Why Dale Earnhardt Jr. Deemed This Racetrack’s Revival “Unreal”

If one had been around the North side of  U.S. Route 50 in Pennsboro during the 1930s, they would have most likely seen sleek horses speeding around a race track. Two to three decades later, those horses would have become high-speed cars. Though the mode of racing changed, the Pennsboro Speedway never did.

After being shut down in 2002, the half-mile track faced multiple issues over the last 20-odd years and is now set for a return to its original glory. But Dale Earnhardt Jr. thinks that is something too good to be true.

The track was featured on Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s “Lost Speedways” show in 2021. Though mini-wedge races have been held at the smaller quarter-mile track at the venue over these last few years, the half-mile dirt track was still not in use. When the county initially announced that the track would be renovated and brought back to mainstream racing, there weren’t any plans to bring back the half-mile track. A brand new quarter-mile track was planned and the works for the same had begun.

However, XR Events, the company that plays a main role in the renovation has now deemed that the track will be restored to its original state. The company’s CEO Barry Braun said, “It goes back to just doing the right thing, getting this project back to respecting what Ritchie County wanted to do, respecting the past, the racing of the past, the facility itself, and seeing what we can do with it.”

The decision from the Board of the county and XR Events is a surprising and yet largely welcome move. A tentative 2024 schedule with 5 races has already been released. In all hope, the “magic” will soon be returning to Pennsboro as has been promised.

The 136-year history of the Pennsboro Speedway

The history of this track goes back to 1887 when it was established as a horse racing round by the Ritchie County Agriculture and Fair Association. After being shut down during the Second World War, it reopened in 1945 under the name of Ritchie County Speedway. It was in 1964 that the track was named the Pennsboro Speedway and it had its first touch of a race car tire.

It became a premier race track in the region and began hosting late-model races regularly. Major events that were held at the track were the HillBilly 100 and the Dirt Track World Championship. After being shut down in 2002, the Board of Directors of Ritchie County tried putting the track up for sale but was blocked by the area’s citizens.

With other events being held occasionally at the venue, it will soon be breathing life again when cars start speeding on it. Thankfully, yet another historical race track is being preserved for the next generation.