I have been around racing my entire life and for as long as I can remember, I have heard story after story about this seemingly mythical place called Bowling Green Speedway. People always spoke of it with such amazing reverence, as if it were the lost Mecca of auto racing. As an impressionable young boy, I would intently listen in awe as the drivers who were my bigger-than-life heroes talked about this mysterious place that was obviously so very exceptional to them. What made this long lost Shangri-La of speed so memorable to the people who went there? And, it’s not just the drivers, mind you! The mechanics, the car owners, the fans and every man, woman and child I’ve ever met who set foot inside those gates, still hold their memories of Bowling Green in such high esteem. So what is it that made this place so special to so many?

For those of you who never saw racing at Bowling Green Speedway, we have something in common. Until just yesterday, I had only been to Bowling Green Speedway twice. Unfortunately, I was only 2 or 3 years old and have no memories of it at all. Hearing all the stories over the years, I only had my imagination to try and visualize what the place must have been like. I’ve seen many photos, but even those don’t really give you the feel for the character of the place. Yesterday morning, I took a ride to the site of the old speedway with my own personal tour guides, Gary Wolford and Bobby Wolfe.

As we turn up Schaefer’s Church Road, I can tell we’re almost there by the way Gary is leaning up against the window, looking very intently in one direction. We make a right turn into a cornfield and drive downhill until we are forced to stop at what I thought was a small cliff. I got out of Bobby’s van and immediately recognized the still visible outline of the racetrack. I knew in an instant that it was no cliff I was standing on top of. It was the top of the 4^th turn banking!

Even in its overgrown and neglected condition, it was obvious that the photos I’ve seen did this grand old track no justice at all. I previously had no idea how high banked the corners actually were. I can only compare it to taking a track roughly about the size of Lincoln or Susquehanna and placing Bristol or Winchester type corners at each end, at least 2 ½ stories high. There’s no doubt in my mind that if that track were running today, it would be the fastest of all the tracks in the area. Even in it’s current state, I could definitely feel the same magic they must have felt back then.

The imported red clay that was brought in 50 years ago to cover the native shale bedrock is still pretty much where it was left, despite the years of the farmer’s plow ripping up the infield for the last 45 years. Many of the electric poles, some of the drainage pipes, even some posts and plank sections of the old outside retaining wall are still there. As hard as time and nature have tried to obscure what was there, it is still unmistakably hallowed ground that somehow still draws you under its spell. Standing there, you can close your eyes, and with no effort at all, picture those old coupes flying around her high banks and you’ll swear you can still hear the throaty crackle of those flathead engines echoing through the surrounding valleys. Now I am beginning to understand what made Bowling Green Speedway so very special.

Tucked away in the rolling hills and valleys of rural southern York County, Bowling Green Speedway only lasted a few short years in the 1950’s, from 1952 until 1956. Owner Clyde Bolen probably had no idea just what he’d actually started when he decided to build his new racetrack. Not only was it the beginning of a legend, it gave birth to a common occurrence that would create a bond between the men who raced there that would last a lifetime. And why the name Bowling Green? Well, it seems Clyde was fond of the horses. However, Bolen Green just didn’t have quite the same ring to it, so it was named after that other famous track.

The B.G.A.R.A. was grass roots racing in its purest form. The words “High Tech” did not apply here by any stretch of the imagination. There were no corporate sponsors, no big money races, no sticky Hoosier tires, no $30,000 engines, just a lot of determined and talented guys wanting to pursue the sport they loved. Best of all, anyone could go racing at Bowling Green. You could go to the junkyard, pick up an old 30 something coupe for a few dollars, strip it down, tune it up, weld some pipe into it and go racing… competitively!

Today, it far too often seems that whoever has the most money wins. In those days, the driver was much more a part of the equation when it came to winning. A good driver could manhandle an ill handling car and make up for its shortcomings by using both his head and the loud pedal. Their cars may not have been leading edge technology, but the racing was second to none anywhere. Week after week, the stands were packed with huge crowds, all of them there to watch their heroes go wheel-to-wheel. Rarely did one driver dominate. Bobby Wolfe once won four consecutive features, but that was a very rare thing at Bowling Green and a feat that was never repeated. It was an equal playing field where on any given day most anyone had the chance to win. At any given time there were 100 to 150 drivers registered with the B.G.A.R.A.

That’s why the crowds kept coming back. Who would be this week’s victor? The competition was tough. They earned every spot they advanced on the track. I’ve even heard a story about a man who attended a nearby church. On Sundays, as the preacher was delivering the sermon, he could hear the cars going out on the track for practice. How he hoped that just this once, the preacher would cut the sermon short so he could get to the racetrack. The fans were just as loyal as the racers. They were never overlooked at Bowling Green. As if the great racing wasn’t enough, there was always some additional form of entertainment. It could be anything ranging from pig races to skydivers. 

Lord knows they weren’t doing it for the money. These guys were there for the love of it and the fun of it. Money would have probably spoiled it anyway. Most of the racers were rookies and Bowling Green was where they first began to learn their craft. It was the kind of place where they all looked out for and helped each other. If you needed a tire, a rear end, an engine, anything at all, someone was usually right there offering you whatever you needed, often before you even had the chance to ask for it. That’s just the way it was. Many of them went on to become a virtual Who’s Who of racing, not only locally, but also all over the mid-Atlantic region. A few went further still.

For many, this was also their first chance to enjoy a little “celebrity” status. They were young, fearless and aggressive. They began to build a following of fans, including maybe a flirtatious girl or two, autograph seekers and those who just wanted to be close to a courageous daredevil, someone who was doing something they dreamt of doing someday themselves. But when it comes right down to it, that’s still not the reason they were there.

A lot of blood, sweat, tears and pride went into the cars they built. There were no “cookie cutter” mass-produced factory kit cars. There were few speed parts to buy, even if they wanted to. Most everything was carefully handcrafted on a very tight budget. You worked with what you had, or what you could find, and found ways to get the most out of it… and get the most out of it they did. If you needed to make a modification because something just wasn’t quite right, it was up to you to conceive it, design it, build it, then make it work. They didn’t have any Bachelor Degrees in mechanical engineering or design. There were no “how-to” instruction manuals, no engine dynos and no wind tunnels. But, what they did have was a tremendous wealth of ingenuity, resourcefulness and creativity. Little did they know that much of what they pioneered would become the benchmarks of engine and chassis design that would be followed and built upon for years to come.

So, have you figured it out yet? Have you discovered the secret behind the legend of Bowling Green Speedway? Now do you think you know what made this place and this time in history so special? Of course, everything I’ve told you about so far is part of the total equation, but the most important ingredient of all has nothing to do with the steel, clay and wood that was used to build the place. What made Bowling Green Speedway so incredibly special were the people.

For 50 years now, they have enjoyed the close friendships that were initiated there. They share a common love of racing, a common past and a common collection of incredible memories that they lived, laughed and cried through together. They came from every background imaginable and from all classes of society. If not for Bowling Green Speedway, few of them would ever have crossed paths otherwise.

Sadly, the speedway is gone, as are some of the lucky ones to have experienced those far too few magical years of the B.G.A.R.A. However, thanks to the insight and hard work of the Bowling Green Speedway Preservation Society, the legend lives on. The history of the men, women and machines who were the very heart of Bowling Green is being carefully documented and preserved for the future generations to look back on. Racing could never have reached the levels it has now without each and every one of them.

If you haven’t already done so, here’s the chance to do your part to keep the legend alive. Join the Bowling Green Speedway Preservation Society today!

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Last Updated: 06/13/2007 08:50 AM