GE - JO - CLIN SPEEDWAY
The Track at Boltonville, VT

     Prevaiing wisdom [and info sources have it that the track was called GeJoClin after founders Gene Bemis, Joe Veilleux, and Clint Boyce.  Clippings found early in 2021 have shown that to be the correct name. The track ran in 1950 and actually - unbeknownst to most people - it had competition from across the Connecticut River in the form of Rive - Air Raceway, near Woodsville, NH. About all I got from sparse newspaper coverage was a few ads put in a local paper.  

     I learned about this track primarily from information sent to me by the Boyce family.  From what I can determine, it was where the present day Blue Mountain Union High School sits, and all traces of it are obliterated. A Terraserver satellite photo would show nothing. I have [ or will be] doing a columnon this track, depending on when you view this page. I would appreciate any additional help with it anyone can offer. Mostly locals raced here, although it did feature Harold Hanaford, who went on to a stellar career. I do believe teams like George Barber's #46 almost certainly gave the rustic track a visit or two.
     The truth of this is borne out in an article about Barber done by Ken Paulsen and found on the 176 Racing website of Lloyd Hutchins: "

    Other than this verification from Barber [before he passed away last year], only Harold Hanaford has substantiated his participation there. The Boyce family information does name some drivers, some of whose photos may appear on the page, but there is no way to know who is who.

Ed Gould Photo Courtesy of George Hill
Ralph Chase waits on the track with his Plymouth coupe, probably while a wreck is cleared.

Google Earth Photo

[Above] You cannot see any trace of the old track, as the high school complex takes up far more room
than the entire grounds of the old race track ever did. [Below] The track was situated in a colorful
area, near both a cemetery full of Civil War veterans and not far from Ticklenaked Pond. In both shots,
the brown rectangle indicates likely track location.

Topo Quest Website Map

SOurce VCGI via John Nelson
John Nelson, avertitable research dynamo, found this aerial from before the high school. It appears that, based
on where I heard the track was, it is almost in dead center, a light gray with half the oval showing.

Ed Gould Photo Courtesy of George Hill
Kids hang around under an unbelievably crude announcer's stand. Many spectators are sitting
on the Maurice Paquette Chrysler Plymouth flatbed truck, waiting for the next race.

     It appears that the Ji - Jo _ Clin track facility was a very rustic place. Admission was handled at the access road by a man wearing a nail apron and carrying a roll of tickets. Several of the track employees, most of whom were Boyce family members working for about ten cents an hour, would arrive at the track in the local hearse, which served as an ambulance. The track was the creation of Gene Bemis, Joe Veilleux, and Clinton Boyce - hence the Ge-Jo-Clin name. Its strange name was mispoken as "Joe Joplin" and about every other hybrid of the actual title.
     According to one member of the Boyce family, after insurance costs forced cessation of operations, One of the Boyces used the land as a small truck farm before eventually donating the land to the district for the high school.

Ed Gould Photo Courtesy of George Hill
Admission procedures were simple - see the fellow in the white shirt [probably a Boyce.

Courtesy of Scott Haskell Crossing the track was easy - just wait for one of the frequent accidents.	Courtesy of Scott Haskell Workers move into the trackside brush to get at an errant race car.	Courtesy of Scott Haskell A man looks on as they try to get an accident cleared up.	Courtesy of Scott Haskell I suppose this could be Stub Piper, in George Barber's first car, who knows for sure ?	Courtesy of Scott Haskell A stock car with a sophisticated color scheme speeds by.
Courtesy of Scott Haskell Lining up a field of highly - technical Ge-Jo-Clin racers.	Ed Gould Photo Courtesy of George Hill Informal pit meeting.	Ed Gould Photo Courtesy of George Hill The local hearse doubles as the ambulance and an employee lounge.	Ed Gould Photo Courtesy of George Hill Unloading team cars. Could that kid be any skinnier ?	Ed Gould Photo Courtesy of George Hill Someone's pit area.

Photo Courtesy of Wayne Boyce
Bev Boyce and Mrs. Ken Boyce wait at the track for their jobs
in the hot dog stand  to commence. They made ten cents an hour.

Click on the ads to enlarge

River News and Twin State Times June 16, 1950. Sounds like the opening program.

River News and Twin State Times July, 1950. All their ads looked just like this one.

River News and Twin State Times July, 1950. All the rest of their ads looked just like this one.

River News and Twin State Times
Also, 1950. This was the competition. 

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