Motorcycle and auto-racing-mother of NASCAR-were early arrivals at Hinchliffe, the relentless high-pitched snarl of midget cars making a noisy hell of weekends for people who lived on nearby Maple and Walnut Streets right up till World War II.
Post-war, the sport came back in force, creating some of the most popular and well-supported events at the stadium. Midget-racing stars Dutch Schaefer and Rex Records rode here in '45 (a 75-lap championship) and again in '46. In its first race at Hinchliffe on Easter Sunday, 1946, "Sugar Blues," one of the most successful cars in the Kingsbridge Armory (built in Paterson for owner Jerry Willetts) was driven by Rex Records.
Ted Horn, the unique seven-time AAA champion who kept up his race cars in Paterson's "Gasoline Alley" on East 29th Street, rode here in 1947, the year before he was tragically killed in a racing accident in Illinois. And on September 30, 1947, Bill ("Bronco Bill") Schindler won his 48th feature event of the year at Hinchliffe.
East Rutherford's own Art Cross rode here, before being made Indy Rookie of the Year in 1952. One of his many triumphs include capturing the coveted 50-lap Offenhauser championship on the final day of the 1947 season (10/14/47). But they say if you asked him, he'd claim greatest accomplishment at Hinchliffe took place after one of his races, when he met his future wife.