Oswego Speedway began as a horse racing track before being converted to a 0.375-mile dirt oval for automobile racing in 1951. Asphalt was laid in 1952, and the track was extended from 0.375 to 0.625 miles in 1962, establishing the configuration still in use today. The facility was owned and operated for more than four decades by the Caruso family before passing to Eric and John Torrese, who currently own and manage the speedway.
The track is not a true geometric oval but rather a four-corner layout with banking of approximately thirteen degrees. Total grandstand capacity is approximately 10,000 across covered and uncovered seating on the north and south sides.
Oswego Speedway has hosted races on several national circuits, including the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, the ASA National Tour, and the USAC Silver Crown Series. Each October, the facility is temporarily covered with clay to host Super Dirt Week, transforming the asphalt oval into a dirt track for the event. This is the one occasion annually when Oswego reverts to a dirt surface, a practice that began in 2016 when it hosted the 45th edition of the World Racing Group's Super DIRTcar Series Super DIRT Week after construction delays at Central New York Raceway Park. Approximately 6,900 cubic feet of clay was used to cover the track for that inaugural event, and the NAPA 300 ran as the richest dirt modified race in the world.
The state of New York invested $1.1 million in renovations to the speedway ahead of the 2016 event, including a new scoreboard, new bleachers, and plumbing and electricity upgrades to the campgrounds.
Oswego Speedway holds a unique position in motorsport as the last track in the world operating Supermodifieds as a regular weekly class. The modern Oswego Supermodified is a front-engine, rear-drive vehicle with a big-block Chevrolet engine mounted on the left side of the chassis to maximize cornering force. Normally aspirated and fuel-injected, these engines produce 900 or more horsepower in a car with a minimum weight of 1,800 pounds — more than one horsepower per two pounds of vehicle weight. The fastest unwinged Supermodifieds could circle the 5/8-mile track in under 16.5 seconds at average speeds above 136 miles per hour. Starting with the 2019 season, Oswego Supermodifieds moved to fixed rear wings for additional downforce, with the fastest winged cars capable of lapping in the low 15-second range at 150 miles per hour, generating lateral forces above 4.0 g.
All-time champions in the Oswego Supermodified class include Otto Sitterly with nine titles (2006-2014, 2018, 2019), Nolan Swift with eight titles (1953-1971), Bentley Warren with seven (1983-1993), Jim Shampine with seven (1967-1979), Greg Furlong with four (2000-2007), Doug Didero with three (1994-1996), Mike Muldoon with three (1997-1999), and Eddie Bellinger Sr. with three (1957-1960).
Additional weekly classes at Oswego include Small Block Supermodifieds and 350 Winged Supermodifieds. The track also hosts International Supermodified Association and Midwest Supermodified Association events.
The Labor Day Weekend Classic, run over 200 laps for non-wing big-block Supermodifieds, is the track's signature event and one of the premier Supermodified races in North America. Greg Furlong has won the event six times since 1999 and recorded two additional podium finishes. Bentley Warren won the Budweiser Classic six times across his career from 1969 through 1998. Indianapolis 500 veterans Davey Hamilton, Bentley Warren, and Joe Gosek are among the event's past winners.
The Race of Champions, a Modified touring series event, is also part of the annual program. Past Race of Champions winners who went on to compete in NASCAR events include Brett Bodine, 1986 Daytona 500 winner Geoff Bodine, NASCAR Hall of Famer Richie Evans, Greg Sacks, Frankie Schneider, and Jimmy Spencer.
Oswego Speedway's role as the sole remaining weekly Supermodified track in the world sets it apart from virtually every other short track in North America. Combined with its long championship history, its annual transformation for Super Dirt Week, and its association with drivers who crossed between short-track and major national series, the Big O occupies a singular position in American oval racing heritage.