NORTHVILLIANS,

SPEED WEEK EDITION

Northville over the years has been the center of various racing activities including horses, motorcycles, bikes, cars, snowmobiles, go karts and even turtle races. Over the next few weeks, we will take a look at some of these activities and advancements that happened in the Ville.

Today, I would like to wrap them together and talk about racing locally as we are just coming off NASCAR’s Speed Week in Daytona, FL at the World Center of Racing. Some of you who know me realize I’m a car guy deep down. I used to race Trans Am’s in club activities in the 70’s and even considered racing in the NASCAR Truck Series early on.  As youngsters, we all had dreams of being a racer, a firefighter, a police officer, or having some other exciting career. 

With that youth dream in mind, I continue to religiously return to Daytona (36 years now) on the pilgrimage leading to the Daytona 500. Previously, I started attending Michigan International Speedway events when they opened in the late 1960’s.

BACKGROUND on Daytona’s Speed Week

• Daytona Speedweek officially kicks off the NASCAR season with an action-packed schedule of races across several different series, all held at the “World Center of Racing.”  The Speedway has been home to the Daytona 500 since hosting the inaugural event in 1959, right before I was born. Familiar names such as Petty, Earnhardt, Yarborough, Gordon, Jarrett, Allison, Andretti, AJ Foyt & others have raced there.
• Fans from all 50 states along with more than 40 different countries flock to Daytona for Speedweek activities yearly – The Daytona 500 is the most prestigious race in NASCAR and has been referred to as the “Superbowl of Racing”.  Unlike the Superbowl, however, it is the FIRST race of the season (not the championship event).

• Get ready for Chili‘in the Ville – Saturday, February 26^th, 1-5 PM, Downtown Northville. The City & Township Fire Departments along with several restaurants will face off in a HEATED chili competition. Ice sculptures will be on display, along with the availability of chili samplings.
• SENIORS … it’s party time again! It seems like I just attended your Valentine Tea at the Community Center last week, and now it’s time to gear up for St. Patty’s Day Senior extravaganza on March 16th. Register online at Northvilleparksandrec.org or call 248 349 0203.                                                 

And let’s take a look at the latest COVID data:
 
COVID-19 CONFIRMED CASES: Northville has had 699 cases/9 fatalities, Township 5643/76, Michigan 2.4M/35K, Nation 79M/935K, Global 423M/5.9M. (CDC) * Wayne County Data.

Let's transition to "Speed" Activities in Town over the years...
 

CAR RACING IN NORTHVILLE

• Even before the first-ever Daytona 500, Northville’s historic 4^th of July activities included car racing at times.  In fact, in 1957 the “Northville 100” Stock Car race took place with over 10,000 fans on hand to see some of the best drivers in the nation compete in their Fords, Chevys, and Plymouths for the coveted Northville Trophy.  We will talk about how auto manufacturers came to town to test their vehicles in our next issue.

• Before that Stock Car race on July 4, 1957, Memorial Day of that year had Motorcycle racing at Northville Downs (which was also done in the 70’s).  Earlier, in 1924, motorcycle hill climbing events were held near Randolph, as posted in The Record.
• Most of the racers were on Harley Davidsons, BSA’s or Indian cycles. Speeds at Northville Downs approached 90+ MPH on the straightaway. 

• This was before my time, but I’ve been told by Jim Long and those in my family that a Go Kart track was set up behind CVS where previously the old Kroger stood.  There was more open space in this area back then, so many a youth cut their teeth on speed at this mini-sports track.

• In 1897 The Northville Record touted a bicycle race that started at the Fish Hatchery on 7 Mile and ran a route to the Opera House (Dunlap/Center). Hundreds of folks lined up near Wing & Dunlap to witness the finish. Additionally, Buchner Hill was the site of hill climbing bicycle events in 1896.  So, you can see that biking has always been part of the Northville DNA. The Rotary Club hosts the Tour De Ville yearly, too.

• In 1971 Snowmobile racing hit town at Northville Downs for the “Motor State Snowmobile Classic,” an invasion the likes of which no Michigan metro area had ever experienced. Teams from various manufacturers along with some 500+ competitors signed up for the race. The Record wrote about the Factory Teams which included Ski Doo, Rupp and Artic Cat, all who dominated the field, but the Bombardier Ski Doo factory Team set the pace. Polaris was the only other competitive snowmobile in heat competition. Over 12,000 attended the 3-day event.

• Northville has hosted the State High School Cross Country Championships previously, and in the fall you can still witness countless high school and college teams competing in Cass Benton Park. These are 5K & 10K races on the tough Northville topography running through Michigan’s oldest Arboretum. Multiple road races also are hosted in town yearly, usually finishing at Ford Field. 

• In 1888, The Record reported on Horse Racing on Dunlap. An 1893 article spoke about the 4^th of July horse races and mentioned that “it was the largest crowd ever seen in Northville,” right there on Dunlap Street. In 1944, a brand-new Northville Downs facility was built that included a revised track on the County Fair Grounds with lights for night racing and new overnight barns.

TURTLE RACES
We have touched on multiple forms of racing that occurred through time in our town. To round out the competitive events, the Northville Parks & Recreation sponsored Turtle Races for youth, dating back to 1954. These competitions featured close to 50 racing reptiles. In the coveted 1964 race, my sister Carol and her decorated turtle placed in the top 3, and then went on to win first place for “most unusual turtle” in 1967.  Racing runs deep in the family bloodline from Turtles to NASCAR.
 
OUR TIME TO RACE
I hope you got a kick out of the various forms of racing that have occurred in the Ville…now it’s time to race into the future and engage our time and talents for the betterment of our community.  Let’s stay on this trajectory we’ve started; our City’s Bicentennial will be here before you know it!
 
Keep Racing into the Northville Future!