

Other winners in 1949 were Barney Smith withtwo and Red Foote, Jimmy Richards, Moon Burgess, George Janoski, Ralph Sheeler,Chuck Viets, Bert Brooks, and Frank Blum with one apiece. Nineteenmeets were held, Hank Tatro winning 11 features and the season title.

ARDC Midgets racedthrough most of the 1948 season, but in October Otto canceled their late-seasonchampionship in favor of stock car races.Tommy Bradshaw swept the debut stock car program on October 17 against afield that included Wally Campbell and Johnny Rogers.For 1949Cherry Park ran stock cars weekly under the New England Stock Car RacingAssociation (NESCRA) sanction. Ed Otto, whowould soon play a leading role in NASCAR, built a ¼-mile oval for Midget racinginside Cherry Park’s half mile early in 1946.This was dirt for the first meet on July 28, but was paved during thefollowing week. According to Allan Brown, the ½-mile track hosted occasional autoraces during the 1930s. 1) and the Pequonnock River bridge indowntown Bridgeport.Sources: IllustratedSpeedway News, National Speed Sport News, Bridgeport Telegram onCherryPark Speedway – Avon, ConnecticutBy John NelsonCherry Park was built for horse racingin 1882.

The site is on the northeast side of River Street aboutmidway between North Avenue (U.S.
