Columbus Motor Speedway

Columbus Motor Speedway (CMS), organized in 1945 by the late John Nuckles and a group of motorcycle enthusiasts, has become one of the top drawing sporting attractions in central Ohio during the past 50 years. After purchasing a 50 acre tract of land on the southeast edge of Columbus in 1945, the group, led by Nuckles carved out a one-third mile "true" oval and held the first motorcycle race in the fall of 1946. In 1947 there were two motorcycle events and a roadster show held at the speedway. Motorcycles and occasionally roadsters raced at the speedway until 1950 when lights were installed and the first stock car event held. Races were run every Friday night featuring 1937 - 1949 coupes and sedans. The track was paved in 1957 and the program progressed from the stocks to the super modifieds and eventually to the current super Late Models. In 1953 the track was incorporated with 11 members comprising the board of directors and John Nuckles serving as President. The elder Nuckles continued to run the speedway until his unexpected death in 1965. The highest paying race of the year is now held in his memory, and the 1996 John Nuckles Memorial will be presented July 27th. In the years surrounding Nuckles' death, all of the original members of the corporation left. In 1971 James Nuckles, the only son of John and Esther Nuckles, became the sole owner. The speedway has subsequently become a family operation with Jim's son Jerry acting as Vice President and his wife Barbara serving as concession manager. Jim's youngest son Jeff, is the promotional director while his oldest son John is a consultant. Jim and Barbara's fourth son, Jamie, was also actively involved at the oval until his death in 1974. There have been many aspiring professionals and seasoned veterans cut their teeth on the demanding third-mile oval. Such names as Neal Sceva, Dick Freeman, Benny Parsons and Ralph O'Day just to name a few. It was a humid night in the summer of 1957 that a modified built by the Miller brothers from Columbus and driven by Jim Cushman made automotive history as the first ever winged racecar. Many people laughed, but not for long as the primitive creation decimated the competition. Columbus native and long time ASA stand-out Don Gregory was a Sunday night staple at the speedway for more than a decade driving the purple and white number 7 owned by Bud St Amant. Gregory dominated both Late Model and Sportsman competition in the 60's and 70's. The late 1970's brought huge crowds and purses to CMS along with correspondingly stiff competition. With weekly attendance of nearly 4,000, the average winners share of the purse was nearly $1500. Ed Howe of Beaverton, Michigan made weekly treks to CMS to compete against the likes of Dick Dunlevy Sr., Harold Smith and Dick Bicketstaff. It was not uncommon to see 30 car fields and intense action every week. Today the entire operation is geared toward the fan with fast, efficiently run Saturday evening race programs. This is a must as far as Nuckles is concerned. Most evenings will find the paying customer on his way home between 9:30 and 10:00PM. The speedway also boasts four conveniently located concessions stands, a large playground for the little tykes and the cleanest restrooms around. Capitol improvement has also been a critical part of the speedway's success in recent years. In the past eight seasons a concrete retaining wall, all new grandstands, a state of the art lighting system and paved pit pads is just a short list of the ongoing improvements. Courtesy:Columbus Motor Speedway