History
Racing at the New Jersey State Fairgrounds outside Trenton began in September 1900 on a half-mile dirt oval. The track was rebuilt as a one-mile dirt oval after World War II and paved in 1957.
Trenton became a fixture on the AAA and USAC national championship schedules, and A. J. Foyt won a dozen Indy-car races there. NASCAR's top series visited eight times, and the track also hosted major modified stock car events, including the Race of Champions from 1972 to 1976.
In 1968 the layout was lengthened to 1.5 miles with an unusual dogleg backstretch that gave it a kidney-bean shape. Indy cars continued to race there until August 1979.
The last race, a rain-shortened modified event, ran in June 1980. The fairgrounds land was sold and redeveloped; today it holds Grounds For Sculpture, a UPS facility and a housing development.
Why it matters: One of the longest-running racing sites in the Northeast and a regular Indy-car stop for more than two decades.
Timeline
- September 24, 1900
The first race was run on a half-mile dirt oval at the New Jersey State Fairgrounds.
- 1946
A one-mile dirt oval replaced the half-mile; it was paved in 1957.
- May 1958First NASCAR Northern 300[1]
NASCAR's top division made the first of eight visits; Richard Petty later won three Northern 300s.
- 1968
The backstretch was diverted into the infield to create a 1.5-mile kidney-shaped oval.
- May 1976Janet Guthrie's Indy-car debut[1]
Janet Guthrie made her first IndyCar appearance at Trenton.
- August 19, 1979Last Indy-car race[1]
Rick Mears won the final CART race at the track.
- June 1980
A rain-shortened asphalt Modified race won by Geoff Bodine was the last event; the land was then sold for development.
The site today
| Physical status | Site redeveloped[2] |
|---|---|
| Current use | Grounds For Sculpture, a UPS shipping facility and the Hamilton Lakes housing development[1,2] |
| Mapped location | Former venue parcel |
Street View near the former site · Satellite view (external, current imagery)
Venue facts
| Official name | Trenton International Speedway |
|---|---|
| Other names | Trenton International Speedway (1968–1980) |
| Location | New Jersey State Fairgrounds, Hamilton Township, Mercer County, near Trenton, New Jersey, Hamilton Township, New Jersey[1] |
| Venue type | Speedway |
| Sports | Motorsports |
| Level | AAA, USAC, CART, NASCAR |
| Opened | September 24, 1900[1,2] |
| Last used for sports | June 1980[1,2] |
| Physical status | Site redeveloped |
| Capacity notes | No capacity found in fetched sources. |
| Surface | Half-mile dirt (1900-1941); one-mile dirt (1946-1956) then paved (1957-1967); 1.5-mile paved dogleg 'kidney bean' oval (from 1968/1969) |
| Closure | The fairgrounds land was sold for development. |
Documented details
Sources
- Trenton Speedway, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, closed, coordinates, current land use, events, opened
- Trenton Speedway - Circuit Overview, RacingCircuits.info. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: closed, current land use, demolished, events, opened
Research confidence
Key facts on this page (opening, closing, status and location) are each supported by sources, with key dates corroborated by at least two independent sources. Last reviewed 2026-10-19.
Where sources disagree (2)
- Wikipedia's infobox gives a closing date of June 29, 1980; RacingCircuits.info says only June 1980. Recorded at month precision.
- The 1.5-mile layout is dated 1968 in RacingCircuits.info and Wikipedia text, but 1969 in the Wikipedia infobox.
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