Kleiner’s Korner: Part 5 - The Rise of the Automobile in my New Home State (North Carolina): A 1907 Race on the Beach
Forty years before the creation of NASCAR in North Carolina several Wilmington auto enthusiasts envisioned an annual racing event to be held on the main beach of the area, Wrightsville Beach.
Little did they know that their state would eventually be a hotbed of auto racing with its numerous tracks and personalities, most notably the Petty racing family.
Interestingly, 1907 was the only year the Vanderbilt Cup Race was not held during its time on Long Island. I'm sure this didn't have anything to do with Wilmington's decision to hold a race, but races in Ormond Beach, Florida may have. Unless otherwise noted, documents are from the November 23 & 24, 1907 issues of the "Wilmington Messenger" and "Wilmington Morning Star".
Auto Racing: A Beach Attraction
As early as 1904 the beaches of the Carolinas were being considered for auto racing. But Ormond Beach was the clear choice. If not maybe Willie K. would have broken the speed record near my new home town. Wonder what beaches were being considered in Virginia and Maine. (Brooklyn Daily Eagle Jun. 5, 1904)
The Race and its Participants
In 1907 automobile enthusiasts and those whose businesses involved autos announced racing on Wrightsville Beach, a city on the Atlantic Ocean directly east of Wilmington (the Intercoastal Waterway separates Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach).
A tremendous crowd was expected!
The event featured 4 races with Maxwell and Ford runabouts racing against themselves and each other. Participants included Frank Herbst and John E. Platt, both operators of auto dealerships.
Prizes included a gold medal and prizes of $5, $3 and $1.
The total prize money to be awarded for the races was $50.
Cars were dismantled in Wilmington and transported by train to Wrightsville Beach.
The Course on Wrightsville Beach
Two beachfront hotels, the Tarrymore (later named the Oceanic) and the Lumina Pavilion were the start and finish.
The course covered 1 1/2 miles in the sand. The six stations (e.g. "Sta") refer to the trolley car stations that were located up and and down the beach and which transported beach goers from Wilmington.
The Tarrymore Hotel
The Lumina Pavillion
Wrightsville Beach - then . . . (the screen on the left projected moving pictures for the Lumina guests)
and now.
And the Winners Are . . .
More than 300 people witnessed the races which were deemed successful.
All expectations were that due to the success of the races other similar events would be planned in the near future on the beach. However, these expectations were never met.
The winning Maxwells and Fords eventually raced against each other with Frank Herbst in the Maxwell beating John Platt in the Ford. Herbst won the gold medal in the championship race open to all entrants.
Herbst's 14 hp Maxwell won three events.
A track record of 1 minute and 50 seconds was established by Frank Herbst.
Promoters of auto racing in Wilmington touted the races as a success and hoped to announce other races shortly. But races never occurred on Wrightsville Beach again.
Other Wilmington Races
Even though others tried. (Wilmington Morning Star Aug. 13, 1915)
And even a "miniature automobile race" was to be staged at the Lumina in 1919. (Wilmington Morning Star Aug. 13, 1919)
In 1938 races were featured at the Fourth Annual Coastal Fair. (State Port Pilot Sept. 21, 1938)
Richard Petty ("The King") of the famous Petty racing family was a native of Level Cross, NC. Additional information about racing and the automobile industry in North Carolina can be found here and here. (Photo courtesy of ncpedia.org).
The next and final part of my NC series will detail the 1924 opening of the state's first major auto racing venue, the Charlotte Speedway and its closing 3 years later.
Comments
It is always interesting to read about lesser known events like this one. I was lucky to find a photo of Herbst in the winning Maxwell, for some reason not taken on the beach itself (The Automobile December 5, 1907 p.866).
Thanks Ariejan. Actually this was the first article I had seen about the Wrightsville Beach race, no others appear to have been written in the trade publications except in the local NC papers. But for some reason I never saved the accompanying picture. So glad you shared it here.