The land, known as The Ogden Tract in the mid-1850s, was developed as a half-mile horse racing oval — the Harry Clay Oval, named after a famous harness racehorse of the era — to serve the Orange County Fair, which had been permanently located in the Wallkill–Middletown area since 1857. For six years, fair director George Martin lobbied the board of directors to replace horse racing with automobile racing. The board finally agreed in 1919. The first automobile race was held on August 16, 1919, won by James Benedict driving a Benedict Special powered by a Duesenberg motor before a crowd of 5,000.
In 1924 the track was resurfaced with clay excavated from a nearby pond, producing the hard, tacky surface that gives the oval much of its speed and character. Automobile racing was suspended during World War II due to shortages of fuel, metals, and rubber. After the war the oval was renamed Victory Speedway, Inc. and returned to action with ARDC Midget car racing. Stock car racing officially began on September 18, 1948, with Rocky Dinatale credited as the first stock car winner. The first fully-contested stock car championship season opened on April 16, 1950. Over subsequent decades the track was widened and the configuration lengthened to its present 5/8-mile layout.
For most of its modern history the speedway ran weekly Saturday-night events from April through September. The regular programme has featured Big Block Modifieds, Small Block Modifieds, Sportsman, Street Stocks, Thunder Trucks, CRSA Sprints, and Slingshots, plus an annual World of Outlaws Late Model event. The track lap record stands at 16.083 seconds — equating to 139.899 mph — set by Joey Saldana on September 24, 2008, during a World of Outlaws sprint car event.
In November 2014, owner Mike Gurda IV announced the end of the track's sanction with DIRTcar Northeast, operating as an independent from 2015. A motocross track built outside turns three and four opened in 2013. Weekly racing was not held for the 2024 season.
The speedway's marquee annual event is Eastern States Weekend, typically held in mid-October to close the northeast racing season. Its centrepiece is the Eastern States 200, recognised as the oldest consecutively-run championship event for dirt Modified stock cars in the United States. The inaugural race was held on October 28, 1962, won by Frankie Schneider of Lambertville, New Jersey. The event was extended from 100 laps to 200 laps in 1968.
Brett Hearn, the all-time track champion at Orange County Fair Speedway, holds the record for Eastern States 200 victories with 12 wins. The supporting programme includes a 150-lap race for 358-Modified cars and a 50-lap Sportsman race.
Gallery · 4 related images
