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Then & Now- Part 3

Since 1954, BAPS Motor Speedway has been serving up some of the closest and most exciting racing in central Pennsylvania. What started as a dream of founder Bud Bricker has grown into a cherished experience for generations of families, friends and racing lovers from all over the country.

BAPS Motor Speedway in the mid 1960s utilized the infield for mainly pit parking weekly as the space was extremely limited at the time and the overflow pits were off turn 2. A concession building was located in the infield to help feed the race teams and the workers, unfortunately this area was only a pit pass access only. This infield was utilized with race team parking from 1954-2017.

As the speedway grew over the years the infield slowly made the transition from a hot pit area to just an infield that was used for tow trucks and Ems to now offering a fan experience with an infield for spectators. BAPS Motor Speedway was the last racetrack in the area to offer spectator viewing during race events.
Over the next few weeks, we will take our fans, teams and partners on a journey on how the speedway has stood the test of time and risen from the ashes.

Journey #1:
The photo from the mid 1960s shows the front stretch of Susquehanna Speedway (BAPS Motor Speedway today) and the infield which was used for the pit area.

A follow up photo from 2025 shows the infield totally different, as the speedway’s upgrades have included a jumbotron video board and more than 60% of the infield has been turned to a viewing area for the fans.

“Today is about progress, and one of the things that I am most excited about today is the fact that this shows that in this community we have the heart, we have the passion, we have the foresight, we have the wisdom, we have the vision to do big things.” Said General Manager Kolten Gouse

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