Abandoned - Nazareth Speedway

Fun fact: Not only did the Busch series race move to Watkins Glen, but that's also where Nazareth's grandstands ended up.

When you mentioned how they can’t use Nazareth as a speedway because it may compete with Pocono reminds me of one of the video games, NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup. They (EA), couldn’t make a deal with the owner of Pocono, so they added Nazareth instead

It's crazy that in less than 20 years it looks like it's been abandoned for 50. It's a shame these tracks are disappearing.

I'm surprised there was no mention of Nazareth, PA's most famous residents: the Andretti Family.

Honestly you could do a whole season on just Nascar tracks, being here in NC we have a lot of Nascar history floating around without a lot of people knowing

I have lived my whole life in Nazareth. I remember the race growing up. You could hear the roar of the engines and the announcers from miles away. I have been to a few races. It was a great small town event. The biggest problem was no major roads going to for from made traffic a nightmare. It’s 4 or 5 miles to the closest highway on-ramp. and at the time almost no hotel rooms with in few miles. I miss the track.

These "Abandoned" videos are great at showing how great ideas fall apart, and why. Thanks Jake.

These old tracks were so much better than a lot of the current ones

This was NASCAR's biggest mistake, build 1 to 1 1/2 mile tracks and race on boring oval tracks with grandstands everywhere and not on small, fun tracks that attracted people to them because the racing was interesting.

Nazareth PA is the home of Mario Andretti. He raced there.

Nazareth, North Wilkesboro and Rockingham were some of the best tracks ever. They had unique layouts that provided great racing, and it's not surprising that their departure and replacement with cookie cutter tracks with oversized grandstands has led to a drop in attendance. These tracks had more than just history, they had character.

Place would be perfect for the Andrettis to run a high-speed driving school and family/local racing museum.

'A hot spot for arson.' I see what you did there.

Interestingly enough, the Nashville Superspeedway (where Nazareth's IRL race was moved to), shut down after the 2011 season.

I grew up in the neighborhood just behind the track and spent my childhood there. Wonderful memories and while the pictures and history were great, please consider an edit that mentions Roger Penske, who paved the track and took it on an international stage. As others have mentioned, the stands from our track did end up at Watkins Glen in that striking yellow and red. What many folks might not know is that they were not the bleachers in place when Roger Penske rebuilt the track. He added them later, sometime in the mid to late 1990s. I'll never forget driving by the track and those bright red and yellow seats sticking out like a sore thumb. They grew on us over time and now, I miss them. That track sat empty most of the year, but is was a comforting sight and a source of pride for those of us who live locally. It's hard to see it in its current shape. Our community has deep roots in racing, between the tracks and the Andretti family (some of the nicest people you could ever want to know). In Nazareth, the Andrettis have always been like any other neighbor and never sought or accepted special attention. Jeff, Michael, and Barbie attended the same local school as us, Mario and Dee frequented our small social clubs and worshipped at a local church. Sure, Mario's lamborghini is a sharp sight cruising around town, but the man inside, smiling and offering a friendly wave to everyone is the real treasure.

Auto polo sounds like something that would have been done on Top Gear.

Busch Series has never been the mainstream NASCAR series. This was an IndyCar track first and foremost. USAC into CART into IRL Edit: How could Roger Penske's name be left out?

A track like this is so unique and interesting. I wish I got to see a race on it, wether on TV or in person, wether it be a NASCAR or Indycar event. Being a younger motorsports fan is kinda sad knowing these legendary places might never see tire rubber on them again.

Hey jake if you’re looking for a similar story, look up “Texas World Speedway” in College Station, Texas. It’s one of the few 2 mile ovals in the world and its been totally abandoned because of hurricane Harvey. It’s used to store flooded cars in now I believe. Used to host Cart, IRL, and NASCAR races. Love your channel!

Ive seen many races there when I was a kid. It was such a great experience. Parking in the grass lots, the smell of stale beer and cigarettes as you walk under the grandstands. You knew a race was that weekend when you could hear them practice just a few miles away. It was a big deal for such a small town. Wouldnt be surprised if they turn it into a distribution center as they have done with just about every piece of land in the Lehigh Valley