July 17 was the 60th anniversary of the Empire State 200, the only NASCAR Grand National race ever held in this region of New York. Nineteen cars lined up for a 100-lap, 200-mile race at Montgomery Air Base, now known as Orange County Airport.

Several future inductees to the NASCAR Hall of Fame such as Rex White and Richard Petty competed that day. Legendary motorsports commentator Chris Economaki called the action. The motorists took on a flat, triangle-shaped course, laid out to meet military regulations.

Local newspaper accounts of the time reported a crowd of 5,000 fans. Many cheered for Peekskill’s Jim Reed for his close ties to the region. He spent much of his career running on the short tracks of the North and early in his career raced modified stock cars, even turning up at the Orange County Fair Speedway once or twice.

The drivers would top 140 mph on the broad straightaways followed by sharp turns. The lead changed hands five times, with John Rostek, Buck Baker and Reed as the only racers to lead eventual winner White by a lap or more. White was in first place from lap 77 on, winning the race with an average speed of 88.6 mph. He finished with worn out brakes from the race’s acute angles and bald tires from the concrete runways. He would go on to win 28 races in his career and was the 1960-season champ. Future racing legend Richard Petty finished second, just ahead of his father and Plymouth teammate Lee Petty. Richard holds the record for most career wins at 200 and was a seventh time NASCAR champion. Lee had 54 wins.

Other notables on the course that day included Ned Jarrett, (father of Dale Jarrett) who finished fourth and would go on to 50 career wins; Buck Baker who finished 5th and would compile 46 win and his son Buddy Baker, who finished 12th. Reed, the local favorite, finished 13th

Though today Orange County Airport might seem like a peculiar place for a NASCAR race it was not back in 1960. NASCAR was only two years removed from running races on the beach in Daytona. Events were held just about anywhere, including the professional baseball stadium the Polo Grounds.

The airport hosted a lot of racing in those days. Drag racing was constant and sports car races drew large crowds. In August 1958, two days of racing for national sports car championships attracted 20,000 spectators.

Promoters expected similar crowds to come see Richard and Lee Petty and hoped to turn the Empire State 200 into an annual event. Unfortunately, not nearly as many spectators attended the race, as only approximately 5,000 fans came out. NASCAR was still something of an acquired taste in the North at the time, garnering many more fans in the South.

But for racing fans in the area, the event was a spectacle. Tim Dempsey of Montgomery was a young boy at the time and remembers countless young people skipping church to attend the Empire State 200.

“First chance they got they were up at the Orange County Airport,” he said. “Even some of those guys who told me those stories have passed on… Those were the teenagers of the ‘50s.”

Like everything else, NASCAR has changed over time. Cars have become faster and races are held on tracks all over the country. For one Sunday in 1960, some of the sports stars made a short pit stop in Montgomery. For those still alive, it is a memory they will never forget.

“It was great while it lasted,” Dempsey said.