Looks like a 1/2 miler. It was next to the Center View Drive-In Theatre right between the city limits of Erwin & Dunn, NC off Denim Drive and Antioch Church Road.
updated by @robert-mitchell: 12/05/16 04:08:38PM
Looks like a 1/2 miler. It was next to the Center View Drive-In Theatre right between the city limits of Erwin & Dunn, NC off Denim Drive and Antioch Church Road.
Robert, there is mention of a Dunn Speedway http://www.autoracingrecords.com/tracks.php?lid=27387
a track that ran in the 1930's. But for some reason, the name "Dunn-Erwin Speedway" is vaguely familiar.
DUNN LEGION SPEEDWAY - DUNN - 3/8 MILE DIRT OVAL (1952 - 1967c.)
OLD BOOK:THE HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN SPEEDWAY BY ALLAN E. BROWN
DUNN LEGION SPEEDWAY - DUNN - 3/8 MILE DIRT OVAL (c. 1949 - c. 1971)
(AKA DUNN SPEEDWAY)
NEWER BOOK:THE HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN SPEEDWAY BY ALLAN E. BROWN
Thanks for any information or photos posted.
Dennis Garrett
Richmond,Va.USA
Had occasion in 1970 while in training at Blue Bell, Inc. (Wrangler Jeans) to go to Erwin and visit Erwin Mills , at that time producing more denim in a single year than any other textile plant in the United States. That would be the origin of the Denim Drive name you see on the various maps. Had no idea there had once been a race track close by.
ERWIN, N.C. The town of Erwin used to be called the denim capital of the world. Three years after the town's major textile employer closed, residents are still trying to piece their lives together.
In November 2000, Swift Denim left Erwin for cheaper labor in Mexico.
"It was bad with this NAFTA thing. It's kind of getting everybody out of jobs, it seems like," former employee Kim Naylor said.
Naylor was one of 800 employees who lost their jobs. She found other work, but many others have not.
"You don't take people's jobs away from them and let them draw unemployment and them have their pride. We want our jobs back, that's what we want," Mayor George Joseph said.
Joseph has worked to attract new jobs -- Wal-Mart has expanded and Lowes will hire 170 employee when it comes to town.
Swift Denim's empty mills continue cast a shadow over the town Joseph hopes to fill with a big, new employer.
"Erwin will rebound. We're going to fight to get it back," he said.
The mayor blames U.S. free-trade policies and politicians who allow the policies to force more textile companies to leave.
"They took the 800 jobs. They should be made to give it back to us. It's their responsibility," he said.
Mexico may have the old jobs, but Erwin still has the memories and the will to survive.
"You know, it's a really nice town. I want to see it prosper," Jasper said.
Even though no denim is made there anymore, the town still plans to hold its annual Denim Days Festival in October.
Since 1989, closings and layoffs in the textile and apparel industries agve affected more than 100,000 people in North Carolina:
Pillowtex
, of Kannapolis, announced the closing of 16 plants and 6,450 layoffs.
Wilson
found out their employer, V.F. Jeanswear, was letting them go. The company's Windsor plant is closing, laying off 366 employees.
Harriet and Henderson Yarns
threw in the towel on July 15, leaving 124 people out of work.
A side note, the 1961 and 1963 editions of Hill's Directory list the Dunn-Erwin Go-Kart Center and Rent-A-Kart on Erwin Rd., in addition to the Fairgrounds Speedway on Jonesboro Rd. in Dunn.
Here's a photo of Dunn Legion Speedway right off of I-95 at Jonesboro Road...not sure if this is the same track as Dunn-Erwin. 
That Jonesboro Road site is the track that was listed as Fairground Speedway in the 1963 Dunn City Directory.
Those American Legion Fairgrounds are evil places, especially the one in Dunn... not the sort of place Rev. Bopper would want to be seen...
All you guys are awesome. This is why I always have a blast with the ghost track hunting.
Okay, it looks like you guys have clarified that it's not the old Dunn Legion Speedway aka Dunn Fairgrounds Speedway. There was also another track a few miles east of the Dunn Legion Speedway called Dunn-Benson Speedway & Dragstrip. That speedway is gone now but the dragstrip is still there.
Here are the three locations on a modern aerial showing the unknown track to the west, Dunn Legion Speedway in the center, and Dunn-Benson Speedway & Dragstrip to the east -
Unknown Track from October 1950 -
Dunn Legion Speedway from October 1961 -
Dunn-Benson Speedway & Dragstrip from October 1961 -
It's still a mystery.
"Dunn Speedway" from the early 1930's could very well be it. From the aerials it looks like it was still active at least into the early '50s. In the 1961 aerial it looks like it had been abandoned for a good 6 or 8 years. If that's it, it would have had a good run of almost 20 years.
Here is the unknown track from 1961. It looks to have been abandoned for a good 6 to 8 years -
Very interesting read, Dave. Your research is top notch.
The track at the D-B Drag Strip was called "Broad-Slab Speedway" don't know the origin of that name, but it's footprint could still be seen until it was partially bulldozed in a recent drag strip modernization project.
Thanks, Bobby.
BROAD-SLAB SPEEDWAY - BENSON - 1/2 MILE DIRT OVAL (1960'S)
DUNN-BENSON DRAGSTRIP - WASN'T LISTED IN OLD BOOK
OLD BOOK:THE HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN SPEEDWAY BY ALLAN E. BROWN
BENSON - SEE: BROAD-SLAB SPEEDWAY
BROAD-SLAB SPEEDWAY - BENSON - 3/8 MILE DIRT OVAL (c.1962)
DUNN-BENSON DRAGSTRIP - DUNN 1/8 CONCRETE DRAGSTRIP (1960 - PRESENT)
AKA NEW DUNN-BENSON DRAGSTRIP
NEWER BOOK:THE HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN SPEEDWAY BY ALLAN E. BROWN
Thanks for any information or photos posted.
Dennis Garrett
Richmond,Va.USA
I remember this track! A promoter came in and set up a race. He promised to give us a % of the receipts.
While we were out on the track racing. He left his old pickup truck and went up to the Bus Station and skipped with the money.
Chubby Thompkins of Fayetteville, NC drove the #81 1962 Late Model Ford around 1963-64. This shot looks like the entrance road to Broadslab Speedway. This photo is from the Patsy Thompkins Keisler Collection.
http://raceplace.zoomshare.com/album/Pit%204%20-%20Classic%20Photos...
DO WE HAVE A MEMBER NAME:Patsy Thompkins Keisler ?
SHE MIGHT KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT BROAD-SLAB SPEEDWAY/ BROADSLAB SPEEDWAY NAME ORGIN ?
Thanks for any information or photos posted.
Dennis Garrett
Richmond,Va.USA
Dennis, Patsy is our "Dancing Queen" of the Tuesday night Goat Rodeo broadcast, PR exec for the Bell & Bell Vintage Modified Series and daughter of the late Chubby Thompkins.
Classic story, Jim! Do you remember what year that was, or the name of the track? Was it a 1/2 mile track?
51,52 or 53
All I remember is that Guy was a smooth talker!
