Memories of Manchester Speedway celebrated
Years before there was an MIS and NASCAR racing over in Brooklyn with large capacity stands and a two-mile surfaced track … there was a half-mile dirt track in rural Manchester Township, with weekly Friday night races that attracted a huge fan base. Yes, right here in Manchester.
It’s been 47 years since the lights went out at the track and the last stock car races were held out on Schleweis Road, but the memories of Veryl Schill and Manchester Speedway are still vivid to many loyal fans.
On a sunny Saturday afternoon, that was proven as family, friends, and fans swapped stories, shared scrapbooks, and reminisced about the cars, the drivers, and the events held at the old track. Thanks to the generosity of the Earhart family and the hard work of Paul Sroufe, a reunion was held last weekend that allowed a peek into this slice of Manchester’s storied past. A huge crowd of people, from the merely curious to the racing connoisseur, joined in the festivities, browsing from one table to another where racing memorabilia was displayed. Many folks attended from out-of-state.
It all started back in 1959 or 1960 when Harold Schill and a few friends approached his dad, Veryl Schill, to see if they could build a dirt track on the family’s property out on Schleweis Road.
In 2011, this reporter had the opportunity to speak to both Harold and his stepmother, Louise Schill. At that time, Louise remembered Veryl asking her what she thought of Harold’s idea, and she said, “It’s fine with me as long as you don’t mortgage my house,” adding with a chuckle, “But you know what happened, don’t you?”
Veryl worked full-time for Tecumseh Products at the time, while Louise worked at Ford Motor Company. Still, work went on as they built the blue clay track, with oil residue hauled in from oil fields near Litchfield, and the first race out on Schleweis Road was held at the end of the 1961 season. A full season, from May through September, opened the following year.
Veryl and Louise were the major stockholders and managed the track. Louise’s mother ran the concessions; other family members and close friends took tickets, flagged the races, drove the ambulances, and cashiered at the concession stands. There was always plenty of family around to fill in for anyone who couldn’t make their shift. It was a labor of love for the entire extended family.
And Harold was the track’s “hot dog” driver. “You could put him in any car,” Louise recalled. “He was a good driver.”
But even good drivers get into accidents. During the 1967 season, Harold suffered a severe, career-ending injury during a crash. Still, racing went on at the track.
However, it was never easy to try and please everyone in the bleachers, everyone on the track, all of the neighbors, and family as well. Some neighbors tried to get the speedway shut down because of the noise and the traffic on Friday nights.
Eventually, in 1972, Veryl sold the property and business for $50,000. New owners tried to keep the speedway going, but it never regained the popularity that it had during the Schill family’s ownership.
Saturday’s event proved that after nearly 60 years, the Manchester Speedway is far from forgotten, and the memories live on.
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