A Student’s Guide to Danbury, Connecticut

I Remember the Car Races at the Fair  by Tom Hislop
 “I was 11 years old when they closed the Danbury Racearea, a 1/3 mile stock car track located at the Danbury Fairgrounds. Danbury would never be the same. Although a child, I remember Saturday nights crystal clear. There were 5,000 people crowding the stands and enough excitement to last the whole next week. The drivers were local celebrities and the front page of the News-Times Sports section had the winner’s fare smiling at you every Sunday!
I went every single week starting when I was seven to watch my father’s car compete. Frank Hislop was the owner of the #56, one of the faster cars at the speedway. A number of drivers drove for us over the years: Kenny Webb, Billy Boo, Jimmy Smith & Dennis Pierce to name a few. It didn’t matter who drove that season, I was watching intently every lap cheering them on. The accidents were scary though… thankfully my father believed in safety and built strong chassis. Our drivers always walked away, others weren’t so lucky.
After the races, we would wait outside the pit gate where all the cars would come out on their trailers to the parking lot. They would always pull over and park to hang out and sign autographs for the kids. My friends and I, over the course of the season, would accumulate over 25 autographed pictures by the drivers. A number of the famous drivers went on to bigger and better things. Perhaps you heard of NASCAR Drivers Randy Lajac or Jerry Nadeau. Both grew up at the Danbury track where their father’s raced.
The Danbury State Fair (much like the “Big E” in Massachusetts) would occur right after the racing season for two weeks. That was pretty wild for a kid: rides, games, the big top, animals etc. It all ended in 1981 when the profits became more important than the community. The Danbury Fair Mall now occupies the Fairgrounds. At least they kept the name.”

Photo courtesy of LaSheefs Racing Photos: http://www.lasheefs.com/Pages/DanburyBW/DanBW1.html

More Information:
Danbury Race Arena