Missing from this discussion are all the old Board Tracks that the motorcycles and midgets used to race on.
Missing from this discussion are all the old Board Tracks that the motorcycles and midgets used to race on.
Middle Georgia Raceway in Byron GA was an old NASCAR track and hosted the southern Woodstock. It's been closed for years but the local SCCA group runs (ran?) their rallycross on the property. The state even put up a historical marker
On a related note, here's a very interesting site someone put together for old/abandoned airports. I was amazed to find how many of them were right near us back 50-80 years ago. http://members.tripod.com/airfields_freeman/index.htm
Covington, Georgia had a dragstrip that had been shut down after a horrific accident, and made into an RV park. We still had a couple people waving the bloody fire suit when somebody talked about building a go kart track out there.
We are shooting right now on a racetrack on Hutchinson Island just outside of Savannah, Ga.
apparently they have used it for one or two Indy lights races, maybe some vintage stuff and a few random things but it is all public roads now, replete with curbing!
It’s not long but pretty cool
jimbbski said:I had a old friend who started a website called "Ghost Tracks" where he gave the history of a number of road race tracks that came and went here in the midwest.
Sadly the website went away after he passed.
The most famous tracks that he had a history of was "Meadowdale" northwest of Chicago. It didn't last very long but it held a number of pro races and it's still mostly all there.
It's now a forest preserve with the track used as a walking path.
They have a website: http://www.mirpa.org/home-1.html
Another small club track that's gone but not gone is one that was build in southern WI. It closed and was turned into a housing development with the builder using the track as it was and just adding pavement as required. He even named some of the streets with "racing" names.
The last one is a drag strip called "U.S. 30 Raceway" it's also still there just overgrown. https://www.google.com/maps/@41.4751478,-87.2835804,889m/data=!3m1!1e3
I remember that track well. All sorts of firsts for me. I was 14 and took the train from Minneapolis to it, hitchhiking the last 14 miles. The “bathrooms” were old buses with holes cut in the floor and a few actual seats over the holes.
Augie Pabst showed up towing a Triumph TR4 behind a fantastic Prewar Blower Bentley. It was my second race working as pit crew on the Black Jack Special. The Cro Sal special was there. It was a Chetah with the roof cut off.
Peewalkee was the name I think? Or the nearest town? Lyndale Farms !
For a slightly different change of pace, here's a closed track that looks to be re-opening:
https://autoweek.com/article/nascar/new-owner-anticipates-racing-return-historic-rockingham-speedway
bentwrench said:Missing from this discussion are all the old Board Tracks that the motorcycles and midgets used to race on.
Here's a bit about the Columbus Motordrome:
http://www.ghmchs.org/thisweek/photo-listing23.htm#race
" The Arlington track closed in 1913 after a fiery motordrome crash in Cincinnati killed a racer and 9 spectators, and injured 35 more, on a similar 30 degree banked track."
unevolved said:For a slightly different change of pace, here's a closed track that looks to be re-opening:
https://autoweek.com/article/nascar/new-owner-anticipates-racing-return-historic-rockingham-speedway
The only Nascar race I've ever been to was at this track .........not a bad seat in the house......and FAST....great news.
I know of a couple in the Louisville KY area.
First was the "Fairgrounds Motor Speedway" it was a banked oval, not sure of the length or degree of banking, it was located near the old football stadium at what is now the "Kentucky Fair and Expo Center". I remember attending races there with my dad in the early 70's. As a little kid, I particularly loved the "figure-8" races....
It closed in 1980, there is a parking lot there now.... 
There is a FB group for this old track. Official Fairgrounds Motor Speedway Facebook Page
Second was the Louisville Motor Speedway, opened in 1988. It hosted some NASCAR truck series races for a few years. It closed around the time the Speedway in Sparta KY opened. It too was demolished, I think there are warehouses there now.
I have also stumbled upon an article about a road course at the KY Fair and Expo Center. It was laid out around the perimeter of the fairgrounds complex and had 9 turns. It hosted races from 1956 to at least 1960. I haven't found a lot of information about it, but apparently Roger Penske competed and won there in 1960 in a Porsche RSK. I'd never heard of this one before. KY State Fairgrounds road course.
NYS Fairgounds one mile dirt track. Gone.
This little paved oval that used to be a racetrack is about 30 mins from my house. Not sure when it closed. Property is in use by a trucking company.
Fireball Raceway. Link Closed 2001.
I stumbled on this book a few years ago. Covers the early days of wooden race tracks in the Charlotte area along with everything else. Who would have guessed that Charlotte at one time was a hotbed of open wheel racing? The first Charlotte Speedway was a 1.25 mile board race track banked at 40 degrees. Open from 1924 to 1927.
Callaway County raceway in Missouri shut down last year. It's a 1/4 mile dirt oval that had a history under the same owners of about 15 years, apparently. I never went there as dirt racing isn't really my bag, but a shame nevertheless.
jfryjfry said:We are shooting right now on a racetrack on Hutchinson Island just outside of Savannah, Ga.
apparently they have used it for one or two Indy lights races, maybe some vintage stuff and a few random things but it is all public roads now, replete with curbing!
It’s not long but pretty cool
For the past several years, there's been Historic Racing there near the end of each October. GRM was there with their ramp truck last year. I've lapped it a few times.
Rattlesnake Raceway south of Midland, Texas, was Chaparral's test track, and some races were run there in the late 50's - early 60's. It's also where Jim Hall did some work for Chevy investigating problems with the Corvair suspension.
The Chaparral shops are on the property, along the main road (TX 349) at the left in the photo.
Fun fact: When moving the Chaparrals to the Chaparral Gallery of the Permian Basin Petroleum Museum, 5 miles away, they DROVE them.
In reply to slantvaliant :
Minnesota state fair had a 1/2 mile dirt oval on the fairgrounds property. Later paved and at one time the Victory grounds for the Black Jack special in a Vintage sports cer race.
Southern Ontario was a hotbed for pilot and navigator training during WW2, because of this there were (and still are) quite a few airfields, 6 of these have had some sort of road course on them at some point and 2 of them still exist today, both with active road courses and drag strips.
Still Active
Grand Bend Motorplex - https://goo.gl/maps/ig92oQsbPvD2
Toronto Motorsports Park - https://goo.gl/maps/7SjHYMS8L2u
Not Active
Dunnville Autodrone (Dunnville) 2004-2009 - https://goo.gl/maps/oKUyAVDo9oM2
Unfortunately the property owner didn't go though all the proper processes to get his seldom used airport converted into a road course and eventually they were shutdown. Dream Car Garage on Speed filmed their on track stuff here and the site still hosts Canada's worst driver. This isn't operating as an airport anymore either as there are now 6 wind turbines on the property, I presume the neighbors love them.
Edenvale Circuit (Stayner) 1951-1959 - https://goo.gl/maps/Bjw5Di3ZJP62
Green Acres Circuit (Port Albert) 1958-1959 - https://goo.gl/maps/xLCfajoX9i52
Harewood Acres (Nanticoke) 1956-1970 - https://goo.gl/maps/ApXGntC4VZs
I found a lot of this on wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_auto_racing_tracks_in_Canada
Adam
In reply to adam525i : I got my first SCCA license at Holtville, an abandoned WW2 bomber base east of San Diego
very similar to Sebring in that it was rough as a cob due to settling and heaving of the concrete sections.
Flat featureless as any airport coarse, it still allowed me a safe runoff when I over pushed the car and ran off the track learning the limits of the car.
Then I graduated to Riverside race track and really learned why Sports car racing was so wonderful. I also learned how to do body work thanks to turn six boiler plate wall and failed brakes.
Both tracks are gone now
Woody said:I read a book called Ghost Tracks or something like that. It’s interesting stuff.
I have an autographed copy of it, really cool book
adam525i said:(Dunnville) 2004-2009 - https://goo.gl/maps/oKUyAVDo9oM2
Unfortunately the property owner didn't go though all the proper processes to get his seldom used airport converted into a road course and eventually they were shutdown. Dream Car Garage on Speed filmed their on track stuff here and the site still hosts Canada's worst driver. This isn't operating as an airport anymore either as there are now 6 wind turbines on the property, I presume the neighbors love them.
The airport would likely still be active and have no wind turbines if they were still getting the revenue from hosting the track. I know the same group fighting the track began fighting wind turbines before their website got shutdown for copyright infringement. And you are right "they LOVE the turbines!"
drsmooth said:adam525i said:(Dunnville) 2004-2009 - https://goo.gl/maps/oKUyAVDo9oM2
Unfortunately the property owner didn't go though all the proper processes to get his seldom used airport converted into a road course and eventually they were shutdown. Dream Car Garage on Speed filmed their on track stuff here and the site still hosts Canada's worst driver. This isn't operating as an airport anymore either as there are now 6 wind turbines on the property, I presume the neighbors love them.
The airport would likely still be active and have no wind turbines if they were still getting the revenue from hosting the track. I know the same group fighting the track began fighting wind turbines before their website got shutdown for copyright infringement. And you are right "they LOVE the turbines!"
NIMBYs will never learn. There will always be *something* in your back yard. I'd rather have race engines on weekends (with all the revenue that generates for the local businesses), and maybe a little testing on weekdays, than the constant whine/whoosh of wind turbines. It sounds like poetic justice. :)
mikedd969 said:Second was the Louisville Motor Speedway, opened in 1988. It hosted some NASCAR truck series races for a few years. It closed around the time the Speedway in Sparta KY opened. It too was demolished, I think there are warehouses there now.
We raced at Louisville Speedway, it was a great place! A triangle of sorts and it drove like a road course. It was also the first place I witnessed school bus races using the figure 8. Awesomeness in yellow!
Figured I'd resurrect this thread with a couple of my recent explorations:
the abandoned Riverview Speedway outside Nashville. It's been closed since 2005 and is currently for sale for $599k. The place was wide open, so I did a few laps with the rental!
the place is really in good shape for having sat so long! Hopefully someone can save it before it's too far gone. The banking at this place was incredible! Way more steep than any other short track I've seen before.
googled image:
Also, Augusta to check out the abandoned Augusta International Speedway road course. This place was only open from 1960-1970 but most of the 3 mile course remains somewhat intact. A sports facility has been constructed over a portion of the grounds but you can still go walk most of the track. If you weren't already aware it's there, you would never notice it. Very fun and very hot!
Myrtle Beach Speedway was torn down last year to create a housing development. The track buildings were torn down, and then it was announced that the developer backed out of the deal. They had a rough time going, low car counts, poor crowds, major work needed on the site. Another track re-opened nearby, and was fierce competition. They also had a bad spell with driver's dying from road accidents, illness, etc. that affected the fan base. It's a shame to drive by wreckage.
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