"STAMFORD PARK
(HORSE RACE TRACK)
Tim Flock#91, leads Dick Rathmann & Lee Petty in his
Fabulous Hudson Hornet during The first NASCAR race held in
Canada, July 1, 1952 After World War 11 it seemed as
though most people craved for peace time activities. The
housing booms, the new car boom and of course the baby boom.
Anything new seemed to be of interest to families.
The fledgling sport of automobile stock
car racing seemed to be an interesting way for people to
spend their leisure time and what better way to use pre
W.W.11 cars but to race them. In the Niagara peninsula,
stock car racing deemed a "fad" by many seemed to share
facilities with race horses. These big 1/2 mile flat ovals
were convenient for hosting stock car races. This is how
racing got started in the U.S. with sprint car and stock car
racing occurring on the already available fairgrounds'
ovals.
Prior to Merrittville Speedway opening in
1952, the primary local track was at the Stamford Park Race
track located in Niagara Falls, Ontario. It is believed that
the stock cars first started sharing the facilities with
race horses as early as 1948. A fellow by the name of John
DeMetre, president of Stamford Park along with race promoter
J.V. Carney of Buffalo New York, would try to attract stock
car racers from the area, but most competitors came from the
Buffalo area, since stock car racing had been sharing the
billing with the midget racers at the Buffalo Civic Stadium
for a few years already. Very few drivers were from the
Niagara area except for Bruce Swartz, Ralph Taylor and Doug
Greves, the others such as Hugh Darraugh, Carl Foss, Bill
Hall, Jerry Swisher and Bill Bennett were all from the
Western New York area.
In fact, Bruce Swartz along with Ralph
Taylor were probably the first two stock car drivers in
Niagara to join NASCAR. At times, Stamford Park would try
and hold NASCAR sanctioned races, much like those held at
the Buffalo Civic Stadium. The attraction for the spectators
was that admission was $1.00 for adults and .50 for
children, but you could have any seat under the fully
covered grandstand close to the action.
The Niagara Falls track gained a
reputation as being hard on cars, especially with its rutted
flat surface and dangerous board fences which could pierce a
racer like a knife through butter. In our history of auto
racing in Niagara, Stamford Park has one distinction, that
of being the first track to hold a NASCAR Grand National
race outside the U.S. - July 1, 1952. In fact, the headline
following the race read as follows: "Shuman Survives Niagara
Falls Car-Killer" To give you an idea of how tough this
track was, Buddy Shuman of Charlotte North Carolina drove
his Hudson, all 200 laps, with his nearest competitor two
laps behind, that being Herb Thomas in the Fabulous Hudson
Hornet, with Ray Duhigg driving the Julie Petty Plymouth
third. It took two hours, 11 minutes, and 33 seconds to
complete the 200 laps at an average speed of 45.610 mph. The
pole winner for the event was Herb Thomas in his Hudson
Hornet, at an average speed of 52.401 mph. This was in an
era when a NASCAR stock car was in fact stock. The field was
made up of many racers who in fact are legends today. To
that point of the 1952 season, Tim Flock also driving a 1951
Hudson was the point leader but on lap 78 of the event he
wrecked when caught by a flipping Eddie Lenz in a 1950 Olds,
both drivers escaped uninjured.
This enabled Herb Thomas who finished
second to move within 42 points of Tim Flock. Out of the 17
car field, only six cars were left running at the end, those
being Buddy Shuman #89, claiming his first victory in a
Grand National event. Second place to Herb Thomas in the #92
Fabulous Hudson Hornet, third to Ray Duhigg in the #44 Julie
Petty '51 Plymouth, fifth to Perk Brown in a "50 Ford,
Seventh to Fonty Flock in a "51 Henry J., and tenth to
Albert Lemiurx in a '50 Mercury Meteor, many laps down. Top
runners such as Lee Petty, Herschel McGriff, Tim Flock, and
Dick Rathmann were all sidelined by broken wheels, engine
problems, and overheating. For his efforts in surviving the
100 mile event, Shuman took home the purse of $1,000.00, the
winner's share of this truly "Car Killing Event."
During the rest of 1952 the local stock
car drivers continued to dice it out at Stamford, but from
August 18 - September 3 each year, the horses would take
over the facilities. For stock car fans in Niagara, July 1,
1952 was also a historical event, as it was the opening day
races at Merrittville Speedway, a daytime event that gave
the area racers such as Orville Kelly, Ralph Taylor, Bruce
Swartz as well as U.S. drivers such as Bill Hall and Jerry
Swisher a facility specially designed for the high powered
stockers.
Merrittville was designed as a 1/4 mile
oval, with a durable clay surface unlike the flat horse
tracks such as Stamford Park. This facility was the dream of
John Marino and George Cullen, two businessmen who operated
a trucking company in St. Catharines. By the way, Jerry
Swisher was the first feature in the #29 -1937 Ford.
Stamford Park continued to hold stock car
races, along with the horse races in 1953 and 1954. It was
during this period that a young 21 year old stock car driver
by the name of John Spencer of Niagara Falls, Ontario, was
fatally injured and became the only driver to be killed at
an area track.
According to the press clippings of the
day his car #120, a 1936 Ford, spun wildly out of control on
the second lap of the feature, flipping a dozen times. It
was not uncommon for cars to flip since the loose surface of
the track was easily rutted by the fast and furious
stockers.
During 1954, the era of Stamford Park
race track auto racing ended, as ovals that were dedicated
to stock car racing gained in both popularity and spectator
appeal. Tracks such as Merrittville, Ancaster, Civic Stadium
in Buffalo and Chippawa opened a new era of stock car
racing.
However, Stamford Park Horse Track and
Merrittville Speedway shared one thing in common - July 1,
1952. The first Grand National race held in Canada, and
opening day at Merrittville Speedway. Sincerely, Rick
Kavanagh