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West Virginia’s First NASCAR Race | Charleston News
On August 18, 1963, NASCAR legends descended on West Virginia for the first-ever Mountaineer 300 at Ona Speedway — a track with no permanent home but a roaring crowd of 16,000. Fred Lorenzen, starting from pole, battled through spins, tire failures, and a massive crack in turn one to steal victory from Joe Weatherly — even after Richard Petty briefly led before his car smoked. With an average speed under 60 mph due to dangerous track conditions, Lorenzen walked away with $1,500 and a kiss from Miss West Virginia. Though NASCAR returned the next year for the Mountaineer 500 (won by Petty), the…
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