Sanatoga Speedway: Racetrack in our Backyard

While browsing through the great photos at Old Images of Montgomery County's Facebook page, Patch came across this one, of the old Sanatoga Speedway. 

The comment attached to the picture is from Wayne Rutter. Rutter says: 

"This picture is an overhead view of the Sanatoga Speedway in the late 1940's. The picture is courtesy of Merit O'Neil from the website "Sanatoga Memories". If you look closely one quarter the way on the upper left side you will see a white house in the wooded area. I lived there with my family until the age of 11 years. My father ran the sno-cone stand at the track." 

The text on the bottom of the photo reads: 

FACTS ABOUT SANATOGA RACE TRACK

The track was built in 1937 by Ed Moll, John Sweetwood and Nick Pelacotti. It is a one-fifth mile flat asphalt track from 35 to 38 feet wide with an area of 4100 square yards, 4800 board feet of 2 x 8 green oak, 4200 feet of 3/4 inch steel cable and 1120 feet of 6 x 6 x 1/4 reinforcing wire mesh, along with 116 sturdy posts for a crash rail. There are 39,000 watts of lighting for night racing.

The races are sanctioned by the Pottstown Stock Car Racing Club and they have more than 225 active members. Forty-seven races have been run in 1951 and only three were rained out. If it is at all possible to race, we will run.

According to North American Motorsports' website, the track shut down in 1958. 

Many people have left their memories on Merit O'Neal's page Sanatoga Memories. Visit Sanatoga Memories for more pictures, including some photos of what the overgrown track looks like now.