Cumberland shopping plaza marks site of historic stock car race
Yahoo Sports • 1 min read • Latest: Jul 25, 2026, 8:34 AM
Last updated Jul 25, 2026
The site of a shopping plaza in Cumberland, Rhode Island, was once host to a significant milestone in stock car racing history. On October 26, 1947, Fonty Flock won the national championship race at the Lonsdale Sports Arena, making it the first sanctioned stock car race outside the South. The event drew a crowd of 18,000 and was part of a program sanctioned by Bill France, who later founded NASCAR. Despite its racing prominence, the track closed in 1956 due to flooding risks from the nearby Blackstone River. No official NASCAR-sanctioned races were recorded at the venue despite its historical significance.
- •First stock car race outside the South held in 1947
- •Fonty Flock won the national championship at Lonsdale
- •Event drew 18,000 spectators
- •Bill France sanctioned the race before founding NASCAR
- •Track closed in 1956 due to flooding risks
- 8:34 AMYahoo Sports — The surprising NASCAR connection hidden in a RI shopping plaza
"🏁 Before it was home to Stop & Shop and McDonald’s, this Cumberland site hosted a major stock car racing milestone — and helped shape the sport's future. 🚗🏆
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