Virginia Bergen Troeger

The Woodbridge Speedway - 1927-1938

“The World’s Fastest Half-Mile Race Track” • Virginia Bergen Troeger • GardenStateLegacy.com Issue 10 • December 2010

On Sundays, May throughSeptember, from 1927through 1938, thrill-seeking

crowds packed the stands of“The World's Fastest Half-MileRace Track” on St. George'sAvenue in Woodbridge, NewJersey. The speedway was locatedon the site of the presentWoodbridge High School. WilbertBaine, a speedway developer,built the track, Ralph A,Hankinson of Woodcliffe Lakeserved as general manager andJoe Heller as promoter. The raceswere conducted under the rulesand sanctions of the Garden StateAuto Racing Association.

Spectators came to watchwell-known race car

d r i v e r s

from throughout the country com-pete for faster and faster speeds.During its years of operation, theSpeedway was considered a prov-ing ground for the early drivers ofone-seat cars with superchargedengines. These drivers also testedauto parts for possible use in newmodels they were designing.

The excitement of the raceswas intense and the noise ear-splitting. Without mufflers, therelentless roar of the engines,driven as fast as possible, couldbe heard as far as the corner ofMain Street and Amboy Avenue indowntown Woodbridge.

At first the track was con-structed of wooden boards, animportant feature of this erabetween 1910 and the early 1930s,a time often described as the

“golden age of

American car racing.” A boardtrack was composed of thousandsof wooden planks set on edgewith steeply banked turns. Theturns on the Woodbridge trackwere banked at 38 degrees.

The first board track was builtin California in 1910 and, tenyears later, there were boardtracks all over the country. Home-grown cars with outside gear andbrake levers were the popularautos racing on these banked ovalcircuits. This type of track, how-ever, was difficult and expensiveto maintain.

In May 1930 the notoriousspeed demon Barney Oldfieldwas a featured driver, and in 1931Fred Frame drove a Duesenbergat the track and drove the samecar at the Indianapolis Speedwaylater that year. Such cars as theFronty Special, Vance Special,

Miller Majestic Special,Mickey Mouse

“The World’s Fastest Half-Mile Race Track” • Virginia Bergen Troeger • GardenStateLegacy.com Issue 10 • December 2010

Special, and Tee Lynn Ambler torearound the track in the best oftimes, but several well-knowndrivers, including Johnny Rohrer(1929), Bob Robinson (1930),Bernie Katz (1931), and FredFarmer (1932) lost their lives atWoodbridge.

On July 27, 1930 BobRobinson had just triumphed intwo races before his tragic crash.He and Rick Decker from StatenIsland, New York were vying forfirst place when Decker's car blewa front tire forcing Robinson upagainst the outer guardrail whichthen collapsed. Still in his car,Robinson was thrown over thestands hitting a tree outside thetrack. Some years later, anotheraccount of Robinson's accidentwas released. It stated that Deckerwas suddenly stung by a beewhich caused him to swerve intoRobinson who hit the frail oldwooden guard rail circling thetrack. After the accident the man-agement installed a strong steelcable around the perimeter.

When the Speedway board

track rotted beyond repair, theboards were torn up and replacedby a slower, oiled dirt track in1933. Now the scent of castor oilpermeated the area and clouds ofdust turned up by the speedingwheels darkened the skies aroundthe track. Spectators at the dirttrack races left for home coveredwith a fine brown dust, surely abadge of honor for true racingfans.

The top price for Speedwaytickets in 1930 was $1.75 enablinga fan to view the races from oneof the wooden chairs in thegrandstand. And for $1.50 a racingaficionado could mingle with therace crews in the center of theoval or sit in the bleachers.“Official” programs listing thedrivers, cars and races sold for 15cents. These programs featuredadvertisements for restaurants,local businesses and political fig-ures campaigning for public officesuch as state senator from UnionCounty and sheriff for MiddlesexCounty.

The late Robert J. McEwen,

local historian, author and collec-tor of vintage Woodbridge photo-graphs, remembered sitting on theroof of his childhood home onFreeman Street near the track as athirteen year old to watch theraces. In fact, he often chargedSpeedway patrons fifty cents topark in his backyard! McEwenalso thought that the Speedwaymanagement may have givenaway free tickets to nearby resi-dents to prevent them from com-plaining about the noise and dust.

The Woodbridge Speedwayattracted many big-name drivers,such as Freddy Frame, the 1932champion of the Indianapolis 500.Local drivers included Al Lattanzioand Red Moore of NewBrunswick, Lloyd Broshan ofDunellen, and Bill Buechler ofPerth Amboy. Other well-knownspeed demons from around thecountry who raced at Woodbridgewere Fred Winnai, Malcolm Fox,Bryan Saulspaugh (later killedmaking a time trial on the WestCoast), Al Theison, Bob Sall,Stubby Stubblefield, Jimmy and

The Woodbridge Speedway saw legendary drivers like BarneyOldfield, seen here in 1902 behind the wheel of a Ford 999with Henry Ford standing by.

“The World’s Fastest Half-Mile Race Track” • Virginia Bergen Troeger • GardenStateLegacy.com Issue 10 • December 2010

Bill Paterson, Jack Erickson, MauriRose, Doc MacKenzie, ChetGardner, Billy Winn, Lou Moore,Johnny Gerber, Maynard Clark(known as the "Adonis of theSpeedway"), Johnny Hannon,Rick Decker, Lou Moore, JoeRusso, Shorty Dressler, DonChurch, Ted Kessler, Joe Millerand Ken Fowler.

Readers of the racetrack todaycan thank the late John Kozub(1913-1999) of Edison, NJ and ear-lier of Perth Amboy, for much ofthe existing information and pho-tographs of the WoodbridgeSpeedway. Kozub was a devotedfollower of the auto-racing circuitthroughout his life. As a youngman he walked from PerthAmboy to the Woodbridge race-

track enjoying the roar of themotors and scent of castor oil ashe approached the speedway. Hekept meticulous records of theraces, capturing the action of thepit and the infield using his Leicacamera. He made friends with thedrivers, wrote articles for racingmagazines and collected motor-sports memorabilia.

In an interview for the Star-Ledger on July 18, 1999, a fewmonths before his death, Kozubwas quoted, “most cars wouldaverage more than 90 miles perhour on the old board track atWoodbridge. The best driverscould do a half-mile lap in 18 sec-onds for an average speed of 100mph.”

So popular were the

Woodbridge races that thePennsylvania Railroad ran specialtrains during the later years of theSpeedway's operation. Trains leftfrom Penn Station at 34th Street inNew York City, with stops inNewark and Elizabeth, and fromthe Hudson Terminal. Spectatorswere let off at Edgar Station in theEdgar Hill section of Woodbridgewhich was in walking distance ofthe rear of the grandstand. Thespecial round trip fare from PennStation was one dollar and fivecents and ninety cents fromHudson Terminal.

And for those lucky enough toown automobiles during theseyears of the Great Depression, aroad map circulating at the timeproclaimed, “By Auto All Roads

“The World’s Fastest Half-Mile Race Track” • Virginia Bergen Troeger • GardenStateLegacy.com Issue 10 • December 2010

Lead to Woodbridge Speedway.”(And remember, this announce-ment came years before the NewJersey Turnpike and the GardenState Parkway actually convergedat Woodbridge!)

Headlines on the sports pagein The Woodbridge Leader forFriday, June 16, 1933, announced:

CRACK DRIVERS EXPECTED ATWOODBRIDGE SPEEDWAY

NEXT SUNDAY AFTERNOON

“Stop Johnny Hannon atWoodbridge” is the war-cry ofnation's best drivers. - Many newjobs to make their debut at half-mile dustless saucer."

Hannon, “the Conshohocken,Pennsylvania boy” had won arace at Woodbridge a few weeksearlier before a crowd of 4,000speed fans. And adding to theexcitement of that race was acameo appearance by the formerheavyweight boxing champion ofthe world, Jack Dempsey, aka“the Manasa Mauler,” who wavedthe green starting flag. Hannon

proceeded to win that 25-milefinal in 27 minutes, 15 seconds.Another heavyweight boxingchampion and actor, Max Baer,was billed as an upcoming attrac-tion at the track later that year.

A car and driver were assigneda starting position based on apoint system which involved thenumber of races, position at fin-ish, fastest lap time and other fac-tors. Each crew pushed its car intoposition and waited, hoping theywere ready to go. Then a trackofficial probably announced,“Gentlemen, start your engines,”which meant that a mechanic hadto spin the hand crank. If all driv-ers held their positions for a pacelap, they would be off to a flyingstart when the green flag camedown. A tow truck always stoodready at trackside.

The local paper alsoannounced upcoming races atReading, Pennsylvania's race trackand venues throughout NewJersey, such as Olympic ParkStadium in Irvington, Nutley, NewMarket, Freehold, and Cape May

Court House, indicating theimmense popularity of auto racingin the state during the 1930s.

And for dining and dancingafter the races there was Wana's“located at Woodbridge on shorehighway at the Speedway.”Wana's advertised sandwiches,sodas and refreshments as well aschicken, steak or chop dinners for$1.50. But it's possible that Wana's“Mammoth Girlie Revue” drew themost customers, especially sincethere was “no cover charge at anytime.” Robin's Inn was anotherpopular restaurant near the trackat 187 Amboy Avenue where“Adolf Cobel's frankfurters wereused exclusively!”

Falling prices and the massiveeconomic problems of theDepression eventually took its tollon the Woodbridge Speedway.Floodlights were installed fornight racing, ticket prices weredropped, but the cheering fanssimply were not there anymore.“The World's Fastest Half-MileRace Track” closed forever afterthe 1938 season.

The Woodbridge High School now stands where theWoodbridge Speedway used to be.

“The World’s Fastest Half-Mile Race Track” • Virginia Bergen Troeger • GardenStateLegacy.com Issue 10 • December 2010