Speedway Park
 Aerial photograph of Speedway Park (1952) | |
| Location | Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 30°18′05″N 81°44′42″W / 30.301316°N 81.745083°W |
| Capacity | ~5,000 |
| Opened | 1947 |
| Closed | 1973 |
| Major events | None (defunct) |
| Dirt oval track | |
| Length | 0.500 miles (0.805 km) |
Speedway Park was a 0.5-mile (0.80 km) dirt, oval, auto racing track, located in Jacksonville, Florida. [1]
It was built in 1946 by Eddie Bland on land belonging to the family farm and later came to be known as Jacksonville Speedway after it was sold in 1954. [2]
Opened in 1947, the track was located at the intersection of Lenox Avenue and Plymouth Street in southwest Jacksonville.[3] NASCAR Grand National Series races were held at the track during the 1951, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1961 and 1964 seasons.[4] The final Grand National Series race at the track was won by Wendell Scott, the first African-American to win in NASCAR's top series.[5]
In addition to auto racing, the track hosted the Duval County Exposition.[6] The NASCAR Grand American Series also competed there.[7] After a final NASCAR Grand National East Series race in 1972 won by David Pearson,[4] the track was closed in 1973; a housing development now stands at the site.[8]
Race results
[edit]| Date | Series | Driver | Make | Laps | Avg. Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 4, 1951 | NASCAR Grand National Series | Herb Thomas | Hudson | 200 | 53.412 mph (85.958 km/h) |
| March 3, 1952 | NASCAR Grand National Series | Marshall Teague | Hudson | 200 | 55.197 mph (88.831 km/h) |
| March 7, 1954 | NASCAR Grand National Series | Herb Thomas | Hudson | 200 | 56.461 mph (90.865 km/h) |
| February 13, 1955 | NASCAR Grand National Series | Lee Petty | Chrysler | 200 | 69.031 mph (111.095 km/h) |
| November 20, 1960 | NASCAR Grand National Series | Lee Petty | Plymouth | 200 | 64.400 mph (103.642 km/h) |
| December 1, 1963 | NASCAR Grand National Series | Wendell Scott | Chevrolet | 202 | 58.252 mph (93.748 km/h) |
| March 14, 1972 | NASCAR Grand National East Series | David Pearson | Chevrolet | 202 | 54.758 mph (88.124 km/h) |
References
[edit]- ^ "Auto Race Tracks". The Billboard, April 13, 1957, page 81.
- ^ Jones, Anne; McFarland, Rex (April 25, 2007). All Around the Track: Oral Histories of Drivers, Mechanics, Officials, Owners, Journalists and Others in Motorsports Past and Present. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. p. 175. ISBN 978-0786429882.
- ^ Coble, Don. "Yarbrough lived and raced fast, fell even faster Archived 2014-05-02 at the Wayback Machine". June 27, 2011. Brainerd, MN: Brainerd Dispatch. Accessed 2014-05-01.
- ^ a b "Race Results at Speedway Park". Racing-Reference. USA Today Sports Media Group. Accessed 2014-05-01.
- ^ "1963 NASCAR controversy: Racing or race?". The Florida Times-Union. Jacksonville, FL. June 27, 2010. Archived from the original on 2014-03-06. Retrieved 2014-04-30.
- ^ The Billboard, October 20, 1958, page 47.
- ^ "Lund Wins". Daytona Beach Sunday News-Journal. Daytona Beach, FL. October 4, 1970. p. 2D. Retrieved 2014-05-01.
- ^ Allaway, Phil. "The Critic's Annex: 39-Wendell Scott: A Race Story". February 23, 2011. Frontstretch. Accessed 2014-05-01.