Syracuse Mile

The Syracuse Mile hosted harness racing from its opening until 2005. The Hambletonian Stakes were held from 1926 through 1929. In the early 1970s, a new 16,000-seat grandstand was built as part of an unsuccessful attempt to bring back the Hambletonian Stakes. ==Auto racing==

standing beside his sprint car at Syracuse In 1900, a $10,000 bid was awarded to build a dirt track suitable for auto racing on the perimeter of the harness track. The first auto race at the track was held in 1903, and won by Barney Oldfield in his "Baby Bullet". Oldfield averaged more than 60 mph in a lap around the mile. Syracuse was one of the several tracks one mile in length that made up the AAA national championship. From 1925 to 1971 the Fairgrounds Board contracted with former Indianapolis driver Ira Vail to promote auto racing. With Vail's promotion, drivers such as Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt and Al Unser competed for wins during one of the Indianapolis 500's golden era's, putting the Syracuse Mile in the national spotlight. On Labor Day 1949 the sportsman modified stock cars took to the track. The New York State Fair Championship then became a Labor Day a tradition that lasted until 2002. Floyd, New York driver Cliff Kotary reigned as State Fair Champion for six straight years (1960-1965). In 1955 the first of three races for what is now referred to as the NASCAR Cup Series were featured at the fairgrounds. Tim Flock, Buck Baker and Gwyn Staley were victorious in the three events held from 55-57. Brett Hearn of Kinnelon, New Jersey, became the all-time win leader at the "Moody Mile," after claiming 6 Super Dirt Week main event victories and 6 "358 Modified" triumphs, the final coming in 2014. New York State Fair Championship Race Super Dirt Week Champions The first event was scheduled over three days, from September 29, through October 1, 1972. Inspection and qualifying races were conducted on Friday and Saturday, and the Championship race was held on Sunday. The Syracuse Mile remained the featured racetrack until 2015. == Motorcycle racing ==

In 1904, motorcycle maker and racer Glenn Curtiss, from Hammondsport, New York, raced a twin-cylinder Curtiss around The Mile in 61 seconds, just missing the then mythical mile a minute. American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) events continued until 1939 and were then revived for a short period after World War II. After a 20-year hiatus, motorcycles returned to the venue in 1974 and continued on until 1993. The AMA Nationals returned again in 2005 for the final time. ==Closure==

In 2015, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a sweeping redesign of the fairgrounds that included taking out what was the 16,000-seat grandstand and mile-long dirt track. The last stock car race was held that year on Columbus day weekend. The Super DIRT Week events were moved to a temporary dirt track at Oswego Speedway until construction of a new venue was completed. The race remains at Oswego Speedway today. ==See also==