Hatfield of Corning, Dean Layfield, 50-lap champion of the 1950 season, unlucky “Lucky” Cornish of Elmira, Whitey Gorsuch, the Flying Dutchman of Andover and the likeable Jack Thomas of Wellsville.
The drivers will come to the Raceway with a month of racing under their belts because the Atlantic also conducts racing at Owego, N. Y., and Troy, Pa., tracks.
Although the cars will be straight stock, many new wrinkles under the heading of stock parts will be found on the cars of 1951. Raceway officials promise that the 1951 season will offer a program that will be hard to beat. Included are midget and big car races along with an auto thrill show.
6/21/1951
STOCK CAR RACES BANNED IN WELLSVILLE
Stock car races in Wellsville were prohibited on order of Mayor Martin, acting on orders from the District Attorney, Allen Mapes, this week.
The races are reported to have been ruled a nuisance on the complaint of a woman living near the track.
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7/12/1951
Stock Car Races
At Wellsville
Saturday Night
Miles Gorsuch and Robert Mitchell of Andover are expected to be among the 50 drivers who will enter stock cars in the first night racing card scheduled at the Wellsville Raceway on Saturday night of this week.
Closed since June 10 when the directors of the raceway voluntarily closed their track in compliance of the much disputed Blue Laws prohibiting Sunday racing, the fast Wellsville track has been equipped with flood-lights Which will make it possible to race at night.
Installed at considerable expense, the floodlights will illuminate the track with a total of over 51,000 watts which engineers promise will be adequate light for excellent vision on the part of drivers and spectators alike.
It has also been revealed that the Atlantic Stock Car Association, with whom the raceway has an agreement, has opened racing to "modified stocks” which means that faster cars will be appearing at the Wellsville track. According to an authoritative source modified stock cars may be equipped with high lift cams, motor block may be bored out and other alterations made to improve speed.
The Saturday night program will include a total of seven races, with a 20 lap feature race topping the evening's entertainment. Starting time is 8:00 o'clock.
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7/19/1951
STOCK CAR RACING
AT WELLSVILLE
SATURDAY NIGHT
With an obstacle race as an added feature attraction, area stock car drivers will .compete in the second night racing card at the Wellsville Raceway, Wellsville, on Saturday night of this week.
The track, which is reputed to be the fastest and best lighted oval in Western New York State, has been opened to modified stock cars and times of heats, semi-finals and of the feature 20-lap race were exceptionally fast as records for eight, 12 and 20 laps fell to heavy-footed drivers when night racing was inaugurated last Saturday night.
Dean. Sprague, Wellsville,, in a souped-up Ford, lowered' the 20-lap record to 11 minutes; five seconds, while hitting an average of 54 miles per hour as he liter-ally walked away with the night-cap. The former record was held by Dean Layfield, also of Wellsville.
A new eight-lap record was set by George Egbert, Scio, at 4:30, compared with a previous 4:36 time. He came back in a semi-final heat to knock Curly Hatfield' 7:07.2 record for 12 laps down to 6:58.2.
Next Saturday night in addition ,to a scheduled seven events, a special obstacle race will be staged in which bales of hay will liberally sprinkled around the track and which drivers will at-tempt to dodge as they challege each other for the checker flag. This attraction has been used in the west and mid-west and has proven to be thrill-packed from start to finish.
It has also been announced that a drawing will be made Saturday night with the winner to be given the thrill of a driver's view of the track as he, or she, co-pilots Miles "Whitey" Gorsuch on a two-lap ride around the oval.
Starting time Saturday night is eight o'clock.
Miles Gorsuch and “Bob” Mitchell of Andover both finished in the money Saturday night, Gorsuch a second place and Mitchell in a fourth.
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7/28/1951
KNOXVILLE DRIVER
WINS AT WELLSVILLE
Loren Doan of Knoxville, in his yellow and black Hudson, walked away with the honors at the Wellsville Raceway Saturday night as he flashed to a first place in the feature race and annexed second place in the heat and semi-final races.
Although he picked up 13 points in standings, Doan still trails Dean Layfield by 13 points. Layfield added nine points to this previous total of 38 to remain seven points ahead of his nearest rival, George Egbert of Scio.
The Canaseraga Central School band opened a six-week band competition which is being sponsored by the Raceway and were impressive in their green and white uniforms. Prior to the races they presented a 15-minute program in front of the grandstand and then played during the races.
Raceway officials have announced that the Potter County Pamona Grange Band, composed of musicians from the Cowanesque Valley, would be on hand this Saturday night to entertain racing fans. The Grange Band is reported to be one of the best organizations in Northern Pennsylvania and are expected to offer real competition to other bands in the contest.
Jack Brownell, Wellsville, furnished the thrill of the night when he ran his red and yellow Ford coupe through the crash rail, and apparently only slightly slowed down, knocked a hole in the fence and disappeared. Uninjured, Brownell said tht he would be back in this week with a new car.
The semi-annual championship race which is scheduled to be held a week from Saturday night, is expected to bring the tops in stock car racing.
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