HOCOC - one of the nation's oldest slotcar organizations

When tracking back the history of slot car racing you look in two directions.  You look to California or you look to the New York/New Jersey area.  I remember in the early to mid '70s all of the slot car news seemed to be coming out of New York, New Jersey or Pennsylvania.  This was during the time when Buzz-A-Rama was the track everyone seemed to hear about and Tony P. was the racer/builder everyone was talking about.  Really, you knew slot car racing was going on in California (If you have any doubt about this, read in featured racers section about Red Valantine), but the news was all about the eastern seaboard area.  What is the oldest slot car racing organization in the U.S.?  I really don't know, but I do know of one that has been around almost 40 years.  HOCOC (HO Circuit of Champions) was formed in 1979 and has been active ever since.  Currently, this organization puts on races in 4 states (MA, CT, RI, & PA) and has 11 races scheduled for their 2018-2019 season.  These 11 races will be held on 6 different tracks during the year. 

East Haven Oval
East Haven, CT

Thunder Road Raceway

Cumberland, RI

 

Juniper Raceway Road Course

Southbridge, MA

Langhorne Speedway

Milford, MA

The top class in HOCOC is the National Sportsman Championship Series.  This is a series of races using brass weighted chassis with inline motors.  The bodies they are currently using are the N.A.S.C.A.R. bodies such are as used in Cup races.  At the end of the year there is a National Sportsman Championship race where the 10 top points winners are automatically qualified.  Also qualifying are the winners of certain NSCS events.  There are 8 additional qualifying spots up for grab the day of the Championship by means of time trials.  This series, and its championship, have drawn racers from 13 different states and have had events in 6 different states in the past.

HOCOC also runs classes featuring Aurora T-Jets and classes that are dedicated to the clones of T-Jets such as Johnny Lightning, Auto World, Dash, etc....  All of these classes have very strict rules which are adhered to.  

This is an organization with a rich and well documented history.  They are proud of their organization and are striving to do what is best for HO racing and to help it grow.  You can find their website at www.hococ.weebly.com.  I encourage everyone to check them out and to visit their races if you ever get a chance.  You will find a schedule of their races for 2018-2019 in this blog's scheduled events section.